Pack Animals |Game of Thrones|

Chapter XX - Winterfell

Silver heard a loud sort of pounding knock on her door and luckily for her, she was already out of the bathwater.

"One moment." She called out as Winter barked loudly, as whoever it was had stopped knocking or rather pounding on the door at least, as she threw on a tunic and she did up the buttons real quickly.

Silver opened the door and Winter growled briefly, before recognizing that it was Maester Luwin at the door and she stopped at once. "Maester Luwin." She said and he was smiling at her.

"Lord Stark would like to know if you wished to go on a hunt. Greyjoy and Hodor are already out in the stables and preparing the horses for the hunt." Maester Luwin stated and Silver grinned, as she nodded at his words.

"Thank you, Maester, for the swift delivery of the offered message. I will get to the stables as soon as I can." She said and he bowed to her, as he was walking away.

Silver put her armor back on swiftly and she walked over to the wall, right where she hung Protector, along with her longbow and quiver.

Silver buckled her sword belt swiftly around her waist, and she put her one quiver on her back and the other was on her waist. She took the longbow as she slung across her back.

Silver whistled and Winter followed her out of the room as Silver shut the door behind them both.

Silver made her way down to the training yard and she jogged through the training yard, into the courtyards and into the stable. She swung herself into the saddle and Winter loped over to where the hunting party of Theon, Robb and Grey Wind was waiting for her.

Silver caught up to them easily and they were all taking off through the gates and the direwolves ran ahead with Robb, as Silver was less keen on hunting and more keen on going for a ride, to get out of Winterfell.

Silver had ridden up until she was back to where her father had been forced to behead the deserter from the Night's Watch, what felt like so long ago now. She dismounted off of her horse and she gently draped the reins over a nearby branch and she looked at the ground that was covered in the late summer snow that was all too common for them in these days and last years before winter.

Silver crouched next to the stump as she shut her eyes, drawing the images from her mind, and she was drawing the memory back into the forefront of her mind.

Lord Stark looking somber as he always did after he was honour-bound to execute someone. He cleaned off the blade of "Ice" on the grass, before it went back into the sheath.

Theon laughing as the deserter's head rolled and bounced off of the ground to land next to his foot. He kicked it away and it hit the stump again and landed amongst the roots.

"It was the day that Robb and Jon found the direwolves." Theon recalled and Silver opened her eyes as she was nodding slightly. "And correct me if I recall this incorrectly, but I seem to be able to remember, you threatening to cut my head clean off." Theon pointed out and Silver was smiling at the dirty snow beneath her, as she recalled the incident.

"I remember that as well." She admitted with an awkward half-smile on her face, and she looked around at the area. "I don't know why I rode out to this place. It seems like forever ago, but it was only a mere four or five months ago by now." Silver said and he looked at her. "My father is King's Hand, my mother is planning to go down south, Arya and Sansa are already down in King's Landing with Father. Jon is at the Wall, and my twin is Lord of Winterfell." Silver had to think about that last one for a moment as she was scoffing under her breath.

"You still can't really believe it, can you?" Theon asked and Silver shook her head and he chuckled. "Whoever thought that your Lord Father, would ever be the Hand of the King, to King Robert Baratheon and go down South to play in the world of politics and the gold." Theon made it sound ridiculous and Silver nodded slightly, as she was returning to her horse and she raised her eyebrow at the thwack of a bowstring being released and the thunk of an arrow hitting a target.

Silver looked to her left and saw that there was a arrow that missed her ear by an inch, as she turned to see Theon suddenly paying attention at once. "If that wasn't you... then who?" She was getting the swift answers to her own question as a group of wildlings were lunging into the area.

Silver drew Protector and she was glad that she had thrown her armor back on, as she charged into the fight and she cut down a wildling at once.

She clashed swords with three others as she was dimly aware in the back of her mind, of Theon fighting another horde.

Then howls went up and Winter barreled into the fighting, snarling as she tore at the wildlings that she could reach, as Grey Wind snarled and loped along with his sister.

Silver took advantage of the distraction and she managed to cut down more wildlings, as she was in a bit of a bind, as they were still outnumbered, even with Grey Wind and Winter.

"Get to a vantage point." She snapped at Theon, and she continued slashing, parrying and sending wildlings into a panic in general as in the chaos of it all, Theon managed to get out of it.

"Let's hope that all of his boasting about how good ironborn are at the art of archery, wasn't just boasting."

She thought to herself, as there was about five left now and she held the sword in her hands, as she prepared to fight them off.

Until arrows started raining down around her. Silver backed up, as she engaged two of them, while all of the arrows found targets.

Silver cut the head off of one and the final one backed up and turned to run until a well-timed arrow took her straight through the chest.

Silver looked around at the dead bodies and she shook her head, as Theon got back from wherever he had been firing from. "Well, guess those boasts about the ironborn being good archers, weren't just boasting." Silver said and he shrugged, as he went over to try and see if he could retrieve any of his arrows. "Also, where in seven hells is Robb?" She asked sharply and Robb came riding up with a buck on his saddle.

"What did I miss?" Robb asked and Silver looked at him with a very silent shake of her head.

Winter growled disapprovingly at him and Robb raised his eyebrows at the wolf, as Silver went to help Theon retrieve the arrows, wet with the familiar scarlet color of blood.