[Chapter Size: 3000 Words.]
Third Person POV
North, 95 AC.
The horses advanced at a slow gallop, crushing the low vegetation of the forest as the group followed Garren's instructions, observing the tracks of some animals that had passed through there.
He stopped his horse, dismounted, and slowly checked the ground, picking up a bit of the layer of soil and running it through his fingers.
"There is an adult elk that passed here about two hours ago. We'll probably be able to catch it if we advance another half hour through the forest, they usually stop to eat...", he informed the lords.
"Very well, sounds good to me. What do you think, Lord Stark?" asked Lord Tallhart.
Benjen Stark nodded.
"We can enjoy this hunt before returning to Torrhen's Square. Besides," he said, looking at the newly married Tallhart, "I am sure your wife must be waiting for your return. We left many of the lords behind to come here and enjoy a hunt."
Benjen Stark had come all the way here, but he obviously would not leave his other lords — who were all in Torrhen's Square — simply behind just to go hunting alone with Lord Tallhart.
He wanted to check the boy he had heard about.
His eyes turned to the side again. The little boy was on top of his wolf, like any knight on top of his horse. He simply observed the boy.
Jon turned his eyes toward Lord Stark, not failing to show an innocent smile.
Benjen returned it, slightly arching his lips.
The little boy reminded him of his own sons, but this one seemed even more cheerful than Rickon and Bennard.
"Are you enjoying the trip, boy?" Lord Stark asked the child.
The boy nodded. "Yes! I have never been this far away. Father would never let me come this far. I imagined the forest would be immense, but I had never seen it with my own eyes. I like it here!" he said in a sincere tone.
Benjen Stark could see the boy's father staring at his son. He certainly looked a little worried and suspicious.
Garren did not understand why the lord of the entire Kingdom seemed so interested in his son, when he himself was only a commoner.
But how could he not be? It was not enough that the boy was riding on top of a legend that made his own brothers look at him with envy throughout the entire journey.
The wolf was well-behaved and obeyed everything the boy said. He had complete control over the beast that was the symbol of House Stark.
But it was not just because of the wolf. Everything about the boy was extraordinary.
His appearance, his eyes, the way he behaved in the forest. The others did not seem to notice, but Benjen Stark managed to identify it while they rode.
The boy kept turning his head in several directions — upward, downward, and to the sides.
Lord Stark followed him with his eyes and could notice that, most of the time, there was always some animal nearby: rabbits, squirrels, owls, crows.
The boy seemed to know exactly where there was life around him. Even so, he never shouted or drew attention to any of them.
Otherwise, the arrows would have already brought down more than a dozen animals since they left the boy's house and entered the forest.
And there were also the strange rumors about him: the boy who could make wild animals approach him as if they had been raised in his hand, who had been born beneath a heart tree in the middle of a storm.
A birth worthy of a legend.
The little boy, moreover, was far more handsome than ordinary children. Even some noble children did not possess that kind of beauty. In the North, Benjen Stark only knew this kind of appearance coming from the Valyrian houses — and the boy might not fall behind them.
Benjen remembered very well... His father had taken him to King's Landing for the celebration of the wedding between the crown prince of Jaehaerys, Aemon, who died a few years later, passing the throne to his younger brother in the line of succession.
Benjen remembered very well the Valyrian women at that wedding, at the tournament, they were beautiful, just like the princes. There were always the gazes of young maidens who fell in love with the princes just by looking at them.
Even he had fallen in love with one of the princesses at that time, but he knew he could never have her and even insisted for his father to arrange a betrothal, only for the old man to say that it could not be possible.
That ended up being nothing more than a teenage fantasy.
If this boy grew up still that handsome, he could certainly easily become the lover of some noblewoman from the south, since the women of the North are loyal to their husbands. But the south always comes with games and betrayal.
But would that be the boy's fate?
Benjen Stark did not stop studying the boy as they continued riding, following once again the trail of the elk that Garren was tracking.
It made him think.
What would be the best future for that boy?
He certainly had no intention of harming him. On the contrary, he would scold his brothers later for looking at the boy's wolf as if it were a gift to be acquired.
He very much doubted the wolf would give loyalty to any of them if they tried to harm the boy.
The Stark wolves had already left their family for some reason. And the boy carried their blood — even if distant.
Should Benjen Stark not recognize him as part of his family?
In any case, he still had much to think about.
They continued through the forest, and it was about ten minutes later that Garren asked everyone to stop.
"My lords," he said as he dismounted from his horse once again and examined new tracks. "There is a bear in this area. It passed through here less than ten minutes ago... and it is large."
Garren spoke with concern to the lords, who looked at each other. There were several guards around them, so the danger was not exactly a problem — but it was still worth attention.
"And what do you think, Lord Stark?" Tallhart asked.
"For me it's fine. It won't be a bear that will stop me. Your father and I used to get into this kind of trouble," Alaric replied.
Benjen looked at the man who was practically a brother to his father in everything but name and blood. Then he nodded to continue.
"Very well. Let's continue," said Lord Stark.
They moved forward. But Jon seemed somewhat uncomfortable.
At one moment, he slightly shrank over the wolf.
"Is there a problem, boy?" Lord Stark asked.
Jon slowly turned his head toward the forest.
"We are being watched."
Garren immediately looked back, surprised by what his son said.
The lords also turned their attention to the boy, while Benjen Stark's brothers raised their eyebrows.
"How do you know that, boy? I don't see anything but trees," one of Benjen's brothers laughed, playing along.
"Maybe he has a super sense of smell like a wolf too. Soon he'll say he can turn into a wolf."
Jon did not seem to care about the mockery. His eyes remained focused on the forest.
Lord Stark cast a warning glance at his younger brothers, who immediately fell silent.
"If you have nothing to add, keep your mouth shut," Benjen said, before turning his attention back to the boy, intrigued. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. I just don't know where he is, but we entered his territory. He sees us as his prey."
Jon looked at his father. "Father, you never said there was a bear here." His voice still had a childish tone, but there was concern in it.
That made some of the men more alert, and the guards began exchanging glances.
"It's hard to say, son," Garren replied. "If there is a new bear in the region, it must have migrated after the winter, because it did not come here when I last hunted with Lord Tallhart."
In that specific area, Garren had not returned to hunt. Lord Tallhart had enjoyed the hunts there and decided to preserve that region for future visits.
"Do you think this bear is dangerous?" Lord Stark asked, wanting more information.
The boy simply nodded before looking at him.
"He is intelligent. Like I said, he is hunting us. We are not the ones hunting him, since we entered his territory..."
"Well, you heard the boy," Benjen said. "Stay alert to the surroundings. Something tells me the boy is telling the truth."
Tallhart also conceded. He had already seen the boy identify animals with ease before.
So they continued for some time. No one seemed willing to turn back.
The bows were all in their hands, waiting for any sign of a predator attacking.
After some time, Benjen decided to start a conversation again.
"So, can you tell me a little more about the strange tree that grew behind your house?"
He began to relax a little, just like the other men. There did not seem to be any beast nearby, although no one had truly lowered their guard, but they seemed much more relaxed.
But the boy remained alert.
He could not "feel" that creature the way he felt the other animals — and to him, that meant it was dangerous.
"Yes... it was born in the middle of winter, Lord Stark," Garren answered for his son.
"Your boy said it has been growing quite fast and has red leaves. A strange leaf color for the North, after all we have few trees like that..."
At the beginning of the hunt, Benjen had asked the boy several questions, curious about his life. Jon had told him what his daily life there was like, with his parents and his brother.
It was then that he mentioned that a strange tree had grown near their house and that it had been growing at an abnormal speed.
"It is white... with red leaves, my lord," Garren said with some caution.
Benjen Stark raised an eyebrow. "Red leaves..." he murmured quietly.
Meanwhile, the group passed by.
Fierce eyes were hidden in the shadows of the trees.
It had been following the group slowly.
It was an experienced predator. It considered itself the king of the Wolfswood. It had migrated to that region by instinct, knowing that there was more food there.
It knew how to camouflage itself in the forest's shadows and move slowly. It knew how to hunt its prey.
It was not the first time it had encountered humans and killed them. Although it did not like their flesh that came with hard parts to chew like clothes, seeing them there in its territory made the beast feel challenged.
Thus, it hid in the shadows near the path they were following.
It waited.
The group of humans, with horses and even a wolf among them, advanced slowly.
The bear would not attack in the middle of the group. It would first take the easiest prey.
Then it moved when the last horse entered its line of sight.
Jon felt it immediately. "Careful! He is coming!" the boy shouted.
The childish voice caught everyone by surprise. At first, no one understood.
Until one of the last riders looked to the side.
He saw a huge shadow emerging from the forest over him.
ROAR
The bear raised a gigantic paw and attacked. At the same time, its enormous mouth closed over the man.
"AHHH!!" The rider screamed as he was torn from his horse.
Everyone turned in time to see the man fall to the ground, being grabbed by the mouth of a massive black bear.
The creature immediately began dragging him into the forest.
"Shoot!" someone shouted.
Arrows were fired while the shouts and orders of Lord Stark and Lord Tallhart echoed.
The arrows passed close to the beast, but none managed to hit it while it dragged the man who screamed in pain.
"AHHHHHHH!!!" Soon the soldier's screams turned into even more desperate cries as he was devoured.
That frightened everyone immediately. "What was that?!" one of Benjen's brothers shouted, terrified, trying to aim his bow toward the forest with trembling hands.
Jon's eyes widened while Ghost growled low.
"Jon!" his father called, his face pale. "Are you alright?" Garren asked, worried.
"I'm fine, father. I told you he was hunting us!" Jon replied nervously, still looking toward the forest.
Then he spoke again, alarmed. "Father... he is going around. He is using the forest shadows to circle us."
The bear, with fur as black as the night, camouflaged perfectly in the dense woods.
"Are you sure?" Garren asked.
Jon nodded. "He is going to attack me from the other side."
That made Garren turn immediately. "My lord, stay behind!" he said to Lord Stark.
One of the guards tried to stop Garren from approaching, while Benjen Stark shouted orders and the men tried to locate the predator.
Everyone looked toward the side indicated by Jon. "Lord Stark," Garren said urgently. "My son said he is coming from that side."
Benjen Stark observed the direction indicated. Benjen looked at him before turning his attention back to the side.
Suddenly, he turned his face toward a direction where no one was pointing their arrows. He could hear the sound of bushes moving.
"There!" he shouted.
His men immediately turned, but it was already too late.
The bear burst out of the forest advancing with all its strength. It grabbed another guard still on his horse and dragged him forward while some arrows struck its body this time.
Even wounded, that did not stop it from advancing once more into the forest.
The creature disappeared into the shadows again — and it seemed even more enraged.
"Damn it! What the hell is that? Brother, we should run!" Benjen's brothers began to shout as the group started to panic.
"Everyone calm down! Stay alert!" Lord Tallhart shouted, far more experienced in battle. "Stark, keep your men's calm. You are the lord here. We will face this beast!"
Jon watched all of that in surprise, seeing the men reorganize under command.
"Alright! Regroup!" Benjen ordered. "It is hunting us. Anyone who strays from the group will be killed!"
The men quickly began to gather together.
Benjen turned to Garren. "How did you know where it would come from?" he asked.
"It was my son who said it," Garren replied.
Benjen's gaze immediately returned to the boy.
'He also warned us at the beginning.'
"Alright, boy. Tell us where the bear is every time it is about to attack."
Jon nodded quickly. But then his eyes widened immediately afterward.
"Behind us!" he shouted.
Suddenly, the bear leapt over the bushes, crushing everything with its weight, still with arrows stuck in its body and blood pouring out. Even wounded, it advanced with even greater fury.
"What?!" someone shouted in surprise.
The beast hurled itself against the nearest horses. The impact knocked several of them down, scattering men and animals in all directions.
Even Jon was caught by surprise.
He fell together with Ghost when a horse toppled over them.
Chaos took over the place.
Men were trampled and groaned in pain.
Lord Tallhart and his son, as well as the Starks, tried to hold their ground in the middle of the confusion.
Jon could hear his father shouting for him.
"Jon!"
The boy was lying on the ground.
The bear advanced again, killing another guard. Then it struck Lord Tallhart's son, who tried to pierce it with a spear, but was violently thrown backward.
Jon's eyes widened as he saw the beast above him. It had a murderous look, with him being the closest to it at that moment, but a ball of fur rushed between Jon and the giant black bear.
Jon saw Ghost growl at the creature. The bear tried to intimidate him, but Ghost, even with the difference in size, did not yield.
He faced the creature with his growls and one of the bear's paws tried to crush him, but the wolf quickly dodged. Then he leapt and sank his teeth into the beast's arm.
The bear roared and tried to shake him violently. The wolf did not let go, so the bear went for Ghost with its teeth.
Jon's eyes widened as he saw Ghost caught in the creature's jaws sinking into his ribs, while blood stained his white fur.
The bear thrashed with force. Ghost was eventually torn away with a cry of pain and violently thrown aside.
"No! Ghost!" Jon shouted in despair.
A rage far greater than something simply childish took hold of him when he saw the wolf — his best friend — being hurt like that.
It enraged him.
With such intensity that something awakened inside him at that moment.
Jon stared directly into the bear's eyes.
His green eyes glowed.
For an instant, they became completely white… and then returned to green again.
At the same time, the bear — which was about to advance after throwing the wolf and intended to kill the entire group lying on the ground — felt something invade its mind.
A presence.
An overwhelming will to kill him.
The creature had never felt so much fear in its entire life.
Its survival instincts exploded at that moment, Jon seemed to place in its mind that it would die if it did not flee now.
Before it could even react or attack again, the bear simply retreated.
It jumped back… and then began to flee toward the forest it had come from.
Jon saw the enormous creature, still wounded by arrows and by the bite, leaving trails of blood as it disappeared.
The bear ran as if it had encountered a predator even greater than itself.
Then, suddenly, Jon's vision became blurry.
His eyes rolled back.
Everything turned into darkness.