On the road

After a few minutes, you look back and see the Wall behind you. The feeling of leaving it behind is bizarrely frightening. The feeling that you may not be able to return there throbs in your head more than you wanted. You take a long breath, raise your posture in the saddle, and decide to stand your ground. You need to have confidence right now.

The others didn't look as scared as you, Brent and Randall were even talking, almost excited. Donquio sometimes said something, but it seemed to be much more mission-focused than anything else. Now you had understood why Lord Bowden had chosen Don to lead the mission, was the fittest among you.

Brent and Randall started talking quietly when you entered Haunted Forest. The weather got a little tense, those black trees were enough to wipe the smile off anyone's face. You wondered how many living things were there besides the four of you and the horses. You came to the conclusion that perhaps it was better not to know.

“Come closer, Koby. You are the newbie here, we should be talking to you. Sorry about that”, Randall said, causing the horse to slow down. The trail was long enough for Brent to ride on your left side and Randall on your right side.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine", you answered.

“We want to meet you, and you're very quiet there. I also got tired of hearing only Randall's voice. So where are you coming from?” Brent continued, a friendly smile on his face.

“I… I'm from the north. I lived in a village near Winterfell with my mother”, you answered.

“Oh, a northerner. Donquio is also a northerner”, Brent looked forward waiting for an answer, but Donquio didn't even look back.

“And what crime did you commit to being here, boy? You don't look criminal, haha”, joked Randall.

“I killed… I was accused of killing a prostitute. But I didn't actually kill her”, you reply as you frown.

"Wow. Did you killed the whore because she was prettier than you?” Brent laughed after making this joke.

“I didn't kill anyone, I told you. I worked at this brothel organizing the money for the owner, and I heard screams for one night, but when I went up to check it was only the prostitute's body left, and nothing of the killer. They accused me on the spot”, you explain.

"This sucks", Randall comforts you. “Yours looks a lot like my history, I…

“Shhh!! Stop! ” Shouted Donquio.

"What is it?" Brent whispered.

"Let's split up here".

"Why?" Randall interposed.

"Look. These horse footprints are recent, and they drift off the road”, Donquio pointed to the ground, where snow-marked horse's hooves drifted into the woods.

"You're right ..." you said.

“Randall will accompany me. Brent and Koby, you keep following the trail. There will be an abandoned village in the middle of it. You take shelter there in one of the houses. That's where we'll meet as soon as we get back. ”

“Why don't we all go together?” Brent questioned.

“I want you both to come back and report to the Lord Commander if we don't return to you. And so. We'll meet there tonight. If dawn breaks and we're not there, give up on us and run back to the Wall. Understood?"

"Yes", you and Brent replied as Randall joined Donquio on a horseback ride.

After a few minutes, you could no longer see them.