In Exhibition
A day has passed since the meeting regarding the team's new mission beyond the wall. But because this time it was going to be a diplomatic mission, the team didn't need much equipment and not all of them were going beyond the wall. They were going to go through the anomaly to the Haunted Forest, find Aleu the Wolf Princess, and build an alliance with her. They knew that it was not going to be easy because of the wolf people's heavy history with humans but they believe that with Krystal and Neyla's help, they have better chances of becoming allies with Aleu and her people.
It was decided that Price, Ghost, and Jason along with Krystal and Neyla go beyond the wall while the rest of the team stays behind but they'll be on standby in case Price and others need backup in case the negotiations go haywire.
While Ghost was making a call to his friends in their homeworld, the rest of the team was getting ready for their mission. While Krystal and Neyla were checking that they have everything they need for the trip to the Haunted Forest, Jason and Price were putting on their winter gear. Price had his regular winter outfit while Jason had a snow camouflage outfit with a black army vest, gloves, knee pads, and one-hole balaclava.
Once Jason put on his winter outfit, he went to check the weapons they were going to take to this mission. He opened one of the gun cases that contained Beretta Cx4 Storm carbines (the ones that were used in the Battlestar Galactica series) and started checking the guns. He knew that this was a diplomatic mission but Jason thought that they might need more effective weapons than semi-auto carbines.
So once he was done checking the carbines and putting them back in the case, Jason went to the base's armory. He didn't have a lot of time to choose before the mission would begin so he took a couple of "special" weapons, some ammo, and put them into his backpack before he left the armory.
When Jason got back to the main building, he noticed that the team was ready and Ghost was already back.
"You ready for this, kid?" Price asked.
"Why do you still keep calling me 'kid'?" Jason asked.
"Because you're still new," Price said with a smirk.
"But we've been here for weeks now, sir. I don't think I'm new anymore," Jason said.
"In my experience, the right to be a member of the team is not given, it's earned," Price said wisely.
Jason knew that Price was right about earning the place in the team so he nodded in understanding. But he was suddenly tapped on the shoulder and he turned to see that it was Ghost. Even though he was wearing a skull mask, Jason could tell that Ghost was smiling behind his mask.
"Don't worry, Connor. Calling you 'kid' is Price's way to show you that he's proud that have you in his team," Ghost said.
"How do you know?" Jason asked politely.
"I have known Price for years. We have fought side by side for as long as I can remember. I may not have been there to help him to stop Zakhaev but he's still my brother and I'm his brother," Ghost said.
"But I guess I still have a lot to prove myself in many battles and wars to come," Jason said.
"You've gotten this far and Price is already impressed by your skills, dedication, and courage. It won't be long before you've earned the right to be on the team," Ghost said.
"Thanks, it means a lot," Jason said.
Ghost nodded before his attention was turned to the knife Jason had in his holster on the belt.
"Hmm, the nice knife you got there, Connor. Can you show it to me?" Ghost asked.
"Sure," Jason said before he took his knife from his holster and showed it to Ghost.
Ghost was quite impressed by the knife's blade, design, and how strong it looked. But what got his attention was from what metal the knife's blade was made. He has seen a lot of knives and what metal they were made from but never anything like what Jason was showing him.
"A work of art that knife of yours. May I ask: what name does it have and what metal is it made from?" Ghost asked.
"I call it Phantom Blade. It's made from Valyrian steel," Jason answered.
"Valyrian steel? Isn't that stuff hard to get even by us?" Ghost asked.
"It is. But Neyla said that her friend in Volantis had enough to make this knife when she asked him to make this for me," Jason explained.
"Neyla had that knife made for you?" Ghost asked.
"Yes, she said that it is a custom among her people to give gifts to those they admire or respect," Jason said.
He blushed a little when he told that Neyla gave him the knife but luckily the mask he was wearing covered his blush. But Ghost was older and more experienced and he could tell when someone was blushing even if they were wearing a mask. But Ghost decided to go easy on Jason and didn't expose his current little awkward state.
"Take good care of that knife, Connor. I have a feeling that it will be your most important weapon so don't lose it," Ghost said.
"Don't worry, sir. This knife is my most valuable treasure, I won't lose it," Jason said.
Ghost simply nodded before they turned their attention back to the rest of the team who was now ready to go. But before they could ask the technicians to open the anomaly, Price turned to Ghost with a question in his mind.
"What did they say?" Price asked.
"They agreed to come to our aid. They should arrive here along with Spartan Rangers soon," Ghost said.
What they talked about confused Jason and others because they had no idea what Price and Ghost were talking about.
"Uh, excuse me but what are you two talking about?" Krystal asked getting the two men's attention.
"Sorry, Ghost just told me that more of our allies are coming to Exhibition along with the Spartan Rangers," Price told the team.
"Who, sir?" Jason asked.
"The Ghosts," Price revealed.
As soon as he said it, all of the soldiers in the room froze like statues while Krystal and Neyla wondered why their human companions reacted this way when Price mentioned these "Ghosts". But the ladies then remembered that their friends had a similar reaction when Nikolai told them about Spartan Rangers so they concluded that the Ghosts had to be something special.
"Uh, excuse me but who are these Ghosts?" Krystal asked.
"They're the most elite soldiers in the United States military. Kind of like Spartan Rangers but in the USA," Jason told his girlfriends.
"You mean they're one of the best warriors in your world?" Neyla asked.
"Yes. And these Ghosts are especially known for wearing skull masks, the skull is their symbol," Jason said.
This made some members like Gaz and Griggs turn to Ghost with smirks on their faces.
"Friends of yours?" Gaz asked.
"Shut up," Ghost said.
"Come on, it was just a question," Griggs said innocently.
"Leave him alone, bastards!" Price yelled.
This silenced both Gaz and Griggs right away because they knew that it was unhealthy to make Price angry. Once things calmed down, they continued their conversation regarding the Ghosts.
"As I was saying, the Ghosts have a good reputation. They have the newest weapons and equipment and they can pull off almost any kind of mission. I think they even once pulled off one suicide mission without any casualties," Jason explained.
"It's also worth mentioning that they prefer stealth over brute force and stealth is what the Ghosts are known from. But they do use brute force as well when it's necessary," Ghost added.
"They sound amazing," Neyla said feeling amazed by the Ghosts' reputation.
"Who commands the Ghosts?" Krystal asked.
"Captain Elias Walker and Lieutenant Thomas Merrick is his second-in-command," Jason said.
"And we can trust them?" Neyla asked.
"Of course we can. Price and I served with them a few times and I know them well. Elias is an honorable man and he's fully trustworthy," Ghost said.
"And with the Ghosts, Spartan Rangers, and all other allies, we have more people here we can trust," Price said.
"While it's true that we'll have to be careful with the Shadow Company here but they're not all bad. From what I have seen and heard, very few people are truly loyal to Shepherd while most of his men follow him out of fear," Jason said.
It was true that most of the soldiers in the Shadow Company fight for Shepherd because they fear him and he pays them well but there were good men in that company as well but they still couldn't fully trust them, not as long as Shepherd was leading the Shadow Company. But if they had someone more trustworthy leading the company, they wouldn't have to worry all the time but that was the problem for another time. They had more concerning matters like Daenerys and other power-hungry backstabbing monarchs to worry about.
"You have a point there, Connor. But we'll cross that bridge later. Right now, we must focus on stopping Daenerys and finding allies," Price said.
Jason and others nodded before Price signaled the technicians to open the anomaly. Once the anomaly was open, the men took the carbines from the gun case, and the ladies armed themselves with daggers and spears.
When the anomaly was open, the team stepped through and arrived at the Haunted Forest. Once they made sure that the area was clear and there were no hostiles on sight, they began walking deeper into the forest to search for Aleu and wolf people.
Meanwhile in Castle Black
Jon and his friends were in a little bad and desperate mood right now. They just received word that the wildlings have raided the Mole's Town that was near Castle Black. It was safe to assume that the wildlings will attack Castle Black next and that Mance and his army must be near the wall.
Sam was saddened by the news because he thought that Gilly and her baby died when the wildlings attacked and he felt that their fates were all his fault because he left them in Mole's Town in the first place. Jon, Edd, and Pyp tried to comfort saddened Sam by saying that Gilly and her baby might have escaped from Mole's Town before the wildlings attacked. It gave Sam some comfort but he still thought that Gilly and Little Sam were dead.
Grenn was furious because the wildlings slaughtered the inhabitants of Mole's Town along with three brothers of the Night's Watch who sneaked into the town before the attack. He wanted to go after the wildlings but Jon reminded him that they can't because it's what the wildlings want and all the remaining men of the Night's Watch need to stay at Castle Black to defend the wall when Mance and his army arrive.
The situation didn't look good because the Night's Watch only has 102 men defending the wall while the wildlings have 100,000 warriors in Mance's army. They were badly outnumbered and most men in the Night's Watch didn't have proper military training. Jon and his friends had a good reason to be concerned and drinking eased their feelings of concern but it didn't solve their problem. They hoped that someone would send a big enough army to help them to defeat the wildlings but all the rulers told them that they can't spare any men at the moment.
Even though they have been preparing for the attack by setting up defenses on the wall, it still wasn't going to be enough to defeat the wildling army. They could probably hold them off a few days but they can't beat them, not without help.
"This sucks," Edd said after he drank his beer.
"Yes, it does," Grenn agreed.
"We can't defend the wall against 100,000 wildlings. We need help," Pyp said.
"We asked for help from the lords of Westeros but they said that they can't spare any men right now. We're on our own," Jon said.
"We are the only thing standing between the Seven Kingdoms and the White Walkers. But every time we ask for more men, our request is always denied," Edd said in frustration.
"I know it's frustrating but every time we asked for more men, we also warned them about the White Walkers. And sadly the lords of Westeros don't even believe that the Walkers exist," Jon said calming his friend down.
"I know and believe me, I'd rather fight the wildlings than run away from them. But we need help if we want to beat them," Edd said as he gave his friends more beer.
Jon and others knew that Edd was right that they need help if they want to defeat the wildling army. But sadly there just wasn't any help available. They had no choice but to defend the wall with the men they got. It was a losing battle but as sworn brothers of the Night's Watch, they would bravely defend the wall from the wildling invaders no matter what.
After they drank another round of beer, Sam suddenly remembered something that has bugged him for some time now.
"Hey! I just remembered something," Sam said getting his friends' attention.
"What is it, Sam?" Jon asked.
"Some weeks ago our rangers reported something unusual," Sam told them.
"What unusual?" Grenn asked.
"The rangers said that they found a lot of dead wildlings somewhere deep in the Haunted Forest along with three dead giants," Sam said.
The last part got everyone's attention and Grenn nearly suffocated from his beer when he heard Sam saying, three dead giants.
"What?! Three dead giants?" Grenn asked after he coughed a few times.
"That's what they said," Sam confirmed.
"But what could have killed three giants and a whole lot of wildlings?" Edd asked.
"No one knows. But that wasn't the strangest part," Sam said making his friends look at him.
"What do you mean?" Jon asked.
Sam wasn't sure how to say it to his friends but he knew he had to tell it to them somehow.
"They found what looked like some sort of wreckage but not the carriage and it looked like it fell from the sky," Sam said.
The last part made Edd and Grenn laugh a little while Pyp and Jon's eyes widened in wonder.
"*laughs* fell from the sky. What next, flying horses?' Grenn asked while laughing.
"I'm serious! It looked like it was shot down by a huge arrow and based on the dead wildlings and giants, there was a battle at the crash site," Sam said defending his claim.
"But who could have killed a lot of attacking wildlings and three giants?" Pyp asked.
"I don't know but whoever killed them is no friend of the wildlings," Sam said.
What Sam told them made Jon think. If there was someone beyond the wall who has killed a lot of wildlings and three of their giants, they could help the Night's Watch to defend the wall. There was only one problem though, they didn't know who killed the wildlings and where to find them.
Jon also wasn't sure if Alliser would even believe it or if he would let them find these "wildling killers" as he would say. Either way, they still had to defend the wall with what they got.
Meanwhile in the Haunted Forest
For several minutes the team has been walking around the forest trying to find any traces of the wolf people but so far they have found nothing. They knew that Aleu and her people were hiding somewhere in the forest but the team just couldn't find them.
After walking in circles for a while, the team decided to take a little rest before continuing their search.
"Ugh, I never thought searching the wolf people would be this hard and exhausting," Jason said as he sat down before the tree.
"I'm sorry, dear. Neyla and I forgot to mention that the wolf people are good at covering their tracks. They are as you say, stealthy," Krystal said while apologizing.
"It's okay, Krystal. We didn't expect this to be easy," Jason said.
"I just hope this won't take days or even weeks," Ghost said.
"I don't think it will. The wolf people are difficult to find yes but I don't think our search will take that long," Neyla said.
"Do you think they know about us?" Price asked.
"We're not sure. The wolf people are isolated but their scouts receive news regularly about what has happened around the world," Krystal said.
"But all they want is to be left alone and live in peace without fear of being killed by humans because of what they are," Neyla added.
"If they hate humans so much then how can we build an alliance with them?" Jason asked.
"The wolf people don't like humans but they are honorable and noble. If you prove to them that you truly want to become allies with them, they will accept the alliance," Krystal explained.
"I just hope they won't shoot arrows and throw spears at us when we find them," Ghost said.
"Or if they find us first," Jason added.
But as soon as he said it, a spear flew right into the tree he was sitting in front of.
"Ambush! Take cover!" Price ordered.
Everyone took cover behind the trees while more spears along with arrows flew at their positions. Most of them hit the snow while some of them hit the trees.
"Return fire!" Price ordered.
The men nodded and fired their guns while the ladies fired their bows. But because it was a little foggy and there were a lot of trees, they couldn't see who was attacking them or if they hit anything.
"I can't see where I'm shooting at!" Jason said.
"I can't tell if it's the wildlings or the wolf people!" Krystal said as she shot another arrow.
"Keep firing then but don't shoot to kill! We'll have to identify the attackers!" Price said.
"But how do we do that?" Ghost asked.
"We could try to talk to them," Neyla suggested.
"But will they even listen?" Jason asked.
But before he could get the answer, something jumped on him from the branches above him. Jason was pushed on his back and the attacker put his foot on his chest. While Jason struggled to get free, he took a look at his attacker and couldn't believe his eyes.
The figure on him was a wolfman who had two bear's paws painted on his chest and was a lot taller than Jason. Once he got Jason to the snowy ground, the wolfman raised his spear and prepared to kill the human soldier.
"Oh shit!" Jason thought.
The time seemed to slow down the moment the spear started going towards Jason's head. This was one of the moments Jason thought that he was going to die but this time from the wolfman's spear in another world.
But Jason couldn't die, not now. Because this time he had someone to live and fight for, Krystal and Neyla. So seconds before the tip of the spear reached his head, Jason moved it out of the way right before the spear hit the ground.
Before the wolfman could react, Jason quickly took his knife and stabbed the wolfman right into his chest. With the blade piercing his heart, the wolfman died instantly and fell to the cold snow after Jason pulled his knife out.
As he was looking at the dead wolfman, Jason knew that he just screwed their chances of building an alliance with the wolf people. Even though he killed this wolfman in self-defense, he thought the wolf people certainly weren't going to be happy about this.
"Well, at least the knife works well as Neyla said," Jason thought as he looked at his knife.
But when he turned his attention back to the team, he froze like a statue. All of his teammates were captured by the wolf warriors and tired up.
But before Jason could react, something hit his head and made him lose consciousness. As he fell to the snow, he could hear Krystal and Neyla screaming in horror before everything went dark.
Later
After some time in the darkness, Jason started to regain his consciousness. His head hurt like hell but otherwise, he was fine. Before he could take a look at his surroundings, he heard a feminine voice speaking to him.
"Good, you're awake."
Jason turned his head to where the voice came from and saw a feminine figure but because his sight was still blurred, he couldn't see anything yet.
"Who are you? Where are my companions?" Jason asked.
"I'll answer your questions after you have answered mine. But first, we'll give you your sight back," the voice said.
Once the voice said those words, Jason felt a wet cloth being put on his eyes for a few seconds before it was removed. Jason blinked a couple of times before his sight became clear again.
When his sight returned, Jason looked at his captor and his eyes widened. In front of him sat a beautiful wolf woman with blue eyes and a nice-looking body sitting on the throne made of animal skins. But what made Jason worried was the fact that the woman was looking at him angrily which meant that Jason was more of a hostage than a guest.
He also took a look at his surroundings and noticed that he was in what looked like a primitive version of the throne room with cave paintings. But what caught his attention was the fact that they seemed to be underground.
But he didn't get a chance to do sightseeing for long when the wolf woman spoke to him again.
"Tell me who you are?" The wolf woman asked.
"First I want to see my friends," Jason said.
"You'll answer the princess's question, human scum!" Another wolf woman said.
As soon as she said it, Jason's eyes widened in shock. He looked at the wolf woman in front of him again and couldn't be mistaken. The wolf woman sitting on the throne was Aleu the Wolf Princess.
"You're Aleu," Jason said.
But that made the wolf warriors angry and they pointed their spears at him.
"No human says the princess's name!" The wolf warrior said with anger.
"We'll kill this human for disrespecting the princess!" Another warrior said.
"That's enough!" Aleu yelled.
The wolf warriors did as their leader said and put their spears away but they still gave Jason angry looks. With that out of the way, Aleu turned her attention back to Jason.
"How do you know my name?" Aleu asked.
"Krystal and Neyla told me about you," Jason answered.
This earned a few gasps from some wolfmen and wolf women while Aleu's eyes were widened in both shock and surprise. It didn't take long for Jason to guess that these wolf people certainly knew Krystal and Neyla. Once Aleu recovered from her shock, she started asking questions again.
"How do you know Krystal and Neyla and why in the Seven Hells would they be with you and your kind?" Aleu asked.
"I saved Krystal's life from Daenerys Targaryen and Neyla joined us when we crossed the wall for the first time," Jason explained.
"They're with you?" Aleu asked.
"Yes, they came with me and my team to see you," Jason confirmed.
Then Aleu turned to her advisor and looked at her accusingly.
"Why you didn't tell me that Neyla and Krystal were with the intruders?" Aleu asked.
"I... I... We didn't know that it was them, my lady," the advisor said awkwardly.
"You didn't put them in the cell, did you?" Aleu asked.
The advisor tried to say something but the words got stuck in her mouth which answered Aleu's question. The Wolf Princess let out a sigh of disappointment before she turned to her guards.
"Bring my friends and the rest of the intruders here," Aleu ordered.
The warriors nodded before they left the throne room to get Krystal and others. While they were waiting, Jason was thinking deeply about how to solve this situation.
He knew that the wolf people despised humans and killing one of their warriors made things even worse. But still, there had to be some way to convince them of Jason's people's good intentions and that they truly wanted to be their allies.
A few minutes later, Krystal and others were brought before Aleu and put next to Jason who was glad to see that his girlfriends and teammates were okay.
"Jason, are you alright?" Krystal asked.
"I have a little headache but I'm fine," Jason said.
"You sure have a thick skull, son. That strike could have cracked your skull open," Price said.
"And that giant wolfman also tried to pierce you with his spear. You were lucky that you evaded his strike and killed him before he could butcher you," Ghost said.
"Yes, but Neyla deserves credit as well because she gave me the Phantom Blade," Jason said making Neyla blush.
"Jason, please. You're making me blush," Neyla said.
Sadly their conversation was interrupted when Aleu's advisor spoke to them.
"Silence! The princess wants to speak to you," the advisor said.
The team didn't like that they were rudely interrupted but they nodded and turned their attention back to Aleu and her advisor.
"Now tell me why are you here?" Aleu asked.
"We came here looking for you, Aleu," Krystal said.
"For what reason?" Aleu asked.
"To propose an alliance between our peoples," Jason said.
Before Aleu could say anything, her advisor started yelling.
"An alliance with humans?! You expect us to ally with you after everything your kind has done to our people?!" The advisor yelled in anger.
"Silence! Guards, take her away!" Aleu ordered.
The guards nodded before they grabbed the advisor and started taking her away. The advisor of course struggled to get free and told Aleu that she was making a big mistake but she didn't listen.
When the guards took the advisor away and were all out of the throne room, Aleu got up from her throne and walked to the team. They weren't sure what the Wolf Princess had in mind but they got their answer when she removed their bindings and told them to stand up.
After she released the team, Aleu pulled Krystal and Neyla into a hug. The two animal women were taken back a little but they quickly returned the hug to their old friend.
"I missed you, girls," Aleu said while feeling tears forming up in her eyes.
"We missed you too, Aleu," Krystal said feeling happy to see her old friend.
"Yeah, it's good to see you again," Neyla said feeling the same as her friends.
"Uh, excuse me, girls. But we're still here," Jason politely interrupted.
The girls giggled a little before they broke the hug and turned their attention to their human companions.
"Sorry about that. It's just been a while when we saw Aleu the last time," Krystal said.
"It's okay, we understand," Jason said.
Once the happy reunion was out of the way, everyone in the throne room went back to political affairs.
"I apologize for what my advisor did. She probably made it clear that she hates humans and any animal people who work with humans," Aleu apologized.
"There is no need to apologize, ma'am. We've had worse," Price said.
"Thank you for understanding. It's just that most of my people hate humans for nearly making us go extinct while some are just afraid of you," Aleu said.
"Yeah, the ladies told us about it back in Exhibition," Ghost said.
"But what about you? Do you hate humans as well?" Jason asked.
"I don't judge an entire race by the actions of several individuals. My parents taught me that not all humans are bad," Aleu said.
"Thanks. But I take it that not many wolf people think the way you do," Jason said.
"Unfortunately, no," Aleu said sadly.
"But there must be some way to ally Exhibition and your people. There's gotta be the way," Krystal said.
"I'm sorry, Krystal. But I don't think it's possible," Aleu said.
"But Jason and his people are not bad and they don't hate animal people. We've been with them a while and they haven't mistreated us at all," Neyla said defending Jason and his people.
"And I believe you but I'm afraid that it's gonna take more than that to convince my people," Aleu said.
"But isn't there something we can do to prove our good intentions?" Jason asked.
Aleu thought about it for a minute until she remembered something she needs help with.
"There is one thing that might convince my people or at least most of them," Aleu said.
"What is it?" Jason asked.
"It's better that I show you," Aleu said.
After that, they left the throne room and Aleu started taking Jason and others to wherever she was taking them. She also told the team to stay close to her because some of her people may try to kill them if they wander off.
While they were walking in the underground tunnels, the team couldn't help but notice the nasty look the wolf people were giving them.
"It's clear that they don't like us," Ghost said.
"After humans inflicted so many horrors upon my people, I can't say I blame them," Aleu said.
"But are they always like this when they see humans?" Jason asked.
"Yes, but not like this. I think they're angry because you killed Kocoum," Aleu told Jason.
"Who? The wolf warrior I killed? The one with the paw paintings on his chest?" Jason asked.
"That's him," Aleu confirmed.
"Not to interfere with your conversation but what's so special about this Kocoum guy?" Ghost asked.
"He wanted to be my mate," Aleu revealed.
This shocked Krystal and Neyla while the men were confused a little.
"What?! Kocoum wanted to be your mate?" Neyla asked in shock.
"Unfortunately, yes, he did," Aleu confirmed.
"But he wasn't even your type and he couldn't have truly loved you," Krystal said.
"And you're right. Kocoum had another and a lot more selfish reason to marry me," Aleu said.
"And what was it?" Price asked.
"He wanted to become the leader of our people so he could send them to war against the humans," Aleu explained.
"But you didn't let him by refusing to marry him, right?" Neyla asked.
"Yes, but Kocoum was determined. He sent me a lot of marriage proposals but I rejected them all," Aleu told the team.
"I think Incan guess his reasons but why did he want to go to war with humans?" Price asked.
"He wanted to conquer the north from the humans. And now that our numbers have increased, Kocoum believed that we would win the war this time," Aleu explained.
"I take it that many of your people supported his idea of going to war," Ghost assumed.
"And you're correct. But now that Kocoum is dead, I'm afraid his death will inspire my people to go to war," Aleu said fearing the worst.
"I'm sure we'll find a way to prevent the war from happening," Jason said.
"And I truly hope you're right," Aleu said.
After several minutes of walking, they arrived at the room which entrance was covered by animal skin and had two wolfmen guarding it. After Aleu dismissed the guards, they entered the room.
When they were in the room, they noticed a bed in it but that wasn't what got the team's attention. It was who was sleeping on it. On the bed was what looked like a female humanoid husky in her forties with red fur on her backside and white fur on the front side (Jenna from the Balto movie series).
Jason couldn't help but blush behind his mask at the beautiful husky woman. Even though she seemed to be older than Jason, he had to admit that the husky woman on the bed still had her looks. Especially since her big breasts and ass made her look quite sexy despite her age.
"Oh boy. Why do I keep running into beautiful and sexy animal women all the time?" Jason thought.
He was taken out of his thoughts when his commanding officer asked Aleu the question regarding the husky woman's identity.
"Who is this?" Price asked.
"Her name is Jenna. She's my mother," Aleu answered.
"Is she okay?" Krystal asked.
"No, she's been sick for the whole week now. Our shaman has tried to heal her but nothing has worked," Aleu explained.
"What are her symptoms?" Jason asked.
"She has a high fever, she coughs a lot, and she's tired all the time," Aleu said describing her mother's symptoms.
"And you have tried everything?" Ghost asked.
"Yes, the shaman said that she may not live for more than a couple of days now," Aleu said.
The last part made the Wolf Princess cry because her mother may pass away soon. Krystal felt sad for her friend and pulled Aleu into the hug to comfort her. The scene made even human soldiers feel sad even though they weren't crying.
After Aleu pulled away from the hug, she turned to Jason and others.
"Please, is there anything you can do to save my mother?" Aleu asked with hope in her eyes.
The team turned to each other for a second before they turned back to the Wolf Princess.
"We think we might be able to help your mother," Jason said.
"You... You can?" Aleu sobbed.
"Yes, but we need our gear and equipment we brought with us," Ghost said.
"Why?" Aleu asked.
"Because we have antibiotics in our medkit, the vaccines, and we also need our weapons," Price said.
The last part of course shocked Aleu because the idea of returning the humans' weapons sounded suspicious.
"Why do you need your weapons back? You don't use them for healing, right?" Aleu asked.
"Of course not. We just want them just in case," Jason said.
"But you're not in danger here. I told my people that you wouldn't harm them," Aleu said.
"And it's not our intention. We worried that your advisor may try something," Ghost said.
"What do you mean?" Aleu asked.
"Your advisor made it pretty clear that she wants us dead and we're concerned that your people want that too," Price explained.
"But my people are loyal to me. They would never question me or conspire behind my back," Aleu disagreed.
"No offense, ma'am, but I've seen it before. If the leader does or decides something that doesn't please his/her people, they eventually turn against him/her," Price explained from his experience.
Aleu was about to argue again but Krystal stepped in to reason with her old friend.
"Aleu, I know that it hurts you to doubt your people's loyalty, but these men have a point. Your advisor may try something and we can't afford to be caught unprepared," Krystal reasoned.
"But they're my people. I have led them since my father passed away and I don't have any reason to doubt their loyalty," Aleu argued.
"Aleu, please. Just bring what Jason and others are asking. Do it for your mother, please," Krystal deeply asked.
Aleu didn't like to doubt her people but she knew that Krystal and others had a point so she nodded. She was about to call the guards to get the team's stuff but Neyla stopped her.
"Neyla?" Aleu asked.
"I think it's better that I get the gear," Neyla said.
"But do you know where they are and can you even carry all of them?" Jason asked.
"Aleu can show me where they're keeping our gear and it's not too heavy to carry. We also won't draw too much suspicion if you stay here with Jenna," Neyla explained.
The team nodded in agreement before Neyla and Aleu left the room to get their gear. While Aleu and Neyla were walking away, they didn't notice that they were being watched from the shadows by the advisor.
"The humans are poisoning the princess's mind with their lies. I must take the matters into my own hands," the advisor thought.
Meanwhile on the wall
After Jon and his friends had their "last drinks", they went back to their duties. Mostly they just guarded the wall or set up the defenses as they were waiting for Mance Rayder and his wildling army to show up.
While Edd and others were working in Castle Black, Jon was standing on top of the wall watching the Haunted Forest while the snow was slowly falling from the sky.
As he was watching the forest, Jon was thinking deeply about what happened and what might happen when the wildlings arrive. He knew that their chances of winning were hopeless but they wouldn't go down without a fight and would defend the wall with their lives.
But Jon was also concerned about the wildlings that made it past the wall and we're waiting for Mance's signal to attack Castle Black. And with Tormund and Ygritte in that small wildling force, Jon wasn't sure if the Night's Watch will be able to hold Castle Black since Mance sent his best warriors to take it.
"I'm loyal to the Night's Watch and I'll fight to my dying breath but I'm not sure if I can kill those wildlings I have started to call friends," Jon thought sadly.
He couldn't help but have mixed-up feelings about the coming battle. He respected Mance because he wanted to save his people from the White Walkers. He admired Tormund because he was a great warrior who fights for the future of his people. And then there was Ygritte, the woman he fell in love with.
"Is this what it feels like? Is this what Maester Aemon meant when he said that love is the death of duty?" Jon thought.
He was taken out of his thoughts when he heard someone walking behind him. Jon turned and saw that it was his friend Sam.
"Sam, aren't you supposed to be in the kitchens?" Jon asked.
"Uh, it's my guard duty now, Jon," Sam said.
"But my watch isn't over yet," Jon said.
"It is actually. Edd and others wondered why you haven't come down yet," Sam said.
Jon felt a little embarrassed now because he forgot that his watch was now over and he didn't even notice it. But he didn't like going back to the kitchens again so he decided to stay on the wall for a little bit longer.
"Well, I think I'll stay up here for a little longer," Jon said.
"But won't that anger ser Alliser?" Sam asked.
"He has more important things to worry about now. Besides, I won't give him the pleasure of humiliating me for seeing me as a steward," Jon said.
"Oh, well. I suppose you staying up here would be fine in that case," Sam said.
Jon and Sam laughed a little at this before they went to their guard duty. Even though these could be their final moments, they should at least enjoy it while they could.
Meanwhile with the team
It's been about thirty minutes when Neyla and Aleu left to get back the team's equipment. Even though it hasn't been too long, Jason couldn't help but get worried.
Krystal noticed the worried look on her mate's face and walked to him to comfort him.
"I'm sure Neyla and Aleu will come back soon," Krystal said.
"How did you know that's what worries me?" Jason asked.
"It's written all over your face even with the mask on. I know it also because you're my mate," Krystal said as she put her hand on Jason's masked cheek.
"But don't we have to be married for us to be mates officially?" Jason asked as he gently put his gloved hand over Krystal's.
"Not necessarily. Among my people, if the couple truly loves each other, they're already mates officially," Krystal said.
"Well, I know that I do truly love you, Krystal," Jason said making Krystal tear up a little.
"And I truly love you too," Krystal said.
She pulled Jason's mask up a little and then kissed him which the human soldier gladly returned. As the couple was passionately kissing each other, Aleu and Neyla were coming back with the team's equipment.
As the two animal women were walking back to the room where the team was waiting for them, they couldn't help but notice the suspicious looks some wolf guards were giving them. Aleu still didn't believe that her people might betray her but she kept her guard up while Neyla was getting worried that the advisor may try something.
It didn't take long until they finally arrived at the room's entrance. Jason and Krystal kept kissing until they were sadly interrupted when they heard someone coming in. The couple quickly pulled away and Jason put his mask back on before Aleu and Neyla entered.
"We got what we need," Neyla said showing them their gear.
"Good, but let's check them first," Price said.
"But aren't you going to help my mother?" Aleu asked.
"Yes, but we need to make sure that your people haven't been messing with our gear," Jason said.
"We can check it for you, Connor. You go and help the woman on the bed," Ghost said.
Jason nodded before he took the med-kit and went to Jenna's side. First, he checked her pulse to make sure she was still on the land of the living. After that, Jason opened the medkit and readied the vaccine. Aleu wasn't sure if the needle was going to help her mother or if it was even a good thing so she wanted to ask about it.
"How is a needle going to help my mother?" Aleu asked.
"It's not just a needle, it's a vaccine. I'm going to put the needle into Jenna's arm and then inject a medicine that should be able to heal her," Jason explained.
"Should be able to?" Aleu asked out of concern.
"I'm not sure if it will work on animal people. But because our physiology is pretty similar, the vaccine should work without causing any side effects," Jason explained.
Aleu still wasn't sure about this but she was willing to do anything to save her mother so she nodded in approval. Jason nodded and then carefully injected Jenna with a vaccine. Once that was done, Jason pulled the needle out and put a sticking plaster on Jenna's arm.
"Will she be alright?" Aleu asked.
"All we can do now is wait," Jason said.
But before Aleu could ask another question, Price interrupted them.
"We got company," Price said as he was peeking through the entrance.
"Who is it?" Krystal asked.
"It's that advisor lady and she brought those guards with her," Price said.
"What?! But they were supposed to take her to the holding cell until I say otherwise," Aleu said in shock.
"I guess that woman must have made an offer the guards couldn't refuse," Ghost said.
"But... But... Why?" Aleu asked while not believing that this was happening.
"Aleu, your advisor has betrayed you because you imprisoned her and let us live," Krystal said.
"I did it because I didn't want to lead my people to another war," Aleu said.
"And we understand why. But right now we must try to solve this situation before it gets any worse," Neyla said.
They were suddenly interrupted when the advisor started talking.
"Princess Aleu, hand over the humans and traitors to us," the advisor commanded.
"You have no right to command me! I'm your princess!" Aleu yelled in anger.
"You have allowed those humans and animal traitors into our settlement and put all of our lives in danger," the advisor said.
"But they didn't come here to hurt us," Aleu protested.
"They killed one of our best warriors and they were going to expose our location to other humans!" The advisor yelled.
"You're a traitor!" Aleu yelled back.
"You're the one who's a traitor! Those humans have poisoned your mind and now you're allowing them to kill your dying mother!"
That was the last straw. After the advisor said those words, Aleu went into her "beast mode" and jumped through the entrance right at the advisor. It started a fight between the ruler of the wolf people and the power-hungry human-hating advisor who now wanted to lead the wolf people herself.
Before the guards could react, Jason and others came out of the entrance and used Tasers to stun them. Once the guards were taken care of, the team looked around for Aleu but didn't see any sign of her.
"Where's Aleu?" Krystal asked.
"She attacked that advisor so their fight must have taken them somewhere else," Ghost said.
"But where exactly?" Jason asked.
Before anyone could ask, they heard the fighting sounds coming from outside.
"Please tell me they didn't go outside," Price said.
"Uh, I think they did," Neyla said nervously.
"Not that I doubt her fighting skills, Aleu could use our help," Jason said.
"I just hope it won't cause more problems," Krystal said.
"How so?" Jason asked.
"The wolf people are very strict about their traditions. I'm worried that if we interfere with Aleu's fight, she'll lose her status and we'll never become allies with the wolf people," Krystal explained her concern.
The team knew that the blue vixen had a point there. But they still felt that they had to help the Wolf Princess no matter what the traditions say.
"We'll cross that bridge later. Right now we must help Aleu no matter what she or her people might think," Jason said.
Meanwhile with Aleu
The fight between the Wolf Princess and her advisor took them away from the wolf people's hidden settlement right to the Haunted Forest where the night had come. Both wolf women fought brutally to win the fight but because they were both equally matched, it didn't look like that the fight was going to end soon.
"How could you betray me?!" Aleu asked after she punched the advisor in the face.
"I'm doing what is best for our people," the advisor groaned.
"How is leading them to war for the best?!" Aleu asked.
"For years humans have tormented us. They hunted us, killed us, and they were so close to wiping us out completely! The humans must pay for what they did to us!" The advisor yelled.
"Going to war isn't the answer! What if we lose? What if we get wiped out for good this time?" Aleu asked.
"We have been hiding from humans long enough and our numbers have grown. The time for war is upon us!" The advisor said.
"My father would have never wanted this! He wanted our people to live in peace and prosperity without fear or hatred. If we go to war against humans, it will cost us our future and our race could this time become extinct," Aleu reasoned.
"Your father was a coward who would have rather hidden in the shadows than fought for his people!" The advisor yelled.
Aleu couldn't take it anymore and let out a roar before she charged at the advisor again but this time the advisor was ready for her. The advisor quickly evaded Aleu's attack and she hit the nearest tree.
"Gah," Aleu yelled in pain.
"You may be stronger than me, but I know your every move," the advisor said mockingly.
As Aleu was trying to get up, the advisor pulled out a dagger in an attempt to kill the Wolf Princess.
"Stab me while I'm down? You have no honor, you're a disgrace to our people," Aleu groaned.
"I'm doing whatever I must to save my people from its enemies and traitors," the advisor said before she raised her dagger.
But when she was about to kill Aleu, a sword made of ice pierced the advisor's chest killing her instantly. Aleu was shocked at what she just witnessed but her feelings of shock were turned into fear and horror when she saw who or what the ice sword belonged to.
Once the owner of the sword pulled it out of the dead wolf woman, Aleu got a good look at the sword's owner, it was a White Walker.
Aleu was frozen in fear as the White Walker just stared at her with its dark blue eyes. She has heard about the White Walkers and what they look like what she has never seen them before.
The White Walker just stood there for a minute until it raised its ice sword and prepared to kill Aleu. But Aleu was quickly taken out of the way by Krystal and Neyla and the sword hit the tree.
"Get Aleu to safety!" Jason yelled as he along with Ghost and Price arrived at the scene.
"No, wait! You can't fight that creature!" Aleu tried to warn but it was too late.
Jason and others aimed their guns at the White Walker and opened fire. But to their surprise, as soon as the bullets hit the White Walker's pale skin, they froze and then shattered in a second.
"What the hell?!" Jason yelled.
"How did it do that?!" Ghost said not believing his eyes.
"Don't stop! Just shoot!" Price ordered.
The soldiers nodded and started shooting at the White Walker again but just like before, the bullets froze and then shattered. But when their guns were empty, the White Walker made its move.
The Walker swang the sword and cut Price's chest and then punched Ghost into the tree leaving only Jason standing. Jason was about to reload his carbine until the White Walker swung its sword again and hit Jason's gun making it freeze and then shatter to pieces.
"Shit!" Jason cursed.
He quickly took his pistol (Beretta 90Two) from the holster and started shooting at the White Walker who just stood there while being shot at. Sadly the bullets from the pistol also froze and then shattered as they hit the White Walker's skin.
Jason kept shooting until he ran out of ammo from his pistol as well. Then the Walker looked at Jason and smirked at him.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Jason said.
The Walker was about to strike until Krystal jumped on it and pulled it backward. The Walker dropped its sword to the snow before it grabbed her and threw her to the tree.
"Aargh!" Krystal screamed in agony.
"Krystal!" Jason yelled in horror.
With Krystal was lying motionless on the snow, Jason turned to the White Walker with anger in his eyes.
"You fucking asshole!" Jason yelled.
He charged at the White Walker and gave a punch but the Walker grabbed his fist before he could hit it. Jason tried to hit the Walker with his left fist but it got grabbed too. Then the Walker kicked Jason to the tree nearly breaking his back.
"Aargh!" Jason yelled in pain.
While the human soldier was groaning on the tree he was thrown to and trying to get up, the White Walker grabbed the ice sword from the snow and turned to Jason. As the Walker slowly walked towards Jason, he thought he should try one more weapon he still had.
"The bullets didn't work on that damn thing but I still have my knife. I'm just not sure if it will have any effect either but it's worth a shot," Jason thought.
As the Walker was getting closer, Jason slowly grabbed his knife and pulled it out of the holster on his vest. The White Walker simply ignored Jason having the knife because it thought it won't do any good.
"If I go down, I'll go down fighting," Jason thought.
Once the White Walker was in front of Jason, it raised its sword and prepared to strike. When the White Walker moved its sword towards Jason, time seemed to slow down. Jason watched as the blade made of ice was being moved towards him while both Aleu and Neyla watched in horror as the White Walker was going to kill Jason.
The human soldier waited until the ice sword was in the right spot and then he made his move by swinging his knife towards the sword.
And to his and the White Walker's surprise, the Phantom Blade stopped the sword. While the Walker was being distracted, Jason quickly moved his knife from the ice sword and stabbed the White Walker in the chest.
And to everyone's surprise, the White Walker shattered to pieces a few seconds after being stabbed leaving on the snow nothing but hundreds of small pieces of ice with Jason's knife.
After he killed the Walker, Jason carefully got up and grabbed his knife from the pile of ice. Once he put his knife back to the holster, he turned to Aleu and Neyla who were still shocked from what they saw.
"Uh, is something wrong?" Jason asked.
"You... You just killed a White Walker," Aleu said.
"White Walker? Is that what those things are called?" Jason asked.
"But how? No one has killed a White Walker for thousands of years. Our weapons never worked and yours didn't either. So how did you kill it with a knife?" Aleu asked.
Jason was about to say something until Neyla realized something.
"The Valyrian steel," Neyla said.
"What?" Both Aleu and Jason asked.
"The knife's blade is made of Valyrian steel. That must be why Jason was able to kill that White Walker," Neyla theorized.
"But-"
Aleu was interrupted when Jason spoke again.
"We can leave the mystery-solving for later, we must Krystal and others to the settlement," Jason said as he picked Krystal up in bridal style.
Both ladies nodded and went to get Ghost and Price while Jason carried unconscious Krystal to the settlement.
Later
Shortly after they returned to the settlement, Krystal along with Price and Ghost we're taken to the room where Jenna was being kept. Fortunately, they didn't receive any fatal injuries except Price who had a cut on his chest but luckily it didn't damage his vital organs.
While the shaman was patching up Price, the team was having a conversation regarding the alliance with the wolf people.
"How are you doing, captain?" Ghost asked.
"I was cut by a fucking ice zombie. How do you think I feel?" Price answered while the shaman was healing his wound.
"It was a White Walker," Aleu told the team.
"What the hell is a White Walker?" Price asked.
"No one knows much about them. From what I have been told, the White Walkers have the power to raise the dead and turn them into their undead soldiers," Aleu explained.
"An army of zombies? Yeah, right," Price said not believing a word.
"With all due respect, sir. After what we just saw, I think anything is possible in this magic world," Ghost said.
"It's understandable why you doubt it. No one on the south side of the wall believes that the White Walkers exist," Neyla said.
While the rest of the team was talking about the White Walkers, Jason was alone with Krystal on the other side of the room talking privately.
"You scared me out there, Krystal. I thought for a moment that thing killed you," Jason said while holding the blue vixen's hand.
"I'm sorry, Jason. I didn't mean to," Krystal apologized.
"It's okay, Krystal. The important thing is that you're okay," Jason said.
Krystal smiled at her lover's words and tightened her grip on Jason's hand.
"I love you so much, Jason," Krystal said.
"I love you too, Krystal," Jason said making Krystal tear up.
The blue vixen sneaked her arm around Jason's neck and pulled him into a kiss. Jason was taken by surprise a little but he quickly got over it and returned the kiss.
Sadly this romantic moment lasted only a few minutes until Neyla walked to them and blushed deeply at the scene. Once the couple realized that the tiger woman was with them, they quickly pulled away and blushed in embarrassment.
"Uh, did I interrupt something?" Neyla asked.
"No, we're done here. Is something wrong?" Jason asked.
"No, everything is alright. I just came to tell you that Aleu's mother is now awake," Neyla informed.
As soon as she said it, Jason and Krystal quickly got up and went to where the others were. When they joined the others, they saw Aleu hugging her mother while crying tears of happiness.
"I thought I was going to lose you, mother," Aleu sobbed.
"When you were a pup, I told you that I would never leave you no matter what," Jenna said while holding her daughter dearly.
"But... When you were lying there, I..."
"Shhh, it's okay, Aleu. I'm here," Jenna said while comforting her daughter.
Soon they noticed the newcomers arriving and turned their attention to them, especially to Jason who had Jenna's attention.
"Is he the one?" Jenna asked her daughter.
"Yes, that's him," Aleu confirmed.
Once Jenna got the confirmation of Jason's identity, she turned to the human soldier who was standing next to Krystal and Neyla.
"My daughter told me that you're the one who saved me," Jenna said with a smile.
"Uh, yes. I was the one who cured you," Jason confirmed.
"She also told me that you saved her and your friends from the White Walker. Is it true?" Jenna asked.
"Yes, I did. I got some bruises from the fight but I managed to kill the Walker," Jason confirmed.
"I must say, that's impressive. You must be a powerful warrior," Jenna complimented.
"Uh, thanks, ma'am," Jason said blushing a little.
"Aleu also told me that your people want to ally with us, right?" Jenna asked.
"Yes, but we're concerned that your people won't agree to it because of the heavy history between you and humans," Jason said.
"Don't worry. After everything you have done for us, I'm sure they'll agree to an alliance," Jenna said.
"What?! Are you sure?" Jason asked.
"Of course. You saved my life, you saved my daughter, you have done more than enough for us and I can tell that you're a good person," Jenna said.
And what she did next without others noticing made Jason feel a little shocked but also a little flattered.
"And perhaps one day I can make it up to you," Jenna said while showing Jason her breasts without others noticing.
Jason blushed like crazy at what he saw the husky woman doing. Luckily he still had his mask on so no one noticed and Jenna quickly covered her breasts before anyone could notice.
But they were suddenly interrupted when one of the guards rushed in.
"I told you not to disturb us!" Aleu yelled.
"I'm sorry, my lady. But we have an emergency," the guard said getting everyone's attention.
"What? What's going on?" Jason asked.
"It's the wildlings. They're attacking the wall," the guard said.