A/N: I really have no excuses for taking this long. Thank you everyone who is actually still following this. Have some Internet cookies and enjoy this unedited, terrible, horrible, no good, very bad chapter. This may be the last time I update, so I don't even know why I'm posting this. Probably because every time I get an email saying that I got a new follower I feel guilty. Alright, on with this shitty chapter. Warning: I didn't even try to keep everyone in character. Sorry.

Chapter 2: Hope in the Woods

Jon

It had been several days since he and Sam had swore their oaths before the grove of heart trees. Even though he was now a man of the Night's Watch, Jon didn't feel like one. In fact, everything felt wrong. Something on that day had entered the Haunted Forest. Something as evil and sinister as the Others from Old Nan's stories.

Jon re-lived that day as if it was still fresh in his mind. He and Sam had taken their oaths, and Jon never felt prouder in his small, worthless life. But that feeling was quickly replaced with dread. Ghost had found a dead man's hand. At first, it seemed like nothing. A wildling died, and Ghost had found the corpse. However, as the small group started to head back to Castle Black, a powerful rush of air swept over them followed by a bright light.

Suddenly, Ghost froze, growling at the darkening wood. Nothing Jon had said was able to move the direwolf from his position. Bowen Marsh, the Lord Steward, had finally told Jon to leave Ghost behind. Reluctantly, Jon had obeyed, but he couldn't help looking over his shoulder every few minutes to see if his wolf would follow. Still, the white beast stood his ground, watching for something. And that something worried Jon.

(That worry grew after the dead rose and attacked the Lord Commander.)

After a few days, the direwolf eventually went back to Castle Black. However, Ghost was still on an edge. He would spend hours staring at the Wall and growling at anyone who approached him. Sam, whom Ghost was normally very friendly with, was repeatedly snapped at, much to the fat boy's horror. The Old Bear finally had enough when the direwolf wouldn't even let Wall sentries change shifts or rangers go through the Wall. He told Jon that the beast had to be locked up or else the Night's Watch could not do its duty.

Jon was mortified when this happened as Ghost normally kept to himself and rarely bit or attacked anyone in Jon's presence. He was sad to have the wolf be chained in the abandoned stables. He could hear Ghost's mournful howls every night, filling him with regret and guilt.

Tonight, though, the great wolf was silent. In fact, all was quiet. Not a sound could be heard from the Haunted Forest or Castle Black. It was eerie. The dark shadows in the Haunted Forest silently creeping about, the black ice of the Wall, and the gray clouds forming above.

Jon shivered and he bundled his cloak a little closer. He squinted in the darkness, searching desperately for his uncle from his high perch on the Wall. Jon refused to believe that the First Ranger was dead, but everyday that passed seem to make the odds of Benjen Stark returning smaller and smaller. He sighed and continued to walk the icy path of the Wall.

Jon thought he had imagined it when he first heard it. It was just a faint rumble in the distance. He had passed it off as ice falling off of the Wall as the Wall usually did in summer. However, the steady BOOM BOOM BOOM became louder and louder as the source of the sound approached the Wall. Jon narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the peculiar noise.

A massive mound of steaming flesh bursted out of the foliage, sprinting and waving its arms like a mad person. It was completely naked. Although it was lacking genitals, Jon could clearly see that it was male.

At first, Jon couldn't believe what he saw. It was one those absurd and surreal moments in your life that you just couldn't believe that it was real. After rubbing his eyes and pinching himself hard, Jon looked below to find himself staring at two large luminous eyes. It stared hungrily at him, and its unnaturally wide, toothy grin salivated. The human and the Titan stood mesmerized at each other.

With a thunderous roar, it shot its steaming hand up towards Jon's head. He gave a yelp of shock and scrambled back from the edge, slipping and skidding on the ice. Breathing hard, Jon froze, waiting for the moment where the beast's face would peer over the Wall. However, that moment never came.

Crawling back to his feet and feeling very foolish, Jon forgot for a moment in his fear that the monster was several hundred feet below him and could do no harm. Still, it was a bit daunting that this massive, mindless creature wanted to kill him.

Looking over the edge of the Wall, Jon saw that the giant was scratching the icy surface as if it were trying to climb up. It was doing quite a poor job of it as well, flailing its arms around trying to get somewhere. If Jon wasn't so terrified, he would have laughed at the sight. Jon stared at the Titan trying to climb. Suddenly, more crashing came from the forest.

Jon looked up in fear. Seven more giants stumbled through the dark trees. They smiled and raised their large hands to grab him. Each booming step sent a jolt through Jon's heart. He stumbled back and hastily searched for his horn. Should I do this? What should I do? This has never happened before... Taking a deep breath, Jon brought it to his lips and blew four, long, clear blasts.

The deep, resounding blows echoed and bounced and floated through the area. After glancing quickly at the unaffected giants, Jon ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the winch guard. He had to warn Ser Jaremy, the Lord Commander, somebody!

"Oi! Snow! What happened?" A disgruntled crow looked up from his game of dice.

"Giants! Massive… giants… huff… came out of… nowhere!" Jon panted, his breath coming out in puffs. His heart hammered in his chest after sprinting two miles. His adrenaline was running high and blood was pumping erratically beneath his sweaty skin.

The guard just stared at him incredulously.

"Giants, ya say? Giants! HA HA HA!" He bellowed in disbelief. "M'lord Snow, here, says that giants attacked him! Seven hells!"

"You don't believe me, do you? You don't believe me at all. I saw them come out of the forest. I saw them try to eat me. You must warn Lord Commander Mormont!" Jon sternly yelled, trying to persuade the guard.

"Hey, now, let's be serious here. Why'd you blow the horn four times? Saw some wildlings and got scared? Did you piss your breeches? You forget that it's only supposed to be two blows?" The man barked backed to him with a mocking smile. The yellow of his teeth appeared as the smile stretched. His greasy hair hung over his gaunt face.

Jon glared at the so-called "Man of the Night's Watch". "What else did you think I should have done?" he coldly said. "I saw a threat to the realm, and I did what I was instructed to do. I blew my horn. Yes, it was not something that has happened in the history of the Night's Watch. But what I saw out there was nothing the Night's Watch has ever encountered before. I must speak with the Lord Commander!"

"Alright! Alright! I'll take you down. Just don't come back to me cryin'!" The guard threw up his hands in defense. He was too tired and cold to care if the green boy was telling the truth.

With a curt nod and a glare, Jon hurried into the cage and shivered as he slowly approached the ground.

The crimson rays of the morning dawn peeked through the dark shadow of the night. Castle Black woke up as torches were lit and the sounds of life beginning to stir. Groggy men hustled to their tasks, preparing for a new day, blissfully unaware of the threat on the other side of the Wall.

Jon shakily stepped out of the lift and was immediately bombarded by his comrades. Grenn, Pyp, Sam, Dolorous Edd, and all of his Brothers crowded around him with worried expressions and prying questions.

"Jon! What happened? Why was the horn blown four times?"

"Tell us!"

"Jon!"

"Jon!"

Whatever rush he had been feeling was gone, and all he felt was the cold, empty feeling of despair. And his mind blanked. Steady pants echoed in his ears. Gleaming eyes stared hungrily. Steam rose off the naked body in gentle waves and puffs. But the mouth. The saliva. The teeth. That pink, pink, pink mouth. Horrible. Disgusting. Terrifying.

Those hands slowly reaching for him. His body carefully snatched from his icy perch and tightly squeezed until his breath was pushed out of his lungs. His fists and kicks were fruitless against the sheer strength and power of the mindless beast. His head slowly entered that wet, hot, red, red, red hole. BLAM! Sharp incisors slammed onto his skull. Purple and red and grey brain matter splattered into the air. Red blood. Red blood. Red blood. Dead. Dead. Deaddeadead.

You're a goner.

"GAH!" A grunt of pain emitted Jon's lips as he stumbled onto the cold hard ground, flattened by the hundreds of men walking to and fro on it. He gasped for air as he tried to shake the violent vision from his mind. All he could think of was how real and terrifying it was, like a poisoned daydream.

"Jon! Are you alright?" The frantic voice of Sam brought him back from that disturbing vision.

Coughing and dusting off his cloak, Jon stood up on shaky legs and smiled softly that the wide eyes boy.

"Yes, I am fine. Just a little woozy from running in such thin air," Jon lied, giving Sam a reassuring smirk. "I must see the Lord Commander at once."

With that, Jon sped away from his dumbstruck friend, a pool of guilt and shame growing. His father disapproved of liars and deceivers, instilling that mentality on all his children. Jon hated lying to his friend, but he himself didn't really know what was happening to him. All he could do was tell the Lord Commander of the giants.

This vision was surely only the result of fatigue and an overactive imagination. There certainly wasn't anything wrong with him at all.

Sam

Sam watched with worry and concern as his fellow brother and best friend hurried off to the Lord Commander's tower, dismissive and wary. He did not expect to see his normally calm and stoic friend so shaken and scared. Sam could see he was hiding something. Sam knew because Jon was a terrible liar, and he knew that Jon's outburst was more than just a lapse in strength.

Walking back to the castle, Sam tried to shake the unease, but he couldn't seem to stop staring at the Wall in fear. It looked no different than it did yesterday and the day before that. Perhaps it was what was behind it. Wildlings and wights and a matter of other grumpkins and snarks.

The rest of Sam's day was normal as usual. He took care of the ravens and did some jobs for Maester Aemon, but Jon was never mentioned. In fact, the old maester would not speak of what Jon told the Lord Commander, only kindly changing the subject when Sam got too nosy.

However, right after the midday meal, the Lord Commander assembled a group rangers, including Jon, to go beyond the Wall. It seemed to the rest of the Night's Watch that it was just a simple ranging or patrol, but Sam had a feeling that the true purpose of the mission was to find whatever Jon saw last night. He watched the men as they mounted their garrons and passed through the gate, entering the tunnel that led to the other side.

Filled with a sudden curiosity and did he dare say bravery, Sam lumbered over to the large cage, closed the door, and tugged on the chain. The cage creaked before slowly leaving the ground. Traces of the ranging became tinier and tinier until the horses and men looked like small black specks. After a while, the height became nauseating, and Sam had to look away, lest becoming sick. He stared at the cold, blinding morning sun and thought of all the possible things that could have scared Jon so much.

It wouldn't have been wildlings because Sam knew he overheard some men talk about four horn blows. Everyone knew that two horn blows were for wildlings, but there was no such thing as four horn blows. Even three had never been used before. Maybe ghouls and demons did exist beyond the Wall. Maybe that was what Jon saw. And that terrified Sam.

The cage stopped with a jolt, and Sam tottered out on unsteady legs, pulling his cloak closer as the harsh wind roared in his ears. Sam could barely make out the black dots of the ranging group as they entered the Haunted Forest. For another 15 minutes, nothing happened. There was only the howl of the wind, Sam, and the Wall.

But then, Sam saw something. It was barely visible from this height, but Sam could swear he saw trees collapsing, falling left and right, as if giants were sprinting through the forest

Jon

It happened so fast. No one saw it coming.

They started off the ranging at a slow, steady pace, as if the horses were dragging their hooves in reluctance. The men just shivered on the backs of the animals, and sleepy eyes lazily scanned the dark forest around them, not caring if they actually saw or not.

Jon was the only one alert. His hands trembled and shook, and his eyes ran wild, circling and spinning around his sockets. Every sensation was a hundred times stronger. The snow falling in his eyes. The biting wind clawing at his face. The sharp snorts of the horses.

Then he heard it.

It was the same steady thudding as the one last night. Rhythmic and ground shaking. Pounding in sync with Jon's heartbeat, he remembered. The hot breath. The glazed eyes.

Gasping, Jon opened his mouth to warn the the others, only to see a pair of glowing yellow eyes meet his. A hand slammed down next him, barely missing his horse by a few inches. Jon's horse reared up in terror and neighed out loud, sprinting away from the emerging giant. Jon yanked on the reins, gritting his teeth as he tried to control the panicking horse. Grunting with effort, he swung his reluctant horse around and galloped to where he hoped the Night's Watch was valiantly fighting off the giants.

What he saw was chaos. Men and horses were screaming as a horde of giants descended upon them. Colossal hands and feet stamped and grabbed the fleeing men. Prayers to unanswering gods and the metallic tang of blood filled the air.

A group of men were cornering a giant, slashing at its ankles and hands with their swords but unsuccessfully creating any sort of harm. Jon watched in horror as a massive hand scooped up a man straight from his horse and squeezed the body; an ugly squelching sound and an unholy shriek came from the hulking fist. Blood dripped down the hand before the giant shoved it into its mouth. Bile pooled in Jon's mouth, and he looked away only to come face to face with the Old Bear.

The once gruff but proud Lord Commander laid gasping on the ground. The faint puffs of breath were the only signs of life. His blood soaked into the ground, staining the white snow with crimson. But what really made Jon choke back the vomit creeping up his throat was that only the top half of Jeor Mormont remained. A dark jumble of intestines and viscera trailed behind the man because his legs had been completely torn off. Jon stumbled off the horse and ran to where the dying Mormont was. By the time Jon reached him, the puffs of steam stopped and a chill fell upon Jon.

Jon stared down at the corpse of the man who entrusted to him Longclaw. A sense of calm filled Jon as gloved fingers curled around the pommel of said sword. With a renewed strength, Jon unsheathed the Valyrian steel and mounted his horse again, charging into the fray.

Jon stabbed and hacked at any piece of steaming flesh he saw. Everytime Longclaw made a satisfying thunk, Jon's heart beated a bit faster, his swings stronger. But the giants kept coming. Growling in frustration, Jon faced another giant looming ominously over him, but before either could act, a hand slammed into the side of Jon and threw him into a tree. A piercing pain followed a sickening crack as Jon slid down from the trunk. Wincing, Jon struggled to get up only to fall back down as a pulsing pain came from his ribs. He scrabbled in the snow for his sword as the steady thudding came closer and closer. Jon glared up at the giant with every ounce of hatred and horror he felt since this expedition began. But he could do nothing as the man eating monster trapped him into a tree.

Just as Jon thought he would soon see the Stranger, battle cries and a strange swooshing sound broke through the screams of the dying. The giant that was cornering him fell down with a boom next to him; its nape was sliced cleanly down the center.

Jon looked up in shock at his savior, a man with an unusual metal contraption around his hips and an even stranger sigil emblazoned onto his doublet, wielding shockingly thin twin blades. The man was small and slim with dark hair and piercing blue almost gray eyes and poorly dressed for the frigid weather this far north.

Jon opened his mouth to speak but the man was gone as fast as he arrived. He flew up into the trees on thin, barely visible ropes, swishing up into the air like a graceful eagle or falcon. Jon watched amazed. He never imagined any man being able to fly much less being able to kill the seemingly invincible giants. But the sense of hope grew as more and more of the flying men came out of the dark woods, slaying giants left and right.

A/N: Omg. The ending is so rushed. I'm sorry I couldn't make this chapter any better but I was desperate to finish this chapter before the year ended. Oh well. Please review and fav/follow. They may guilt trip me into writing the next chapter...