Maren placed her face beneath the faucet, letting the lukewarm water spill over her. She drained as much as she could, took a deep breath, and returned to the faucet. Drinking the water was rejuvenating her skin and wetting her mouth, though slowly. There had never been a time where she’d exerted that much control over water in one go. 

But she’d pushed past it. Curse it, Phoenix, she’d pushed past it. 

The rumbling resumed, near the campground’s center. Maren pulled away from the water, turning the faucet off. 

It had blessedly only taken a few minutes to bring the injured away from the campground, as they were already near its edge. She’d placed them on a hill in the forest, then ran back to the camp after Colton told her where the closest water faucet was. It happened to be outside, connected to a small shack that hadn’t been destroyed yet. 

A large plume of dust rose in the camp’s center. It wasn’t getting closer, but Lord knew how exhausted Jada was. She needed help and there was no sign of Diego or Mav. 

And Koda said you were always around. 

Maren’s tongue was still dry and several flaky patches of skin hadn’t been refreshed, but this would have to do. She took off toward the chaos, weaving in and out of small alleys until she found a scene from a warzone. 

There wasn’t a standing building in sight, nor were the streets aligned. The Cat Titan stomped on the ground, flinging several pieces of the street upward. The Titan leaped forward and bashed the pieces with the frill on its neck. In a blink, the street-boulders collided with Jada’s outstretched hands, which exploded into clouds of dust and debris upon impact. 

But Jada was slowing. Her nightgown was torn over her right shoulder, abdomen, and left knee, onto which she fell. 

Skin drying too quickly, Maren snaked water around her arms and shot a pressurized rush toward the Cat. The sudden current nailed it in the eye. It flinched, yowling, before it glared at Maren. 

Here it comes! 

The Titan swung itself around, hurling a small boulder at Maren with its tail. Maren focused her water, then whipped her arm upward as a more highly pressurized stream left her fingertips. 

It split the boulder in half, but she hadn’t put enough force behind it to divert the boulder’s trajectory. Now two smaller pieces of street soared toward her. 

Heart in her throat, she jumped aside and evaded the attack. The Cat Titan, however, slammed its paws on the ground again. Two more boulders rose. Maren splashed water at her feet, preparing to raise it and form a shield. If the Cat hit those street pieces with its frill, they’d be too fast for her to dodge. 

As Maren was raising the water, however, Jada tackled it from the side. The boulders fell with a crash as the Titan went down. It then flailed wildly, clawing at Jada. 

Maren covered herself in a bubble of water, then flew toward Jada and the Cat. She hit the pair and grabbed Jada around the waist. The moment Maren connected with the two, an immense anguish and suffering shot into her like a bullet. The next moment, Maren kicked off the Cat Titan, the water dragging her and Jada from the rampaging Titan. 

“That pain,” Maren panted as the water dropped away. 

“It’s that poor creature’s,” Jada breathed. Her eyes glared at the Titan, but they were unfocused. “She’s hurting so much.” 

The Cat Titan growled, hunched over, prepared to pounce. She seemed as crazed as the Wall Titans, which couldn’t be calmed, only forced to run away or be killed. 

Would they have to handle the Cat in the same way? 

The mound of rocks should have been nearly impossible to find, especially with only moonlight to aid them. The Bird Titan, however, knew exactly where to go upon Mav’s prompting. 

The winds whipped by, drowning out all noise and making Mav’s eyes tear up. Though blurry, Mav could still see the large campground below. More than half had completely collapsed, while explosions of dust and sailing boulders beset its center. 

Hang on, Maren. Mav gripped the Bird Titan tighter. We’ll be there soon. 

The Bird descended upon the rock cluster, the Monkey Titan lying at its bottom, back resting against a rock. Through the connection, Mav felt both relief and anxiety spike within the Bird. Mav pat the Titan, consoling him. Though, Mav’s nerves were on edge as he watched the Monkey. 

It didn’t look like he was breathing. 

Mav hopped off the Bird as he landed. The Bird walked to the Monkey, dipping his head low, and gave an odd sort of chirp. It was softer than Mav expected a creature that size could make. Mav’s heart began to race the longer the Monkey didn’t move. Had he lied to Maren and been worse off than he claimed? 

The Bird edged closer, cooing again. The Monkey then opened his eyes and gave the Bird a little smile. 

“Thank the Flames,” Mav breathed, falling to his knees. 

The Bird Titan twittered, its tail flipping and wagging like an excited puppy. The Monkey stretched its over-long arms around the Bird’s neck, embracing it. 

Joy, sheer bliss, blossomed in Mav’s chest. He grinned, chuckling. The Bird – so recently distraught with grief – hadn’t lost one of his closest companions. 

Mav shook his head, yet held on to the feeling. Their happiness was so palpable their emotions became Mav’s, even though he no longer had physical contact with the Titans. 

Though, the moment had to end. The Bird sobered up after a particularly loud crash sounded from the campground. 

“Your other friend’s still hurting,” Mav said, both Titans looking at him. “You think you can calm her down?” 

The Bird Titan walked to Mav, lowering so he could climb upon his back. Before Mav could even reach for the Bird, the Monkey clambered up first. 

“You sure you’re strong enough for this?” Mav asked. 

Even the Bird looked concerned, his eyes doubtful, but the Monkey only huffed. 

“Okay,” Mav said, hopping behind the Monkey. “Let’s go save your friend.”