The day was grey and silent. Snow fell in slow spirals, muting the world to a hush.
Then the horn sounded. Three long blasts. Danger from beyond the walls.
A child had gone missing—one of the cook's sons, barely five winters old. The boy had wandered beyond the inner yard and vanished into the storm.
Cregan didn't wait for orders. He grabbed a thick cloak, wrapped a scarf around his face, and joined the search party already forming at the gate. Lord Rickon's voice rang out, steady despite the worry:
"We find him before nightfall. No exceptions."
The snow obscured everything—tracks, scents, even sound. The woods beyond Winterfell were a maze of white and shadow. Wolves had been seen recently near the edge of the forest. The tracks were messy—but human.
They split into pairs. Cregan moved with Harwin, a gruff guardsman with a bad knee and a sharper eye. But the forest swallowed their shouts. Wind howled through the trees. Cregan's instincts prickled.
[Simulation Ready]
Choose a Simulation:
Use raven vision to scout the forest.
Warg into a wolf to track the child.
Follow the trail on foot and sharpen survival instincts.
He chose the second.
[Simulation Running...]
You close your eyes. The world fades.
You feel fur. Snow beneath paws. The sharp scent of pine. Hunger. Alertness. You are the wolf.
You run, breath steaming in great huffs. The world becomes smell and motion. You pick up the child's trail. Fear-sweat. Tears. You follow it north, deeper into the trees. Then—movement.
The child. Cold, shivering, hidden beneath a hollow log, his face pale with terror.
But something else. A figure cloaked in black, half-covered in snow, crouching nearby.
Watching.
You growl, low and deep. The figure stiffens. It turns—and flees.
A man. Fast. But not faster than the wolf.
You give chase through the snow-laced underbrush, nipping at his heels. He climbs a rock face and vanishes over the ridge.
You return. The child is sobbing, but alive.
[Simulation Complete]
Skill Gained: Basic Wolf Bonding Knowledge Gained:
A spy has entered Winterfell under disguise.
The Bolton guests are not alone.
Trait Gained: Nose for Lies – You instinctively sense falsehoods in speech or behavior.
Accept? "Accept."
The child was returned to the gates before nightfall, wrapped in furs and tears. Lord Rickon said little, but his grip on Cregan's shoulder was firm.
That night, Cregan sat by the godswood again. The wind whispered secrets.
He thought of the spy.
The child had been bait.
And someone had taken it.
He closed his eyes, trying to summon the wolf again—but something new came instead. A whisper.
"The blood is waking. The false ones know."
He opened his eyes. The heart tree wept sap like blood.
And the dream raven was watching from its perch.
Winter had sent its heralds.