Chapter 8: Snow.

He'd made it, blasted over that icy Wall, landed in this muck, now what? His head snarled, back home he'd been a cripple, legs gone, rotting slow in a slum with just The Song of Ice and Fire to keep him breathing, pages sticking from sweat, dreaming this place. Then the Warp hit, red claws, yellow eyes, a fall that screamed, spat him here, new body, new world, no orcs, no aliens, just humans like the book swore. But what was he chasing, blood, a breath, fuck all? He kicked a clump of grass, watched it scatter, snorted soft, like the dirt'd cough up why.

"Oi, big man," Ryk croaked, propping up on an elbow, red beard twitching with that shaky grin, like he'd dodged a fist and thought it was gold. "You gonna glare at the ground all night, we movin'? Gotta be a fire somewhere, my arse is freezin' out here!"

Arrax shot him a look, half a smirk tugging his lips, half ready to boot him, "You'd warm your hands on a pile of shit if it was lit, wouldn't ya?" His voice came low, chewing gravel, rough from the cold and the snarl inside.

"Ha! Damn straight, if it's hot I'm there," Ryk cackled, dragging himself up, brushing dirt off his coat with a sloppy swipe, "So what's the plan, eh? You're the flyin' lunatic, where we headed?"

"Dunno," Arrax muttered, turning away, eyes squinting where the green dipped into shadow, his old life a war that chewed him up, left him legless, this new one a shot he didn't ask for, Warp's cruel gift. Protect something, burn it down, steal a story, he could hear the book's ghosts, Starks, wolves, that Wall, whispering, but it wasn't his yet, he rubbed his neck, stubble scratching his glove, grunted low, fuck he was bad at this.

The wind kicked up, sharp and cold, slicing through his cloak like it had teeth, and he froze, that itch crawling up his spine, something close, something off. His ears twitched, sharper than they oughta be, caught a rustle, soft, sneaky, not just wind, boots scuffing grass, leather creaking, breaths held tight. He spun slow, hand dropping to the knife at his hip, there they were, shapes peeling outta the dark, circling like wolves on a lame deer, five, six, seven, black cloaks flapping ragged, faces hard under the moon, eyes glinting like they'd sized him up.

"Ryk," Arrax growled, low and steady, gut tightening, "get up, trouble's here."

Ryk scrambled to his feet, grin gone, hands fumbling for that dumb stick like it'd save him, "What, who the hell, crows? We just got here!"

The figures closed in, quiet as death, swords catching faint light, and Arrax squared up, this frame humming with strength he didn't trust, ready to cut, dodge, whatever. Then one stepped out, broke the ring, his gut flipped, black hair tangled and long, a face scarred sharp, hacked outta stone, dark eyes pinning him like they'd seen ghosts before, a sword hung at his hip, long, straight, too damn familiar, a white shape slid behind, fur rippling in the wind, direwolf. His heart slammed, book alive, staring him down, fuck that's Jon Snow, scars and all.

"Fuck me," Ryk whispered, stick slipping from his fingers, hitting the grass with a soft thud, "That's, that's one o' them wolf-lords, right?"

"Shut it," Arrax hissed, eyes locked on the man in black, Jon standing steady as stone, hand resting easy on that sword, Longclaw, watching them like he'd seen strangers drop from the sky plenty, the others held back, cloaks snapping gusts, hands twitchy on hilts, Arrax's stomach flipped, too real, breathing at him, those eyes hard, digging in, counting ways this'd go bad.

"Who are you?" Jon's voice sliced through, low and rough, northern burr rolling like a warning, "How'd you get over the Wall?"

Arrax didn't answer quick, head spinning too fast, Jon Snow, not ink, real, scarred, here, lie, say they climbed, bullshit it, or spill the Warp and sound nuts, what was he chasing, blood, a breath, fuck all, these cloaks closing, Jon's stare cutting deep, it was starting now, this guy he'd read 'til his eyes burned.

"Name's Arrax," he said finally, voice steady despite the mess inside, "Jumped the Wall 'cause I could, you?"

Jon's eyes narrowed, wolf shifting at his side, air gone heavy, sharp as a blade, thick as smoke, Arrax grinned, faint and crooked, waiting for whatever hit next.

Ghost growled low, a rumble shaking the grass, white fur bristling, red eyes glowing like coals, pacing tight at Jon's side, teeth bared at the giant, every snarl digging into Jon's bones, six black cloaks edged closer, swords half-out, breaths puffing quick, nervous clouds in the dark, boots scuffing damp earth, tension coiled, rope ready to fray. Jon's jaw clenched, teeth grinding slow, he'd seen wildlings, wights, worse, but this was off, wrong, like a shadow stepping outta Old Nan's tales, demons from beyond, knights from nowhere, bullshit maybe, here it stood, grinning crooked, daring him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Jon rasped again, voice scraping like gravel, burr thick with suspicion, his grip tight on Longclaw, holding, not drawing, something stopping him, those markings glowing faint, armor too thick, too strange, he couldn't place it, couldn't fight what he didn't know, Arrax just stood there, grin flickering like a bad jest, "Told ya, Arrax, jumped the Wall 'cause I could, you're the wolf guy, who're you?" Voice rumbled like rocks falling, cutting the wind's snarl, Ryk shuffled behind, muttering, "oh shit, oh shit," grass crunching, eyes darting wild.

Jon's chest burned, sizing him up, armor not from here, not North, not South, not even southern pricks had this, thick as a gate, swallowing Arrax, chest plate glinting cold, shoulders like a beast's jaws, markings twisting wild, glowing enough to make his skin crawl, demon work, something worse, a knight from some cursed corner, gut twisted hard, fight or talk? Ghost's growl spiked, sharp, loud, Jon dropped a hand quick, brushing the wolf's flank, "Easy, boy," he muttered, soft as breath, Ghost bared more teeth, hackles up like a brewing storm, Jon sidestepped slow toward Edd, grizzled Edd with gray streaks in his beard, steel at his hip, Uncle Edd by years, faced hell with him.

He leaned in, eyes on Arrax, voice a hiss, "What the hell do we do with this thing?" Edd's eyes flicked up, wide then narrow, tracing the giant, armor glinting, bulk looming, knife heavy at his side, untouched, screaming trouble, "Fuck if I know," he breathed, rough, low, hand twitching on his blade, "Looks like he'd snap us like twigs, gut's screamin', don't swing first, ain't seen nothin' like him, Jon, demon, knight, he's bad news."

Jon nodded, faint tilt, chest burning, same itch Edd felt, Night's Watch tingle yelling hold off, not yet, wildlings, wights, he'd faced 'em, this was new, fucked up, a tale he didn't know, talk first, maybe, stepped back from Edd, Ghost rumbling at his heel, locked eyes with Arrax, "Where you really from?" Voice harder, slicing wind's howl, "That armor, no smith here makes that, drop outta the sky, crawl up from somewhere worse?"

Arrax tilted his head, armor creaking like a bending tree, grin sharpening, half-amused, half-caged, "Far off, mate, place you wouldn't believe, came through hell, call it a bad trip," eyes flicked to Ghost, back to Jon, steady, daring, "You gonna pull that sword or keep yappin'? I ain't here to dance."

Ryk piped up, voice cracking, "He's good, I swear, flies like a mad bastard, saved my arse, don't stab us, yeah?" Laughed shaky, hands up like pushing steel away, Jon's fingers flexed on Longclaw, weight grounding him, Ghost growled louder, deep roll shaking grass, cloaks tighter, blades glinting, breaths short, tension coiled, rope ready to fray, Jon's head raced, demon, knight, markings burned into him, armor screamed wrong, Edd's whisper stuck, talk, not fight, not 'til he knew, giant wasn't swinging, air said he could, it'd be bloody.

"Stand down," Jon barked to cloaks, hand up, eyes never leaving Arrax, "For now," voice dropped, low, cold, "Start talkin'," Jon rasped, voice scraping low, "where you goin', big man, what's your game?"

Arrax shifted, armor creaking like a tree groaning in the wind, grin fading slow as his eyes narrowed a touch, "South, mate, seven kingdoms, that's where I'm headed," he said, voice rumbling like rocks falling, rough from the cold, "Wall's behind me, seen it, now I want the rest, Winterfell's snows, King's Landing's stink, I have read about it, now I wanna walk it, taste it," he rubbed his neck, stubble scratching his glove, snorted soft, "Ain't sittin' still, not me."

Jon's jaw tightened, teeth grinding slow, south meant trouble slipping past his watch, "Back to the Wall," he said, burr thick, slicing through the wind's howl, "Strangers go there, we got rules, you don't stroll through, you're with me or you're trouble," his fingers flexed on Longclaw, steady but itching, gut twisting, this wasn't some wildling, this was bigger, stranger, couldn't trust it one damn bit.

Arrax chuckled, a rough scrape, shaking his head like Jon'd missed the point, "Nah, Jon, Wall's your cage, not mine, I'm goin' south, see the Starks, the Lannisters, all of 'em, pages I read 'til my eyes burned, I'm walkin' it," voice dropped, hard, daring, "Try stoppin' me, see how far that gets ya," his eyes glinted, steady, like he'd already counted the bodies.

The air snapped tight, Ghost's growl spiking, Jon's cloaks shuffling closer, boots scuffing frost, Tormund with his red hair and wild nature lost his patience, snarled loud, "Fuck this giant talkin' shit," lunged fast, grabbed Ryk by the collar, yanked him back, placing a sword at his throat, "Move, freak, or he's meat!" Ryk squirmed, eyes popping, "Oi, oi, easy, I ain't worth it!" voice cracking high, shaky laugh bubbling up despite the blade.

Arrax's grin vanished, hand dropping to his knife, pulling it slow, steel glinting cold under the moon, "Let him go, red, or you're bleedin' first," voice low, cutting sharp, gut flipping fast, Ryk was a loudmouth, sure, but he was his, damn it, not theirs, Tormund snarled louder, pressing the blade, "Try it, big fucker," and Ryk, crazy bastard, twisted quick, yanked a dagger from his belt, caught Tormund's arm, sliced it clean, blood sprayed hot, splattering everywhere, sudden pain tormented Tormund, arm dropping limp on the ground, blood dripping out as they spoke, with its sword clattering down.

"Fuck!" Jon barked, stepping in, hand up, Ghost lunging forward, snarling fierce, cloaks jolting, blades out now, Jon's chest burned hotter, this was spiraling, blood already soaking the grass, "Stand down, all o' you!" Voice cracked sharp, eyes flicking from Tormund's stump, Ryk's wobbly grin, Arrax's knife still up, steady as stone, Tormund clutched his arm, groaning, "Bastard cut me, Jon, gut him!"

Ryk laughed, shaky, wiping blood off his blade on his sleeve, "Told ya I ain't worth it, ya dumb crow!"

Arrax held still, knife gleaming, eyes locked on Jon, "Your boy drew first, I finish what's mine," voice cold, gut churning, Ryk was safe, bleeding crow wasn't his mess.

"Enough," Jon growled, burr thick, "No more blades, no more blood, you want south, fine, I'll take you, you and your squire."

Arrax's eyes narrowed, knife still up, "Yeah, what's the catch?" voice steady, rough, Jon's gut twisted, no trust here, not a lick, but blood on frost was plenty, "Promise me," Jon said, voice dropping low, "No harm, no trouble, you don't touch my men, we walk south, you see your damn kingdoms, deal?"

Ryk piped up, voice wobbling, "Oi, I like that, south sounds warm, deal, big man!" Grinning shaky, blood smeared on his sleeve, Arrax glanced at him, snorted soft, lowered the knife slow, "Fine, Jon, south it is, no harm unless they swing first," eyes flicked to Tormund, groaning, clutching his stump, "Keep your crows leashed."

Jon nodded, faint, chest still burning, Ghost rumbling low, cloaks stepping back, blades dipping, air fraying loose, blood pooling dark on frost, he'd take 'em south, watch 'em close, figure this giant out, trust was a long road off, this was lived, not ended, "Move," he muttered, voice rough, "We're done here."

Arrax grinned, faint and crooked, sheathing his knife, frost crunching under his boots, south ahead, blood behind, he'd see it all, damn the cost.

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sorry for the wait guys, will try to upload daily if i can, until then, appreciate all the support. teehee.