Falling Like || Jon Snow

03| 𝔤𝔬𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔬𝔴

castle black, the wall

— BY THE TIME THE SUN ROSE, NYMERIA WAS ALREADY STEPPING OUT OF HER DOOR. Snow dusted the walkway that creaked slightly beneath her boot as she made her way towards the courtyard where two stewards were readying the horses. Three other rangers got there just before she did, adding their last-minute supplies to their saddlebags. Nymeria's hand went unconsciously to her belt, checking for her blades. They crossed over her lower back, the handles sticking out just above her hips. Two vicious-looking daggers with fifteen-inch blades. The last of House Mormont's Valyrian Steel. Her bow and quiver were already on her saddle as she approached, taking the reins from the steward with a nod of thanks. Koda was a beautiful horse; a big, chocolate-coloured clydesdale stallion with splashes of white. They were strong horses, and ten times faster when carrying something as light as her.

As the others mounted, she glanced around and spotted her grandfather approaching. He looked tired, but he saw her off every time all the same. He looked between the other rangers, then back at her. "Two weeks. No longer. Benjen's gone further North, but I need to know what's happening in those villages closer to us."

She nodded. "Two weeks." He pulled her into a hug, and when she pulled back, she flashed a grin, then hoisted herself up into the saddle and took the reins. She looked over her expedition party. "You all know how this goes. We come out the other side, we're not on our turf anymore. Those are wildling lands. So we stick close, we watch each other's backs and you never, under any circumstances, disobey my orders." they all nodded in turn. "Let's go." The horses clopped heavily down the tunnel to the gate, which slowly lifted to allow them through.

The sun was rising faster now, burning away the thin fog that had gathered at the base of the wall. They kept an easy pace through the woods as they didn't want to tire the horses so soon, making their way in the general direction of the closest wildling village. The last thing Nymeria wanted was to ride into it upfront. They continued on through the day, stopping whenever they found tracks. Could be wildlings, could be animals. Either way, you could never be too careful. When the sun was beginning to set, that's when they found the tracks that definitely belonged to men - wildlings, by the look of the boot-prints. They were moving Northeast.

Nymeria frowned slightly. These tracks were coming from the direction of the wildling village. There had been reports already of abandoned villages and encampments, and the reckless part of her wanted to barrel forwards right now. If the village was empty, she wanted to know. Maybe they could use it for shelter instead of risking things out here. The rational part of her shut the idea down fast. She nodded at a cluster of hills just a little ways off. "We'll make camp over there tonight and move in on the wildling village in the morning." if there were still wildlings there, then they were at a disadvantage in the dark. Their scouts saw far better in the day or the night than anyone on the Wall could. They had to if they were going to survive out here. They stopped by the hills, picking the best position to hide them from prying eyes and shield them from the wind. They weren't particularly tall hills, but it would do as long as they weren't standing or moving around too much. They could also dig out a hole in the side of one of those hills for their fire to conceal the light and the smoke a little better. "Lucas, dig there for our fire." she instructed. "Zak, firewood. Blackjack, grab your sword. Do a quick scout south and west of our position. I'll take North and east." She took her quiver from the saddle, slinging it over her shoulder, then grabbed her bow and headed North. She didn't go too far, not wanting to lose sight of their camp entirely. It was completely dark by the time she'd finished in that direction and went to check the east, and when she was done there, she could just barely see the glow of the campfire the others must have started. She followed it back. She slid her bow and quiver back to where they belonged on her saddle and grabbed her water for a quick sip. Blackjack reappeared, grabbing his water too. "Nothing?"

He shook his head. "No animals, no wildlings. I didn't find any tracks either, but it's hard to tell with the snow." he nodded up at the white flakes still falling from above.

She nodded. "We're safe for now then." they could all hear the unspoken words, though. Keep your guard up out here. She stepped towards the fire blazing in a nook in the frozen hill and unpinned her black cloak, laying it on the ground just as Lucas and Zak had done. The cloaks they wore out here were heavier than the ones they wore within the walls of Castle Black, and were often used as bedding when rangers didn't want to carry the extra weight of actual bedding on them. She sat on the cloak and took out one of her daggers, fiddling with it boredly as it gleamed in the firelight. Blackjack settled in too, and after a little while of quiet, the boredom seemed too much for them.

"Nymeria," Lucas piped up. "Why don't you tell us the story about the bear?"

She chuckled softly. "I've told that story a thousand times, you ought to know it by heart already."

"Yeah, but no one tells the story of how you beat a snow bear better than you." Zak pointed out.

"I didn't beat it, I just..." They all turned to her, faces expectant. She huffed a small laugh of irony. "Alright. It was my second time North of the Wall, though, my third if you count when I left to say my vows before the Weirwood. We weren't expecting any predators larger than a wildling, but I grew up on bear island where, shockingly enough, you see a lot of bears. I was practically shaking. I knew how to scare off a brown bear, but how could I know it would work on a snow bear too? We couldn't outrun it, so as fast as I could, I made my own plan..."

°

At the crack of dawn, the rangers smothered the fire and filled in the hillside with snow and ice and dirt to cover their tracks at least a little bit. Then they swung back into their saddles and started in the direction of the wildling village. The snow had stopped sometime in the night, leaving their hair and cloaks and saddles only lightly dusted while they munched on some jerky for breakfast. Nymeria had taken the first watch after her story, and pondered just how different this place was from Bear Island. The Night's Watch was her home now, but she'd always wondered what it would be like to go back.

They stopped before midday, too far back in the trees to actually see the village, but they didn't want to go gallivanting in, announcing themselves. Not if there were still wildlings there. Nymeria never enjoyed killing them, never enjoyed killing at all. They would observe, and that was all, only engaging if it became necessary. They slid from their saddles, gazing off in the direction of the settlement. "I'll go scout it." Nymeria said. "I'll shoot an arrow into that tree there," she nodded at one to their right with reddish bark. "If it's safe to approach. I'll whistle if it's safe to bring the horses."

Once they nodded, she started off, creeping carefully through the snow and thanking her practically non-existent luck that it was soft and didn't crunch under her boots. She crouched down lower as she neared where the trees thinned to make room for huts and tents, hiding herself behind the dry shrubbery and thick trees. The closer she got, though, the more sure she was that her theory was right. It was too quiet; no fires burning, no dogs barking, no conversation or even footsteps. Then she got her first look at the place. Nothing moved except for the heavy fabric that was buffeted by the wind, and that wind was the only thing besides the birds that made any sound. She watched for any sign that it was a trick or a trap, but no; it was just deserted. Tugging off a glove, she slipped two fingers in her mouth and let out a sharp, piercing whistle. Only a moment later, she heard the trotting of horses approaching.

"There's no one here." she told them when they came to a stop. She pulled herself back up into the saddle. "We'll ride through on our way further North. Maybe there's some sign of what drove them off."

"You know what they've been saying." Blackjack spoke up. "White walkers."

She sighed. With all she'd seen beyond the wall, she knew that it wasn't impossible for the white walkers to be more than just a scary bedtime story, but she wasn't about to be taken for a fool either. "I'll believe it's the walkers when I see them."

They rode through the village undisturbed, and continued on until nightfall. They camped out again; scouting, eating, drinking, sleeping. Then continued at dawn once more. This went on for another day and a half before they came to the next village. Deserted. What in the seven hells is going on? Three days later, they came to the next one. Deserted... or so it would have seemed. Nymeria was walking through with the other rangers, frowning deeply with thought as she led her horse by the reins. She was too busy thinking about what could have driven all the wildlings away to realise they weren't all gone until she heard the rushed footsteps far too close by.