Throughout his return journey from Castle Black to Winterfell Eddard felt there is something just out of corner of his eye, that something was following them, and that sensation continued to intensify. After twelve days of hard riding ,on morning of the thirteenth day as they were about half a days ride away from Winterfell, just as they finished breaking their fast, horses started to whinny in fear and tugging their restraints. As men came alert to a possible danger , Eddard felt eyes on his back and turned sharply only to lock his eyes with glowing yellow eyes in the shadow of the treeline.

As he turned still as a statue , the she direwolf he met beyond the Wall slowly stepped out of shadow.

His men noticed and swords were unsheathed and bows were nocked, it's to the sound of sliding steel and creaking bows that he snapped out of his trance and shouted in as loud a voice he can muster, " Hold your arrows, don't shoot, I repeat don't shoot, and don't panic. Sheath your swords and lower your bows, as a Stark of Winterfell, I command you don't attack, she will not attack if you don't start anything, I repeat don't attack" .

His guard captain still with sword in hand, nervously said, " My Lord ,it is a direwolf, a wild animal, it can rip out a man throat as easily as a dog breaks a rats back my lord, Please stop walking towards it."

Eddard didn't even realise he was walking towards her untill captain said it, " Captain I have met her before, we stayed together for hours she didn't harm me, I had a feeling she was following us for days and she only showed herself now and hadn't attacked us during the journey , when as you said she could have ripped our throats in the night, Direwolf is the Stark sigil, if you observe carefully you would know that she is carrying pups and soon to give birth. All this time we have been talking she hasn't moved an inch, if she wanted to she could be among us in seconds and I am not sure arrows can do anything while she speeds toward us. Trust me, and lower your weapons." , Eddard said in loud voice and conviction.

The guard started lowering their weapons with reluctance, and Eddard couldn't quite believe these soldiers are willing to trust him a boy of eleven in a dangerous situation. He pushed that thought aside and walked towards the she wolf, before stopping arms length away and extending his bare right hand, he heard creaking of leather as men in the back tightened their grips on their weapons. But to his relief the she wolf just sniffed his hand, licked it ,then licked his face and sat down on her haunches , he released a sigh of relief and started scratching behind her ears before calling out , " Captain, order the men to calm down the horses, bring me the leftover dried meat from our packs and send your fastest rider with three spare horses ahead of us to Winterfell to inform my Lord Father of my impromptu guest."

" Yes, My Lord ", the Captain replied with obvious edge of fear in his voice, there is relief there too, but fear is more obvious emotion .

After his orders were carried out , and he fed the obviously hungry she wolf, he wrangled her into following Ned from half a mile away to not spook the horses anymore than they already were.

By little over midday they reached Winterfell, Eddard dismounted his horse five hundred feet from outer gates ,ordered all the men into Castle proper to warn of his and his guests arrival and to have horses secured in stables. And waited for the she wolfs arrival. She joined him after ten minutes at a sedate prowl. He took hold of her fur his right hand and slowly entered Winterfell through East Gate, His Lord Father was there to greet him alongside someone he didn't ever meet before, though his description seemed to match a crannogmen and the men who guarded Eddard in his journey, though he did spy his siblings watching from the bridge between armoury and Great Keep.

On fully entering the courtyard ,Eddard bowed to his Father instead of taking a knee as last time and said, " Lord Father, I have returned home."

" Welcome home, son . It seems you have some explaining to do . " , his Lord Father replied in an even tone .

" Of course Father, I will be happy to explain, but I have to beg your forgiveness as I cannot comply right away. I would like to situate my guest in the Godswood and if a slab of raw meat and some leftover bones from kitchens can be delivered to me at the gates to Godswood I will greatly appreciate it . After that I will immediately join you in your solar and explain everything " , Ned replied in the same even tone of his father .

At that answer his Lord Fathers lips twitched a bit before smoothing out he replied ," As you wish, my son. See to what my son asked for." He ordered the servants and dismissed the crowd and returned to his solar without a backward glance .

Eddard led the she wolf to the Godswood and food he asked for is already delivered and ready at the gates. Taking them into his free hand he led the she wolf to the Heart tree before leaving her there with a promise of , "I will visit you tonight with more food."