Chapter 129: The Threat of the Wildlings

Skinchangers can bond with animals, thereby gaining the animal's body and senses, such as sight, hearing, and smell.

Skinchangers appear more frequently Beyond the Wall and in the North, where the power of the Old Gods is strong. Because skinchangers who bond with wolves are relatively common, skinchangers are also known as "Wargs," but many skinchangers can also control snow bears, shadowcats, eagles, goats, wild boars, and more.

The most powerful skinchangers are Green Seers, and today, the last Green Seer lives Beyond the Wall.

In other regions of the Seven Kingdoms, legends of skinchangers also circulate.

In the Iron Islands, the Farwynd family of Lonely Light and their people live at the westernmost edge of the known world. Since ancient times, countless brave sailors and captains have set out from Lonely Light to the west in search of a legendary continent, but none have returned.

Legend has it that the members of the Farwynd family living on Lonely Light and their people can use their skinchanger gifts amidst the sound of the waves to transform into walruses, seals, and even spotted whales in the sea.

The Reach also has legends of skinchangers, the most famous being "Rose of Red Lake." Rose was the daughter of the High King of the First Men, Garth Greenhand; she could transform into a crane or a Crone at will. The descendants of Rose are the Crane family of Red Lake in the Reach today, and it is said that some women of the Crane family have inherited Rose's skinchanger gift.

Beyond the Wall, there are even more skinchangers among the Wildlings. The most famous among them are Varamyr Sixskins, who controls wolves, shadowcats, bears, and other fierce beasts; a skinchanger named Orell, who controls an eagle; and a skinchanger named Borroq, who controls a vicious wild boar.

Even among the Wildlings, the ability to control beasts is a feared power. Many skinchangers use the strength of beasts to become local tyrants, and their status and prestige among the Wildlings Beyond the Wall are no less than those of famous raiding leaders like the King-Beyond-the-Wall, Tormund Giantsbane, The Weeper, Harma Dogshead, and others.

Today, the King-Beyond-the-Wall Mance Rayder is gathering a Wildling army Beyond the Wall, and Eddard has no doubt that many Wildling skinchangers will fight side by side with the King-Beyond-the-Wall.

The role of skinchangers in scouting enemy intelligence and intimidating enemies is irreplaceable. Eddard has displayed the gift of a skinchanger, and Night-Walker is growing larger and larger, capable of easily pouncing on and killing warhorses. Once Eddard can control the direwolf freely, the direwolf will become a trump card for Eddard on the battlefield.

Eddard believes that Jon Snow, Arya, Robb, Bran, Sansa, and Rickon all possess the gift of a skinchanger, and Bran even has the potential to become a Green Seer. Later, once Night-Walker and Sunshine have given birth to wolf pups and the children have their wolves, Eddard might even have the chance to form a "Warg Squad."

The Master of Kennels Farlan told Eddard that direwolves reach maturity and enter heat in less than a year; it seems the time for Sunshine and Night-Walker to produce offspring is not far off.

In the following days, Eddard would have wolf dreams every night. In the wolf dreams, Eddard's soul would inhabit Night-Walker, wandering around Winterfell at night. It could smell the fear of the warhorses in the stables, smell the scent of the unicorns in the pens, and feel the fragrance of the winter roses as well as the various floral scents drifting from the Alchemist's laboratory.

These past few days, Eddard and the Alchemist Ginter have been using plant flowers and leaves to extract various dyes. Winter roses extracted blue, the heartwood of the cudrania tree extracted cudrania yellow, the divine beast grass extracted purple, and cinnabar stone could easily extract red.

The flowers and plants of the Glass Garden and the cinnabar stone provided the three primary colors of red, yellow, and blue. Eddard and Ginter could mix in black to create dyes of various colors. These dyes were all sent to the wool weaving workshop to color wool and linen, earning money for Winterfell.

One day, as Eddard stroked the heads of the male wolf Night-Walker and the female wolf Sunshine, Maester Luwin delivered a letter.

"Lord Eddard, a letter has arrived from Lord Commander Mormont of the Night's Watch. Mance Rayder has made a move; the great Wildling army Beyond the Wall is frequently scouting near the Wall."

The King-Beyond-the-Wall Mance Rayder has been gathering the Wildling army Beyond the Wall, but because the territory Beyond the Wall is too vast and the Wildlings are highly independent, divided into large and small settlements scattered across the Frostfangs, the Gorge, the banks of the Milkwater, the Frozen Shore, and other places, it will take Mance Rayder a long time to complete the assembly of the army.

The only purpose of the Wildling army's assembly is to attack the Wall, and Eddard had long been mentally prepared for this.

Eddard took the letter from Maester Luwin, "Winterfell has garrisons at the Green Guard, Westbridge, and the Nightfort on the Wall, and we have established military colonies in the Gift; the Wildlings must have received the news long ago. The stronger the defenses of the Wall, the lower the possibility of the Wildlings breaking through the Wall. The King-Beyond-the-Wall Mance Rayder must have felt the threat from Winterfell and the Night's Watch."

Maester Luwin sighed, "Lord Eddard, the Old Bear Mormont says in the letter that The Weeper has appeared near Skull Bridge with dozens of Wildling cavalry, 'Horn-Blower' Tormund and his raiding party have appeared outside Castle Black, and 'Dogshead' Harma has appeared on the coast outside Eastwatch."

"As soon as the Night's Watch Rangers strike, these raiding cavalry ride off on their horses. Whether it is the Old Bear, Benjen, or Maester Aemon, they all believe it is very unusual for the Wildlings to be so bold as to scout so close to the Wall."

"The Old Bear stated clearly in the letter that he wants to organize the Night's Watch for an expedition to nip the Wildling threat in the bud before Mance has finished gathering the Wildling army. The Old Bear asks if the nobles of Winterfell and the North are interested in participating in this expedition?"

Eddard finished reading the letter, "You write a letter to the Old Bear, Benjen, and Maester Aemon each, advising the Night's Watch not to act rashly, to stop the Ranger patrols, and that they only need to stay at the Wall; do not send a single soldier Beyond the Wall."

Furrows appeared on Maester Luwin's forehead, "But, Lord Eddard, as time passes, Mance Rayder will recruit more Wildling settlements. According to what the Old Bear says in the letter, the Magnar of the Thenns has already joined the Wildling army. The Thenns possess scale armor and bronze weapons, and their discipline is stronger than that of ordinary Wildlings."

"The strength of the Wildling army will only grow stronger; the sooner the Night's Watch strikes, the more chance they have to nip the Wildling threat in the bud. Lord Eddard, while the population north of the Wall is indeed sparse, no one knows how large the area Beyond the Wall actually is. Even if the land is vast and sparsely populated, if Mance Rayder is allowed to recruit Wildlings Beyond the Wall, and the Wildlings come with their families, the number will be staggering. If the Night's Watch is left waiting at the Wall, must we wait until the Wildlings are at our gates?"

Eddard smiled, "The more Wildlings Mance Rayder gathers, the more it benefits us."

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(End of chapter)