> Chapter 4: More... I want More!
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> (Age 14)
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> I lay atop Claw as her two little cubs followed us at a run. A white snowbear fur cloak covered my body as I lay flat across her massive back. My pack of Snow bears had grown to 9, with all three of my females having given birth during the winter, against their natural instincts.
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> The white bears almost flew across the bridge of skulls, they moved so fast. The crows scrambled to get out of the way, and up into their defensive positions. They knew as well as I, that shooting a bow, or even a crossbow at a snowbear would only serve to piss it off.
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> They put up no resistance as I crossed into the lands of the southern kneelers. I breathed in the air. It smelt the same. though, it was quite a bite warmer here, than on the other side of the wall. Even in the middle of winter as it was. I led the bears into the white expanse of gently drifting snow. It was the most peaceful thing I had ever seen.
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> After a day and a night of traveling, the bears were exhausted and hungry. They had massive fat stores for long marches like these, yet I felt their hunger as acutely as they would have. an hour of searching the sky, via owl, I came upon a stone tower with stables and a barn. I could smell human meat and horse flesh. Both dead and alive.
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> Fang reared up onto his hind legs, and stood a good 15 feet tall. One swipe of his claw shattered the tower-house's heavy oak door like dry kindling. The screams of panic that emanated from within would wake the dead as they lay eyes on Fang. His roar shook the tower to it's very foundation. I crushed the minds of rats and quickly knew where everyone in this house was.
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> Two females in the midst of moon's blood, and another too young stood creaming at Fang as Rip and Tear, the son and daughter of Claw and Fang made short work of the door to the second floor of the tower. They barged into the dark room, where an aging man was gripping a long knife in his hands and standing protectively in front of another older female.
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> A small flame in a fireplace in the corner of the room kept the temperature comfortable, but, the broken doors let the chill pervade the tower. This weather was nothing to me. These southerners called this winter? It was a regular snowstorm up north.
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> "Be-begone foul beast." The man waved the long knife menacingly before Rip swatted at his hand with a paw as fast as lightning. I brought the other claw across the old man's neck as blood began to flow. The old woman began to screech a high keening wail as he spouse died in her arms, choking on his own blood.
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> When she came to awareness, she found herself tied to a the back of a snow bear. I watched as she was frozen near stiff, before I made her lay on her back and cover herself in the snow bear's thick fur. I rode behind her, constantly talking to her. I was breaking her in, as father taught me. She would make a fine spear's wife, and had proven herself fertile with her first two delicious morsels of meat.
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> I shook my head.
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> The snowbears were starting to creep in on my thoughts. Their consciousnesses were far too weak to fight back, but, they could influence my thoughts at times, just by there being so many parts of me cave bear as there was human. Yet I did as only a skin-changer may, and, kept my human mind by destroying the spirits of lesser beings.
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> Alyse was the woman's name. She was 20 and 1 years old, and knew quite a bit more about the kneelers than I did. I studied the things I had discovered in her house. A ratty old bit of leather held the greatest treasure I had ever seen. Alyse called it a map of the known world.
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> Lands so great in size, that the north was only a speck. The kneelers had so much empty land, and so much of it was empty. I could travel days across the 'New Gift' and encounter no one, and nothing but wild game. The kneelers were so greedy to keep the rest of the world from us.
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> I wondered how many free-folk had a map like this.
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> I also took a few other things from the tower castle. A good longbow, a steel long-knife, a few quivers of fresh arrows, and most importantly, clothes. Alyse was good at doing what she was told to avoid pain, and had hemmed her old husband's clothes for her new husband.
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> I did not sleep, so I had no fear of her slitting my throat in my sleep. I'd caught her trying to sneak off. I'd had Fang's body deliver my message. After pushing her over a log, I'd used the monstrous claws to raise her dress to her waist, and punished her severely. She bled from the snow bear's size, but she withstood the onslaught with her usual weeping and begging.
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> What a weak spear's wife she made. Later that night, I was spending myself inside of her, when something caught my attention. Claw scented men in the air.
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> Crushing the mind of a nearby snow-hare, I had it race in the direction of the scent. It was a camp of some dozen men. 3/4ths were sleeping on the ground, wrapped in furs. The rest passed around a skin of some drink. There were a dozen thick and sturdy boar spears leaned against a tree. I had the hare come closer to the humans, and use its large ears to listen in.
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> "Them bears killed the Tar family. We gots' ta kill em'" one spouted before burping. I could make out their clothing. They were all men of the night's watch.
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> Crows.
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> "We are meant to guard the realm from whatever lies north of the wall," a gruff voice replied, "be it wildlings or snow bears. or even giants."
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> Another snorted. "Giants?" He drawled in an accent that reminded me of a rich and lazy kneeler. "What will you have us fighting next? Grumpkins and snarks?"
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> Three of the four men laughed heartily as the fourth took a swig of the skin.
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> My 9 bears moved into position. The snowy white landscape coupled with the gloom of pre-dawn gave me an excellent opportunity to be...
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> Sneaky.
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> The bears slowly crawled through the snow. The men had no fear of this. Snowbears did not crawl and ambush in the night to their knowledge. As Rip and Tear stood guard over the spears, I made the other 7 snow bears rush straight for the four crows sitting around a camp fire.
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> There were a few short strangled screams as men tried to rise from their furs, only to have their heads bitten off or crushed under-paw. This was not so much a fight as a massacre. The bears feasted on the men. Muscle, organ, and bones were devoured. I took a steel sword and a chainmail long-shirt from the corpses.
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> A few of them had strange metal disks they used for trade. Three 'silver stags' and a 'gold dragon' Alyse told me as she nervously picked through the shredded remains of the dozen men's clothes and possessions. "A myrish far eye" she said, lifting a bronze tube out of one of the men's packs. "I've only seen them once before, when we..." she choked up as she thought of her husband and children.
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> I slapped her roughly across the face. "Where did you see one?" I questioned taking it from her hand and looking through the tube at a hill in the distance. It was very effective, I admitted to myself. For a kneeler toy.
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> "Eastwatch-by-the-Sea's market day had a trader from Tyrosh that brought many things." She steeled herself as she spoke. "including the glass-works of Myr and the wines and textiles from The Arbor and Volantis."
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> I dug through another pack and found a strange red bit of produce. It was round, and shining red in the morning sun. "Whats this?" I asked Alyse, holding up the red berry-like thing.
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> "That is an apple." she blinked. "I wonder where he got that."
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> I slapped her again across the face, only harder this time. She flinched back at the harsh cracking sound of my hand on her cheek. "What is an apple?"
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> Her eyes dripped silent tears as she looked at the ground and replied. "It is a sweet fruit, that is from one of the southern kingdoms."
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> I offered it to her. "Take a bite, And we will see if you are lying" She could be trying to poison me. I kept a close watch on her. She took the apple with a glimmer of a smile and took a big bite.
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> I snatched the apple away and took a bite myself. I felt myself melt to the floor. I had never tasted it before. I had never known that such a flavor existed. Fruit. It was divine. I reached out and took up the skin the crows had shared a little while ago.
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> I took a drink of the skin and wanted to swoon once more. It was utterly sweet, and tasted of fermentation. The only fermented drinks I had had had been bear's milk and honey mead. This was a thousand times better. "What is this?" I thrust the skin out to her.
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> She sniffed it and took a swig, before coughing at the strength. "That's strong-wine, made from grapes."
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> "Wine." I tasted the word on my lips. "Apple."
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> Kneelers...
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> They not only hoard the good land, they hoard the good foods too.
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> I was hating the kneelers more and more, the more I got to know them.
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> I took a boar spear to go with my sword and chainmail coat. Alyse and I set out southwest, toward what she called Deepwood Motte.