"Aroooo!"
Near the Wolfswood mountains, at the mouth of an unknown cave, two Direwolves were locked in combat with five Hunting Dogs. One of the Direwolves was currently impaled with four arrows, and blood was steadily seeping from its wounds.
The Hunting Dogs were also attacking it relentlessly, attempting to wear down the injured Direwolf first. The other, uninjured Direwolf desperately protected its companion, and was also gradually acquiring a few wounds.
Suddenly, the injured Direwolf twitched its nose, as if it had caught a specific scent. Its eyes flashed with a resolute glint.
Then, it lunged at the two Hunting Dogs that were attacking it, sacrificing itself to take down one and biting the other to death. It then ignored its own pain, charging towards the other three Hunting Dogs, hoping to scare them off!
The other Direwolf also howled as it attacked, biting the Hunting Dog that had been pinned to the ground, and killing it. This reckless style of attack made the Hunting Dogs somewhat afraid. However, the scent of their master soon reached their noses, and the remaining three Hunting Dogs barked excitedly.
At that moment, three crossbow bolts shot from a distance towards the uninjured Direwolf. The other Direwolf immediately shielded its companion, enduring the impact of the three crossbow bolts. The Direwolf, struck in the head and abdomen, howled in pain and collapsed to the ground, twitching a few times before dying.
The Direwolf that had not been injured had no time to whimper before it was instantly pinned to the spot by three incoming crossbow bolts. The corpses of the two dead Direwolves still stubbornly blocked the cave entrance.
At this moment, Jon Snow arrived near the cave entrance. He saw the Hunting Dogs still barking incessantly at the corpses. He frowned slightly and said to a Mountain Clan hunter beside him,
"Call them back! It's too noisy! The two Direwolves are already dead!"
"No! Lord Jon! There should still be a wolf alive, otherwise, they wouldn't be acting like this. I'll go take a look!"
"Be careful! Some of you, go with him!"
Jon Snow ordered those around him. They were at the last stage, and he didn't want anyone to die here.
The Mountain Clan hunter first went over to calm the three Hunting Dogs, then secured them, handing them over to someone else. He then quietly moved the wolf corpses aside, grabbed the largest Hunting Dog, and slowly lowered it towards the cave entrance using a rope.
The Hunting Dog desperately tried to enter the cave, but it didn't seem to encounter any attacks. The hunter immediately realized something and, with a smile, pulled the Hunting Dog back. He then crawled into the cave entrance alone.
A short while later, he climbed back out, waving his hand to signal that it was safe. Then, several other hunters followed him inside.
Jon Snow was looking at the cave entrance with anticipation, hoping for good news. However, he knew very well that Direwolves didn't have a habit of collecting items, so time slowly passed as he waited.
After about 15 minutes, the hunters climbed out of the cave, carrying six wolf cubs. The hunter who had spoken earlier said to Jon Snow:
"My Lord Jon! We checked everything. There's nothing special in there, just some human remains and these six wolf cubs!"
"Alright! We'll see what the others found when we gather under the big tree later."
Jon Snow said with some disappointment, his mood instantly plummeting. The clue was gone, which made him inexplicably irritable.
Just then, a pair of special red eyes flashed through his mind. He looked thoughtfully at the wolf cubs in the hunters' arms, focusing on a particular little one.
At this moment, Jon Snow suddenly asked, "What are you planning to do with these little ones? Are you going to kill them?"
"My Lord Jon! You must be joking. These little ones are the biggest haul of this trip. We can take these wolf cubs back and raise them. They'll be great for breeding or hunting in the future. Why would we kill them?"
The Mountain Clan hunter, who often came to trade, keenly noticed the curiosity in Jon Snow's eyes. He sensed an opportunity and quickly spoke up:
"Young Master Jon! If you're interested, these pups can be tamed. And isn't the Direwolf the sigil of House Stark? That means they're fated to be with you! I've raised wild wolves myself before, certainly better than any castle beast master. And these Direwolves are much fiercer than Hunting Dogs!"
"Ah!..."
Just as Jon Snow was about to reply, a scream caught his attention. Looking towards the sound, he saw Sea Hawk. Everyone rushed over to help him, and after some hurried first aid, he slowly regained consciousness.
Jon Snow immediately asked, "Sea Hawk, are you alright? What happened?"
Sea Hawk licked his dry lips and weakly said, "Young Master Jon! My Swift Hawk was killed. Luckily, Sir Henk taught us some self-rescue techniques, or I'd be a goner today! Cough! I need to speak with you! Wait for me..."
He struggled to sit up. Jon Snow bent down to listen, his eyes widening with each word, seemingly shocked by Sea Hawk's news.
"Sea Hawk! You're in charge of the troops now! I'm going into the mountains!..."
"No way! Lord Jon!"
Before Jon Snow could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a chorus of voices. Several hunters from the Mountain Clan even surrounded him, fearing he would act rashly.
Jon Snow waved his hand and commanded, "You are all hired by me and must obey my orders. I am ordering you to follow my instructions!"
With those words, the crowd dared not stop Jon Snow. It turned out that Sea Hawk had discovered a strange Stone Circle on the mountaintop. Based on his description, Jon guessed it was likely some kind of special ancient magical array.
However, the real reason Jon Snow had to go was that Sea Hawk had seen a circular, strange object in the center of the Stone Circle. But when he sent his animal companion to investigate, it was attacked, and he couldn't see the object's shape clearly.
So, regardless of whether it was an Ice Dragon Egg, Jon Snow wanted to take a look. That area happened to be at the top of this mountain range, so Jon planned to investigate it alone.
Considering the opponent might also possess extraordinary power, Jon Snow could only go himself to ensure the egg's safety and avoid revealing his own abilities.
The rough, uneven mountain path was impossible to traverse easily, but Jon gritted his teeth and persevered. After about an hour, he finally reached the summit.
The mountain peak was shaped like a volcano, and the Stone Circle was located in the crater. After Jon entered the entrance, he saw a giant Weirwood.
At this moment, Jon finally saw the layout around it. Centered on the Weirwood, huge stone pillars stood around it. Their shapes seemed to be chaotic, but Jon actually saw an irregular circle and a straight line within them.
Just as Jon was still puzzled, his pupils suddenly contracted. After so much time, he seemed to have finally found his mission objective.
Under the Weirwood, a spherical object was emitting a faint blue light, and a blurry figure was standing motionless under the tree, as if praying.
Just as Jon Snow felt strange, the necklace around his neck suddenly felt cold. Then, his body also issued a warning, and feeling a chill suddenly袭 came over him, he immediately drew his sword to block.
Clang!
A sound of metal clashing came, and Jon felt as if he had been hit by a carriage. The terrifying force knocked him out.
After rolling several times on the ground, Jon, dizzy, steadied himself. He looked at the attacker and was startled.
A huge Brown Bear attacked him, roaring and drooling as it charged at Jon Snow.
Jon Snow relied on his nimble footwork, dodging between the stone pillars to evade the Brown Bear's powerful attacks. Finally, after avoiding one attack,
Jon used the flames he conjured to set the Brown Bear's fur alight. But the bear seemed oblivious, continuing to charge at him, leaving Jon somewhat flustered.
"How is this possible? Child of Destiny, why are you here? No, why has your fate been changed? Why? Is it because of the mist over the Trembling Sea?"
A sharp female voice suddenly came from behind Jon Snow, the chilling tone making him shiver. He quickly dodged the burning Brown Bear and moved aside, seizing the opportunity to stab his sword into the bear's neck.
But instead of blood spurting out as expected, black, foul-smelling ichor flowed from the wound. Seeing that the Brown Bear hadn't lost its fighting ability, Jon Snow immediately gave up on attacking.
He seized the opportunity and ran towards the Weirwood, intending to get the object that appeared to be an Ice Dragon Egg.
"Boy! If I were you, I wouldn't touch things you don't understand, or you'll easily get into big trouble!"
That sharp female voice called out again, filled with warnings, but Jon Snow was convinced this was his Ice Dragon Egg, and he charged forward without hesitation.
Just as Jon Snow was about to reach it, two tall humanoid creatures suddenly emerged from behind the trees. They each wielded a massive club and swung them at Jon with irresistible force.
Seeing this, Jon rolled away, using the momentum to reach the Weirwood tree. He then reached for the glowing spherical object.
Just as Jon Snow was about to touch it, branches suddenly lashed out at him. The barbs on those branches looked incredibly sharp, as if they could easily tear through his skin.
Jon Snow saw this and immediately drew his "Moonlight Blade". A frigid wind, tangible as substance, sliced through the branches in front of him, also dispelling some of the special power surrounding the spherical object.
The bright light gradually faded, revealing the true appearance of the spherical object. It was a blue and white egg-shaped stone. From a distance, it looked like a gem. At that moment, a certain power in Jon Snow's mind seemed to connect with it.
"Thump! Thump!"
A sound similar to a heartbeat echoed in Jon Snow's mind. He grabbed the crystal-clear, gem-like dragon egg and faced the surrounding "people."
Jon Snow finally got a good look. The two figures who had just attacked him with clubs were, unbelievably, giants covered in fur. They weren't as massive as the giants from Skagos Island, only about 3 meters tall.
The fire on the Brown Bear had been extinguished, and the sword in its neck removed. Jon finally got a good look at the bear. It was a dark, grayish-black color.
Its eyes were hollow and lifeless, like a Zombie's. Yet, it was also distinctly different from a Zombie, seeming to possess a glimmer of intelligence and vitality. During the fight, Jon could still feel it breathing.
"Boy! Return the Heart of Ice to me, or I'll turn you into a Zombie and make you stay here forever. Of course, if you're willing to hand over that weapon of yours, I might consider sparing your life!"
A voice came from behind the Brown Bear. Then, an old woman, leaning on a long staff, emerged. She was very short, wearing a thick cloak, and her graying, dry hair spilled from beneath her hood. She looked just like a witch from a fairy tale on Earth!
Jon Snow held his sword, his expression wary. "Who are you? This thing doesn't belong to you. It's not the Heart of Ice, it's mine! Mine..."
"Hmph! You little brat! Looks like you want to experience the taste of living a fate worse than death. I'll show you the Forest Children's power!"
"Ha!..."
Jon Snow stared in astonishment at the terrifying old woman before him, utterly baffled as to how she dared to call herself a Child of the Forest.
As the old witch mumbled her incantations, the Stone Circle around them began to emit waves of icy blue light. Then, from beneath the ground around her, corpses began to crawl out. They were completely rotted, with flickering blue light emanating from them.
At the same time, the Moonlight Blade in Jon's hand was also radiating light, with purple light spilling from the blade and flowing into the ground. Immediately, the ground began to tremble, and huge, decaying corpses and skeletons emerged from Jon's side.
Without any need for Jon to give a command, these skeletons, with purple light glowing in their eyes, charged towards the bewildered witch and engaged her zombies in a fierce battle. Ultimately, Jon's wights proved to be superior.
The witch retreated, protected by her remaining zombies. Seeing her undead forces dwindling, she finally couldn't hold on any longer. She shouted at the top of her lungs:
"I surrender! I surrender! Don't kill me, I am a Child of the Forest, I am useful!"