Levi glares at him a moment more, but then reaches out to scratch begrudgingly between his ears, much like how he would mess Eren's head if he were human. Fine, he'll capitulate to the literal puppy-dog eyes.
"Better." He heaves a sigh and starts heading out towards the forest. "C'mon, mutt."
Levi gives Eren a handful of sidelong glances as they walk. Nose to tail, he's longer than Levi is tall, and his head nearly comes to his elbow.
"Didn't realize wolves were so damned big. Wonder why you ended up with this shape instead of something else."
Not that he's complaining. If anything, Levi would be more surprised if Somnius had stuck him as something like a rabbit. But he has a feeling Eren would never have tolerated being a prey animal.
[Eren can't exactly shrug, but he does listen, head tilting to the side curiously as Levi talks. He can't pretend to know why Somnius chose a wolf for him either - it's not even an animal he's familiar with. Honestly, if he had to choose, well...sometimes he thinks that being a bird might not be so bad.
[But Eren's always sort of felt that way.
[Like hell he was going to be anything but a predator, though. To demonstrate this, Eren yips again, running a few feet ahead of Levi and spinning in a little circle - this is to show that what he's about to do is just for demonstration, you see.
[He stops, backing up a couple more feet and getting down low to the ground, the fur on back bristling while his lips curl up in a threatening snarl, baring all teeth. He growls.
Levi stops a few paces away, watching the display with some amount of bland amusement. Yes, very spooky, Eren, good job.
"Well if I was a bunny rabbit I'd be pissing myself right now," he drawls, then comes closer and crouches down in front of Eren, right there in the street, to get a better look at his fangs.
[There's a little huff - again, he needs to get better at controlling his reactions like this. But he does as he's told, opening his mouth to its full width, keeping his teeth exposed.]
Yep, some pretty good chompers in there. Levi examines Eren's gums a bit, making a face at the smell of dog breath before straightening to his feet again with a dubious look.
"You didn't eat anything as this hairball, did you?"
"Hmm," he hums, seemingly not convinced. "Guess dog breath just comes with the territory. Maybe you should get Hange to brush your teeth for you, they'd probably have fun with that, seeing as they have a thing for your teeth."
[It's weird, but not...as weird, considering the source. Hange is rather fascinated by Eren's teeth, it's true. If he loses one as a wolf, will it grow back the next time he transforms...? Hm.
[Eren pads along behind Levi. He's not sure what sort of training they have planned, but he's eager to get moving - evidenced by the way he regularly jogs ahead, then has to stop and wait, then jogs ahead again.]
Levi doesn't seem to mind that Eren is bouncing off the walls full of energy while he follows more sedately. It's nice to just enjoy the mornings sometimes, the weather finally warming to where it's pleasant to be outside longer than five minutes. It'll feel good to feel the fresh air on his face when he works with the gear later.
Every now and then if Eren stays still enough when Levi catches up to him, he'll get a little pat on the head.
"I'd make you fetch a stick or something, but I'm not touching anything that's been in your mouth."
[Yet another offended huff. As if he'd play fetch, Levi. He has more dignity than that (do not throw that stick - do not).
[Man, he wishes he could talk right now. Levi could see how Eren is at catching things maybe-- would that ever be useful in combat? Are they going to have dummies to attack or something...? See how fast he can run? He kind of wants to tear something apart...]
Gotta train your...eye-mouth, coordination, Eren. The huffy noise gets a little bit of an upturned quirk at the corner of his lips. It's actually pretty funny, teasing him like this. Levi's enjoying himself.
They finally reach their little training ground area they've more or less taken over in the past few months. It's a wide clearing, with several large and sturdy trees around the perimeter, a few boulders here and there. The lake is visible not so far off, glittering blue already in the early morning.
Levi stops and slings a bag from his shoulder that had been hidden beneath his cloak. Inside is a bright yellow ball.
[Oh shit? Eren's reflexes as a wolf are faster than that of his human or titan forms - and four legs are faster than two. He races off across the clearing after the ball the instant it's thrown. Kind of embarrassing, but he only has one thing on his mind right now - ball is life.
[It's tricky, though, trying to catch it. He jumps for it and thoroughly misses, the ball landing a few feet away - talk about embarrassing. His ears go back and he gives a little growl. He could just pick it up now, but Levi said he wouldn't touch anything that had been in his mouth...
Well that answers that question - how strong the wolf's instincts are.
It's fine, he's got a handkerchief now in his hand.
"Just bring it back, Eren," he calls, pulling a few other things out of his bag and laying them on the wooden bench they'd brought out here ages ago. Are those...socks?
[Another bark - "Sir!" And he snatches the ball up in his mouth and bounds back. He's exceptionally quick in this form - all he's really done the last few months is run around when he's in it.]
[The ball is distracting, but Eren knows a command when he hears it. He takes off on the Captain's "Go!" this time, running as fast as he can - but he keeps his eye on the ball. He leaps to catch it, snatching it out of the air with his jaws. He doesn't hesitate to run back to Levi, putting all his power into his legs once again. He waits for the handkerchief to drop it.]
"Good." Levi definitely sounds pleased, looks it, if you knew what to look for. He gives Eren's head a ruffle, much like how he's done in his normal shape, and repeats the process of wiping off the ball after signaling the direction he'll throw it in.
[It's fun, but more importantly, it looks Levi definitely has a reason for throwing the ball, and that's reassuring that they're actually doing something important. Eren sees the value in it too. Without his titan, he's felt sluggish and weak. He enjoys the feeling of quick reflexes and powerful muscles, driving him across the ground at speeds much faster than a human can run.
[He catches the ball midair again, stumbling slightly when he hits the ground again. He'll repeat the drill as many times as Levi commands it - all that running he's been doing has built up his endurance in this form.]
Admittedly, he's never much seen the appeal of having a pet, per-se. And of course Eren isn't one, but Levi's beginning to understand why people enjoy having dogs around. There were some working dogs kept by the Survey Corps in some of the less urban outposts to help keep vermin and other things away, but Levi had never really interacted with them much. He likewise kept his distance from the strays and feral cats that prowled around the barns, because they likely had fleas and who the fuck knows what other sort of disease-carrying parasites that could transfer to him with just one touch. Hard no.
Horses were a necessary part of their routine, but strangely, he'd taken to them quite quickly. Having Moon in Somnius has been wonderful, really. Maybe they'll have to do this again and put her through her paces, have her run along with Eren and make sure she hasn't completely lost her unflappable demeanor in the face of danger.
But this - yeah, all right. He can understand why some people like to keep them around a little more, now. Is it possible to not feel a little bit better doing this? Seems unlikely.
Levi throws the ball several more times, trying a few different ways of throwing it - a high lob, an underhand, bouncing it off a boulder, until Eren seems like he's tiring, and they can move onto something else.
[It's definitely exercise. Eren only drops the ball one other time. He has just as much reckless energy as ever, and that's always best suited to an actual goal. If it's just catching a ball, then it's just catching a ball - it makes him feel like he's working toward something, at least; he's so tired of feeling like he just sits around doing nothing worthwhile.
[And it's fun. Eren wonders if he might like a dog someday.
[He comes back to Levi panting, but nods his big furry head. He's not ready to quit yet (if he actually needs a break, he's not likely to let that on in any form).]
"Good." Another head ruffle, scratching behind the ears.
"Listen up. I buried some stuff out here yesterday, so I want you to use that slobbery wolf nose of yours to see if you can find them. They're in boxes, like this one." He taps a small box made of pine wood - it's a repurposed tea box. "Three of them. They're all out around the edges of the clearing in the woods."
There's three socks also sitting on the bench; one blue, one green, one gray.
"Inside each box is the match to these socks - they probably smell extra ripe to you. See if you can find each one."
Levi's also curious if Eren can tell who the socks belong to (Hange, Erwin, and himself - not that it would be hard to guess.)
[He's never stopped to consider what sort of socks his superiors wear, so he might have a harder time guessing than Levi expects - although, he might recognize their scent?
[He hadn't even considered an exercise like this. Sense of smell could be extremely useful...
[Eren gives one heavy nod, then steps up to the gray sock. Ripe indeed. He really can smell everything like this - but even something buried in a pine box? He stands alert, eyes narrowing on the woods - then, he's off, nose pressed to the ground as he disappears into the trees. It was smart of him to start with one sock at a time. He knows exactly what scent he's looking for, but there's only the smallest hint of it. It takes him about fifteen minutes to find and dig up the box. He lets out a howl from the woods (cannot open - paws).]
They gray sock should smell very familiar, at least, since Levi is right here. It might be a bit of a challenge yet, for Eren to sniff it out between time and the box acting as a barrier, but if that's the case, Levi will have to adjust the exercise to try again another time.
Luckily it seems like that won't be necessary. He watches Eren track around the area for a little while. Eventually, he closes his eyes and just listens to the sounds around him - Eren rustling about, the light breeze through the trees, birds calling. It's nice to just...detach for a bit.
He dozes for a few minutes, arms folded in front of his chest before waking to a now-familiar howl, and trudges off in that direction - it's the right one, so he can only assume Eren found what he was looking for.
"Found it, huh? Not bad." Levi picks up the box, dusting off the excess dirt, and opens it to show Eren he had the right one (which Eren probably realizes by smell, rather than color).
"Next one. Get going. I'm timing you now." There's a gold chain and pocket watch in his hand.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
<3
Levi glares at him a moment more, but then reaches out to scratch begrudgingly between his ears, much like how he would mess Eren's head if he were human. Fine, he'll capitulate to the literal puppy-dog eyes.
"Better." He heaves a sigh and starts heading out towards the forest. "C'mon, mutt."
no subject
[Don't mind him obediently trotting along at your side, Levi. He really wants to run ahead, but this is still his Captain, so...he'll behave for now.]
no subject
"Didn't realize wolves were so damned big. Wonder why you ended up with this shape instead of something else."
Not that he's complaining. If anything, Levi would be more surprised if Somnius had stuck him as something like a rabbit. But he has a feeling Eren would never have tolerated being a prey animal.
no subject
[But Eren's always sort of felt that way.
[Like hell he was going to be anything but a predator, though. To demonstrate this, Eren yips again, running a few feet ahead of Levi and spinning in a little circle - this is to show that what he's about to do is just for demonstration, you see.
[He stops, backing up a couple more feet and getting down low to the ground, the fur on back bristling while his lips curl up in a threatening snarl, baring all teeth. He growls.
[Spooky, right? See? It's cool.]
no subject
"Well if I was a bunny rabbit I'd be pissing myself right now," he drawls, then comes closer and crouches down in front of Eren, right there in the street, to get a better look at his fangs.
"Open your mouth wider."
no subject
no subject
Yep, some pretty good chompers in there. Levi examines Eren's gums a bit, making a face at the smell of dog breath before straightening to his feet again with a dubious look.
"You didn't eat anything as this hairball, did you?"
no subject
no subject
Weird, sir???
After an awkward pause, he starts waking again.
"C'mon."
no subject
[Eren pads along behind Levi. He's not sure what sort of training they have planned, but he's eager to get moving - evidenced by the way he regularly jogs ahead, then has to stop and wait, then jogs ahead again.]
no subject
Every now and then if Eren stays still enough when Levi catches up to him, he'll get a little pat on the head.
"I'd make you fetch a stick or something, but I'm not touching anything that's been in your mouth."
no subject
[Man, he wishes he could talk right now. Levi could see how Eren is at catching things maybe-- would that ever be useful in combat? Are they going to have dummies to attack or something...? See how fast he can run? He kind of wants to tear something apart...]
no subject
They finally reach their little training ground area they've more or less taken over in the past few months. It's a wide clearing, with several large and sturdy trees around the perimeter, a few boulders here and there. The lake is visible not so far off, glittering blue already in the early morning.
Levi stops and slings a bag from his shoulder that had been hidden beneath his cloak. Inside is a bright yellow ball.
He chucks it to the other end of the clearing.
no subject
[It's tricky, though, trying to catch it. He jumps for it and thoroughly misses, the ball landing a few feet away - talk about embarrassing. His ears go back and he gives a little growl. He could just pick it up now, but Levi said he wouldn't touch anything that had been in his mouth...
[Bark! Help.]
no subject
It's fine, he's got a handkerchief now in his hand.
"Just bring it back, Eren," he calls, pulling a few other things out of his bag and laying them on the wooden bench they'd brought out here ages ago. Are those...socks?
no subject
no subject
"Go!" Better get running Eren, if you wanna catch it this time.
Throws it hard in the same direction as before.
no subject
no subject
"Again-"
no subject
[He catches the ball midair again, stumbling slightly when he hits the ground again. He'll repeat the drill as many times as Levi commands it - all that running he's been doing has built up his endurance in this form.]
no subject
Horses were a necessary part of their routine, but strangely, he'd taken to them quite quickly. Having Moon in Somnius has been wonderful, really. Maybe they'll have to do this again and put her through her paces, have her run along with Eren and make sure she hasn't completely lost her unflappable demeanor in the face of danger.
But this - yeah, all right. He can understand why some people like to keep them around a little more, now. Is it possible to not feel a little bit better doing this? Seems unlikely.
Levi throws the ball several more times, trying a few different ways of throwing it - a high lob, an underhand, bouncing it off a boulder, until Eren seems like he's tiring, and they can move onto something else.
"You good, mutt?"
no subject
[And it's fun. Eren wonders if he might like a dog someday.
[He comes back to Levi panting, but nods his big furry head. He's not ready to quit yet (if he actually needs a break, he's not likely to let that on in any form).]
no subject
"Listen up. I buried some stuff out here yesterday, so I want you to use that slobbery wolf nose of yours to see if you can find them. They're in boxes, like this one." He taps a small box made of pine wood - it's a repurposed tea box. "Three of them. They're all out around the edges of the clearing in the woods."
There's three socks also sitting on the bench; one blue, one green, one gray.
"Inside each box is the match to these socks - they probably smell extra ripe to you. See if you can find each one."
Levi's also curious if Eren can tell who the socks belong to (Hange, Erwin, and himself - not that it would be hard to guess.)
no subject
[He hadn't even considered an exercise like this. Sense of smell could be extremely useful...
[Eren gives one heavy nod, then steps up to the gray sock. Ripe indeed. He really can smell everything like this - but even something buried in a pine box? He stands alert, eyes narrowing on the woods - then, he's off, nose pressed to the ground as he disappears into the trees. It was smart of him to start with one sock at a time. He knows exactly what scent he's looking for, but there's only the smallest hint of it. It takes him about fifteen minutes to find and dig up the box. He lets out a howl from the woods (cannot open - paws).]
no subject
Luckily it seems like that won't be necessary. He watches Eren track around the area for a little while. Eventually, he closes his eyes and just listens to the sounds around him - Eren rustling about, the light breeze through the trees, birds calling. It's nice to just...detach for a bit.
He dozes for a few minutes, arms folded in front of his chest before waking to a now-familiar howl, and trudges off in that direction - it's the right one, so he can only assume Eren found what he was looking for.
"Found it, huh? Not bad." Levi picks up the box, dusting off the excess dirt, and opens it to show Eren he had the right one (which Eren probably realizes by smell, rather than color).
"Next one. Get going. I'm timing you now." There's a gold chain and pocket watch in his hand.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
lmk if you want to wrap or move to smth else!
(no subject)