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The pack

Robb is very quiet since the beheading. Jon is thinking whether he also has the deserter's words on his mind.

Maybe he does not, because when his brother finally starts speaking, he brings up a different topic.

"One more year and Bran comes with us."

"Indeed," Jon replies.

"One more year and I will hold Ice in my hands."

"Do you worry about it?"

"I will do what I have to." Robb does not look at him but straight ahead. "I'm worried about what if I don't know what I have to do."

Of course, questions like this weigh down him. Robb is almost fifteen, and he makes more and more decisions on his own.

"Did you believe him?" he asks. "The deserter."

"No." But Jon is not sure and it seems Robb knows that. It seems he feels the same.

"He did believe what he saw."

"That doesn't make it true."

Robb nods but he is clearly lost in his thoughts.

In any other time, Jon would offer him to race through the wood to brighten his mood. But for Lord Stark who has just returned from an execution, that would seem highly inappropriate.

Suddenly, Robb rises in the saddle and strains his eyes.

"Jon, look, on the road. What's that?"


Catelyn crosses her arms.

"I want an explanation."

In front of her Jon stands, and between them on the floor in a basket there are two wolf pups. One of them is black like the starless night, the other is white as the snow.

Jon takes a deep breath and tells her everything about the dead direwolf and the stag and the pups.

"Hullen was about to kill them, but I said…" He shrugs. "The direwolf is the sigil of House Stark. It didn't feel right to finish them off with Stark swords."

Catelyn sighs edgily. It is nothing but a silly superstition. However… it is better to be careful.

"And there were five of them," Jon continues. "So Robb and I thought we could give the rest to Bran and the girls."

Robb and he simply would have liked to keep the pups and on the way home they fabricated some excuses for doing do.

"I see two direwolves," she notes.

Jon glances at the basket as well.

"We… I found the white one little further. I heard his whimpering while riding across the bridge and I couldn't leave him behind."

Of course not.

Catelyn sighs again.

"Well, your fault, your responsibility."

In fact, it is Jon and Robb's fault. But taking care of just one pup demands huge amount of time which Robb barely has. Taking care of two is unimaginable for him. For Jon, however…

Catelyn gestures to the pups. "Take them."

Jon nods and quickly picks up the basket. He cannot hide his smile, obviously he does not even try. The same smile that – Catelyn presumes – she will see on the others' faces too.