Fire Beyond the Wall

Wildlings and Thenns

I had gone mute as I traveled with the Wildlings. I refused to talk to Ygritte nor Tormund, I would walk and not much else. Ygritte had gone off the morning after Jon had left, when she returned she said she had found Jon and Shot him full of arrows. She didn't kill him, no she didn't want him dead. It had been four days since then and the wildlings were camped in a gorge, for optimal protection. They had scout's on the top of the gorge looking for anything coming our way. The rest of us were in the middle, cooking food and generally resting. Although I had not spoken to either redhead I still stayed close to them, as I was the most comfortable around them.

I was sitting with Ygritte, she was making arrows, trimming the feathers on the ends. I was just watching her in interest when I decided interact with her again. I picked one of her unfinished arrows up and took one of my daggers in my other hand. I watched as she trimmed the feathers and tried to copy. She had seen me do this and slowed her actions, silently teaching me how to do it.

Me and Ygritte had been working in calm silence when Tormund came over to us.

"Plan on killing all the crows yourself" He said.

"You plan to sit here and scratch your balls all winter?" Ygritte retorted harshly.

"Mance said to wait for his signal, we can't storm the wall with just us, your crow said there was a thousand men, there is not even fifty of us" Tormund said back demeanor unchanging.

"Ya well he is a liar" Ygritte angrily said.

"Is? Shouldn't it be he was, you shot him full of arrows" Tormund said, voice rough.

"I did" Ygritte said looking down, harsh demeanour fading.

"I have seen you put an arrow through a rabbit's eye from two hundred yards...if that boy is still alive, it's because you let him go" Tormund replied.

It was then a soft tweet of a bird was heard, we all looked up to see a scout pointing over to the end of the gorge, signaling someone was approaching. Tormund stomped over and Ygritte jumped up with her bow ready as well. I scrambled up not sure what to do and I found myself beside Tormund, my hands ready on my sword.

In the distance I saw a group of men approaching, they were dressed similarly to wildlings, but they seemed slightly different.

"Thenns" Tormund grumbled unhappily, "I fu*king hate Thenns" and he walked forward more. I was standing tall with Tormund and Ygritte as these Thenns came toward us.

The man I assumed was the leader was walking straight for Tormund and the others walking around us, going over to our fires where our food was cooking. All the men were pale, with scars on their faces in patterns it seemed.

"Mance sent you?" Tormund asked, clearly not happy with them.

I was slightly to the behind Tormund, moving closer as the Thenns that past stared at me, some leaning in the they might bite me as they past.

The man just grunted, face looking mean.

"How did you find us?" Tormund asked another question.

The man looked over his shoulder and nodded toward one of his men that had an owl on his shoulder, must be a warg.

"You came from the south, not the north" Tormund inquired.

"Took a detour, Got some supper from a village down that way" The man said, voice deep and off putting. The man continued, "Why does the meat down here taste so much better than on our side of the wall".

"Help yourself" Tormund gestured to the meat on a nearby fire.

The man chuckled darkly and shook his head, "Maybe everything's just better fed down here, fat and lazy" I was confused, what was this man speaking of.

"Easier for us" The Thenn smiled and walked past Tormund, putting a hand on his shoulder and paused. He saw me when he did this and he gave me a toothy grin. Tormund spun around and walked in front of me and the man continued walking closer to the fire.

"You didn't see us coming, lost your warg?" The Thenn asked.

"And the baby crow, you lost him too" The man said looking to Tormund who was beside him. "But you didn't lose the pretty crow, how convenient" The man looked to me again.

Tormund calls the man attention to him again, "I will answer to Mance, I will not answer to you".

Tormund had stepped in front of me yet again, not liking how the Thenns looked at me. The leader of the Thenns must have noticed how much Tormund was ready to defend me as he asked, "She yours? I never thought you were one for southern women Tormund" The Thenn seemed to be teasing him. The man then looked at me and spoke to me for the first time, "You don't look much like them crows at the wall, are you a little bird, sings pretty songs, only good to look at" As he said this he walked forward until his and Tormunds shoulder were touching, as close as he could get to me. I was angry at this heathen now, I had watched them long enough to know how they acted so my confidence came back. I took two hard steps toward the man pushing Tormund out of the way, so I was just by his face,"why don't you come closer and find out...I'll peck your eyes out" I spat.

The man chuckled darkly and walked to the fire, "I know we have had our differences Tormund but just once before you die you should try crow" He then turns his head and looks between me and Tormund, "or maybe you already have".

I realize as I watch the Thenn around the fire that the meat they have over it, is not a rabbit or other animal...it's a human hand and they have bags full of human parts. They eat people, they are cannibals. Once I realize this I turn away in disgust and walk over to the side of the gorge wall, as far from those people as possible.

That night was uncomfortable, the Thenns presence completely threw me off. I was hiding myself to the side, further away from the fire then i'd like, the Thenns had claimed most spots near it. I was watching them, curious,but not in a good way, they seemed like horrid people. The man from before caught my gaze, he was standing and he grinned menacingly and began to walk toward me. I panicked and pulled my dagger out quickly, not sure what this man wanted.

The view of the dark figure approaching me was blocked by a mass that stepped in front of me. I quickly looked up and held my dagger to the figures stomach, jumping up as well to stand. I thought in the instant that they had ambushed me, one distracted me while another crept up, but to my relief that is not what was happening. My ginger beast was standing in front of me looking skeptically at the knife I had to his belly.

I lowered it quickly, "sorry, Thenns, I now fu*king hate Thenns" I said laughing as I copied what Tormund had said earlier.

I sat back down as Tormund laughed and sat with me. I peaked over Tormund shoulder to see the Thenn had left and was by the fire again.

"Don't worry if i'm with ye those fu*kers won't touch ya" Tormund said.

"Even when I sleep?" I ask, almost playfully.

"No, cause I'm staying here with ye even when we are sleeping" Tormund said with a lopsided grin.

I blushed slightly, it was hidden by the dark. Me and Tormund sat talking and laughing for awhile, but I was growing tired, it was harder to concentrate on his words. I heard Tormund laugh and I saw him walk over to me and kneel in front of me.

"I think you need to sleep, before you fall off this log and make a fool of yourself" He said.

I only nodded and stood, all the spots by the fires were taken, so we were left a ways away, I could barely feel the warmth. I lay down on the soft grass and Tormund sat beside me. I was laying completely, but he was sat up, watching.

"Just lay down Tormund, you need sleep to" I sighed.

My eyes were closed and i didn't open them, but I heard his low chuckle and I felt him move to lay beside me.

I shivered as i felt the cold surrounding me. I was half asleep, surely if I was fully awake I wouldn't have, but I inch to the side and curled myself into Tormund's side. My head on his chest and my arm around him. My breathing evens out and the dark calmness of sleep overtook me.