RICKON III
After the arrow hit Shaggydog, something changed in him. Rickon didn't know what it was, but gone was his easygoing nature, and suddenly he was trying to throw him off! Rickon simply held on tighter, determined not to be thrown.
"Theon, stop!" cried his father's voice.
A second arrow swerved past Rickon's head, ruffling his hair and disturbing Shaggy. It was this arrow that caused Shaggy to break out into a near run for the big gate he'd come in through. Every so often, Shaggy would stumble as his is back left leg would give out beneath him, but he made it quickly enough past the kennels and to the edge of the drawbridge of the gate-panting heavily and still trying to shake Rickon off. Just then three men on horses came galloping out of the forest. Shaggy, scared and tired, assumed Rickon, darted as fast as he could towards the kennels.
"The wolf!" yelled one of the men.
"The beast has young Rickon! Trap it!" bellowed another.
Shaggy, obviously growing weaker, nearly had to drag himself into the kennel to hide. Once inside he plopped down in the dark corner of one of the straw-laid cells. Once inside, Shaggy barely fit one he'd plopped down onto one his right side. It was then that Rickon wriggled around Shaggy's neck so he could look him in the eye.
"Worry not Shaggy, I'll make Theon pay! … Shaggy?"
Instead of the bright green eyes that Rickon knew, a pair of yellow eyes were staring at him.
"Shaggy?" asked an increasingly fearful Rickon.
The wolf's only reply was silence. What had happened to Shaggy? Had Theon done this to him with that nasty arrow?
Just then two hands grabbed at Rickon from behind, but Rickon reacted by clinging tigher to the wolf's neck.
"Let go, lad!" ordered a man.
"No!"
"Make not this any harder than it has to be!"
"No!"
"Take your hands off my son!"
At that command the struggle ceased and Rickon saw his father nearly pushed the man who'd grabbed him aside and held out his arms for Rickon to enter-which Rickon gladly did.
"Are you all right, Rickon?"
Rickon nodded his head and clung even tighter to his father.
"No, Jory!" yelled his father not a moment after. Rickon turned his head to see the man called Jory with his sword raised above the wolf-its eyes closed awaiting the impending swing.
"Milord?" asked the man called Jory.
"That wolf brought Jon home and saved his life. I would prefer not to repay its gift to my family by taking its life."
A tense moment passed, after which the man called Jory slowly relinquished his old on the weapon and said, "Aye, milord."
"Fetch the kennelmaster, I'd like him to see to its wounds."
The man called Jory then left, leaving the other man who'd tried to grab him from behind.
"Ser Rodrick, I believe I ought to apologize-"
"'Tis no matter, my lord. If it had been Beth…" and the man called Ser Rodrick did not finish his thought, which Rickon thought irritating. His father dismissed the man, who left without a further word. One they were alone with the wolf, his father immediately knelt down by the wolf's side and then stopped. Rickon, wanting to see what was going on better, adjusted himself so he sat atop his father's shoulders.
His father was now staring the wolf in its eyes, neither making a move nor sound. And then his father moved to the hurt leg and in one quick motion pulled the arrow from its leg. The wolf whined a bit, but after it had been done it laid its head down and snorted.
"That's it, Wolf," said his father as he then rubbed its side, stopping when he came to the lower end of its belly. He then brought his other hand up next to it and began to feel around that part of the wolf-but why Rickon could hardly understand. Rickon then heard half of a laugh come from his father.