Karol von Niflheimr

My father once told me that I would someday rule his kingdom, taking his place as the king, just like how he became the king, taking his father's place. At that time when he told me that, I didn't quite understand what he meant, though he often reassured me that I would understand someday.

I wished he could explain more about being the king, though I knew that he would not be able to even say anything to me again as he was laid to rest in the magical ice coffin. Clad in white garb, my father seemed like he was slumbering rather than being dead in the ice coffin, and small part of me wished to see him reopening his eyes so that he could talk to me again.

In hindsight, that would be a terrible thing to happen, if a dead man suddenly opened his eyes while inside his coffin.

"Karol, it is time…" My mother spoke as she stood next to me, her hand on my shoulder. Next to her was my older sister, who silently wept. My mother's eyes remained focused on the body in the clear coffin. "Your father will rest here, alongside his ancestors." He would be entombed in a crypt just under the castle, alongside my ancestors. Due to traditions, their bodies were preserved in this crypt, and their bodies remained intact despite how long it had been.

I shivered slightly, for the first time feeling bothered by the coldness around me. The kingdom that my father used to rule is a land enchanted with everlasting winter, which made living rather difficult, but the people had gotten used to the coldness that they didn't seem to mind about it anymore. And now, the kingdom would be mine, and I would ascend the throne as the new king.

"Your father will join his ancestors in the Will of Everfrost…" my mother said, looking up as if seeing where my father would be heading to. "From now on, he will be watching over us and provide us with his guidance." She caressed my cheek tenderly, smiling despite just losing her husband. "You will become the new king, my sweet Karol. The whole kingdom is yours to rule, just like your ancestors before you."

"Mother…" I spoke, looking at my mother. "Will I be able to become a good king?" I hesitated as I looked back at my father, still in his ice coffin. "Will I be able to rule justly and wisely like father and the kings before me?" I still had quite a misgiving about ascending to the throne and ruling the kingdom, considering that I was still young. "I am unsure if I really have what it takes to become the king." I looked down, still wishing for the impossible, still wishing for my father to still be alive, giving me his advices on how to rule my people.

My mother, smiling sadly, stroked my cheek before she embraced me, her body trembling slightly. "Oh, my sweet Karol. Do not fret, sweet child. You will become the best among us. You will become the best king Everfrost will ever know." She stroked my cheek, her steely gray eyes boring into mine. I did not inherit the color of those eyes, taking after the fiery hearth of my father's instead. She kept looking into my eyes, as if lost in thought before she continued, "You will rule Everfrost wisely and justly. In this land of everlasting winter, you, the Frost King, shall reign supreme…"

The Frost King. For many generations, those who rule Everfrost were known as the Frost Kings, the monarchs who ruled the land of everlasting winter. And with the passing of my father, I would become one of them, taking the title for myself. Such a title felt heavy upon my shoulders, and I was unsure whether I could handle the weight of it alongside the crown that would rest upon my head. Still, the words of comfort from my mother seemed to have lessened my worry, and after she released me from her hug, I turned back to see the sleeping face of my father and continued my vigil.

"Father…" I mouthed out softly, addressing the man who had already departed from the world of living. "I can feel the weight of the crown that you had left for me, even though I haven't put it on yet. Still…" I smiled wanly, still feeling downhearted for losing someone I looked up the most, but I could also feel hope despite how uncertain my future seemed to be. "I will do my duty as the king of this kingdom, just like you and our forefathers. I know it will be hard, so…" I clasped my hands together, as if in prayer.

Closing my eyes, I prayed for my father whom I love despite leaving me too soon. I prayed for the wise king who left me the kingdom for me to rule. I prayed for the man whom I admired the most. I knew I would never be able to talk to him again, and it would be childish to wish for him to speak to me for one last time, but still, I prayed for him.

"Please, give me guidance."

My mother, older sister and I remained in the icy crypt, praying for the departed man who had joined his forefathers. I could barely feel a comforting presence, alleviating my grief a little. At the very least, this would help me to prepare myself for what to come, where nothing was certain.

======================================================

For future chroniclers, I would be known as King Karol II, the Savior King and the Ghost King of the North, but for the most of my life, I am simply known as Karol von Niflheimr. After the death of my father, King Klaus V, I would become the next ruler of Everfrost, becoming the next bearer of the mantle of the Frost King.

Still, due to my youth, being only in my fourteen, my mother would become the queen regent, ruling in my stead for the time being until the day of my coronation as the king of Everfrost. My mother, the Dowager Queen Katarina von Niflheimr, was not a part of the royal bloodline, being married into the royal family. Even so, her family, the House of Laufey, was still a powerful noble family in Everfrost, and they were well-known for their sorcerous bloodline. My mother herself is a powerful sorceress whose unique bloodline allows her to manipulate ice. Being her child, it would be natural to assume that I inherited such ability.

Of course, being the heir to the throne of Everfrost, I was trained from early age on how to fight with weapons rather than with arcane arts. I started my combat training when I was at the young age of seven, and my father ensured that I would receive the best combat lessons from the finest warrior in the kingdom. While it was common for the children of noble families to receive combat lessons from early age, the lessons that I took were quite exceptional, and despite me never being in combat situations, I became learned in the arts of combat, adept in many forms of fighting, though I preferred using a greatsword, a bladed weapon that requires two hands to be wielded while in combat.

With my mother still being the regent, I still had my freedom with me, and I often took this opportunity to learn more about my kingdom, Everfrost. Located in the northernmost part of the Continent of Rignellia, Everfrost is also known as the Land of Everlasting Winter due to the fact that the land is enchanted with eternal winter. The cold climate makes it hard for its people to cultivate its land, but its people had endured its harsh climate for many generations.

From what I had seen, the people were hardy and robust after adjusting to the harsh living condition in the wintry land, and I could see pride and fulfillment in their eyes. They were proud to be in the kingdom where fertile lands were scarce, but still able to endure. Also, after many years of enduring the harsh climate, the people had gotten used to the winter. The winter made people dependent to each other, cultivating tight bonds between the people of the realm. While it might be hard to grow crops here in Everfrost, the people managed to get by just fine.

For many years, Everfrost has relied on exported goods from the neighboring kingdoms in order to sustain the lives of the people, exchanging livestock and foods with minerals, mundane and magical alike. Due to this, Everfrost has cultivated warm relationships with neighboring kingdoms, bringing in foreign traders and merchants to sell their goods.

Still, due to its riches, Everfrost had become a target of invasion numerous times at many points in history by some ambitious petty kingdoms, barbarians and pirates, but all those attempts to conquer the kingdom had failed due to the might of its army as well as the sheer strength of the Frost Kings, whose powers had brought many other kingdoms to ruins and devastation. The Frost Kings were said to be empowered by something called the Will of Everfrost, a divine force that had been worshipped by the people of Everfrost for thousands of years.

Speaking of which, once I ascended to the throne, I would also be known as the Frost King, but I knew I wouldn't go around destroying other kingdoms, since that would be horrible, in addition to the fact that Everfrost was friendly with the neighboring kingdoms. Once I became the king, I planned to become a good king, just like father before me. But for the time being, I would be free to explore the realm, learning more about the world and becoming a wiser and kinder person in the process.

======================================================

Having nothing better to do, I spent most of my time wandering around the Frozen Keep, the castle where the royal family lived as well as where the royal court would be held. The Frozen Keep was made of ice, made possible due to magic and masterful engineering, and for normal people, it was a wondrous sight to be seen. But for me, I had spent most of my life in this ice castle, and there was nothing much to be seen. Of course, there were some parts that weren't made of ice, but that was neither here nor there.

Making my way down the icy corridor, I adjusted the enchanted ring that I wore to keep it in place. The ring was to ensure that I could stay warm around the structure, and despite its appearance, there were some parts of the castle that were warm, thanks to magic. Putting that matter aside, I continued walking down the corridor, thinking where to go after this.

I walked slowly and languidly, and as I was thinking about where to go, suddenly a pair of hands showed up from behind and covered both my eyes.

"Guess who?"

I let out a chuckle as I heard a familiar voice that sounded very energetic and feminine. Letting out a sigh, I brought my hands to the hands that were covering my eyes before I moved them away. "You're aware that I recognize your voice, aren't you?" I said, smiling wryly at the person behind me as I turned around to be greeted by the sight of a short-haired girl, whose smile was as bright as sunshine.

The girl, who was a bit taller and looking older than me, gave me a cheeky grin as she brought her hands to her back, tilting her head cutely. Her black hair was short and a bit messy, making her seem boyish in appearance, but the way she dressed herself made it clear that she was indeed a woman. Her outfit made her stand out among people around her, which was pink in color. Her outfit was designed for cold climate, modified to ensure mobility, with her being a skilled hunter and ranger. Even though her clothes covered most of her skin, except her face and hands, it still didn't hide her feminine curves, which were something that you couldn't exactly ignore.

Of course, the most conspicuous feature that she had that made her seem different compared to other people was the fact that her ears were pointy, indicating that she was a half-elf. Elves have been living alongside humans for thousands of years, and elves are able to interbreed with humans, giving birth to half-elves. She was born from an elf mother and a human father.

Still, despite her having pointy ears, I smiled at her and spoke, "You seem healthy, Linde…" She smiled pleasantly upon hearing that from me, and the smile that she showed me could melt many hearts of those who saw it. "I'm sorry that you have to accompany me for today."

The half-elf, Linde, just shook her head and replied, "Nah, it's fine, Karol. It's my duty as your steward, after all. Plus, if I'm around you, no one's going to glare at me for being a half-elf. People won't show their ire at me in front of their future king, after all." Her pointy ears twitched after saying that, and I remembered the reason why she became my steward in the first place.

Linde von Ardrick was my childhood friend, with her uncle being my father's best friend back then when he was still alive. Still, the circumstances of her birth made her the black sheep of the family, and she was shunned by many people as a result. Her father was married to an elf, which caused quite a controversy among the people of Everfrost, who viewed the union between a human and elf to be unnatural. And due to an incident, both her parents died, leaving her under the care of her uncle, Lord Gordin von Ardrick. Lord Gordin himself was a widower with no children of his own, and after adopting her, he named her his heir and the future head of the House of Ardrick.

This caused an uproar among the nobles of Everfrost, and this decision made Lord Gordin unpopular among his peers. Still, due to him being my father's best friend and closest ally, he was practically untouchable and despite his decision making him unpopular, no one dared to challenge his decision, knowing that he held so much power due to his position. Still, to ensure her safety as well as to protect her from the ire of her relatives, Lord Gordin decided to have Linde fostered under my father, which explained why we grew up together since our childhood.

While I was trained to fight using swords, Linde was trained to use bows and arrows, making her a peerless marksman. Many thought that it was due to her heritage as a half-elf that allowed her to become such a marksman, but it was mostly due to her determination and desire to prove herself to those who looked down on her. And after being fostered under my family, Linde officially became my steward, someone tasked to accompany me wherever I go, effectively becoming a bodyguard of sorts.

So, with her being my steward, nobody dared to sneer and jeer at her for her mixed heritage in her face and they could only resort to talking behind her back. Many nobles might be ambitious and power hungry, but they also knew to never offend the members of the royal family. After all, there was a reason why the House of Niflheimr managed to rule the kingdom for thousands of years, and they didn't want to invoke the wrath of the dreaded Frost King.

"Well, it sounds like it's convenient to have me around," I remarked to her jokingly, smiling teasingly at my childhood friend. Hearing that from me, her pointy ears twitched as her cheeks reddened.

"T-that's not what I meant! W-well…" Linde stammered before twiddled her fingers, looking flustered as I gave her a teasing look. "I-it's true that it's convenient to have you around, but that doesn't mean I'm taking advantage of you." She pouted a little. "Geez, you make me sound like some kind of opportunistic leech!"

I laughed, savoring the look of embarrassment on her cute face. "Now, now, why don't you calm down a little? I'm sorry for saying that," I reassured her. "Don't worry about that. If you feel safe around me, I'll be glad to accompany you everywhere."

"Geez…" Linde blushed as she looked away from me, as if trying to hide her reddening cheeks. It was rare to see her being embarrassed like this, with her being the one who got to tease me, but it seemed that I managed to turn the table around this time. "F-fine, if you insist on that, then I'm going to continue taking advantage of you until I'm old and wrinkly."

I laughed after hearing that from her. It felt nice to have her around to talk to despite our age difference. Linde was four years older than me, being eighteen years old, the same age as my older sister. When I was first introduced to her, I regarded her as another one of my older sister, though as I grew up, I somehow stopped seeing her as an older sister. I did have a crush on her at some point, though I thought of it as a childish crush. I thought that it would be better to consider her as my childhood friend who was dear to me.

"So, where are we going now, Karol?" Linde asked as she walked alongside me, bouncing slightly as she walked. "Are we going to see the commoners again? Well, I've got no problem with that. Plus, the kids seemed to love playing with me." Unlike nobles, commoners regarded elves and half-elves with awe and wonder, and Linde enjoyed playing with the children of the commoners. Having her around also helped me seem more approachable to these people.

"I'm not sure, though if you want to go to the town, I see no problem with that." I remarked, but as the two of us walked down the icy corridor, I saw someone coming our way. The person in question was a tall woman clad in white dress which seemed to expose her pale shoulders, her white hair fashioned into a side ponytail. When the woman saw me, she perked up as she approached me, looking at me with her steely gray eyes.

"Oh, Karol…" The woman was my mother, the queen regent, Queen Katarina von Niflheimr. "And hello there, Linde." She gave my childhood friend a small smile before she looked back at me. "Are you going somewhere?" She seemed tired, probably due to her performing her duty as the regent, but she smiled at me regardless despite her apparent tiredness.

I scratched the back of my head before answering, "Well, I'm thinking about heading out, though I'm not sure where to go."

"I see…" My mother mused. "Well, I can understand that you are feeling restless now. I know there are a few things you can do to keep yourself preoccupied." She smiled at me as she looked at one direction. "Last night, I heard some howls of wolves from the forest just behind the Frozen Keep. I believe they are the winter direwolves. Perhaps you can look over there and see for yourself?"

I blinked. "Winter direwolves? You want me to look for them?" I questioned her after hearing her suggestion.

"Since ancient times, winter direwolves are the sacred animals of our kingdom, and they have a close connection to those with royal bloodline," my mother explained, referring to the royal family, the House of Niflheimr. "They are intelligent creatures, and if they live long enough, they will be capable of speaking intelligibly like us. They can even grow as big as a horse, and many of the ancient Frost Kings used to have winter direwolves as their mounts. And if you are worried about the danger they may pose, please do not worry. Winter direwolves will never attack you, considering that you have royal blood flowing in your veins."

"My queen…" Linde addressed my mother respectfully. "While the winter direwolves may not attack us, the same cannot be said about other creatures there. Do you think it will be safe for us to be there in the forest?" She brought up he concern which I considered valid, though my mother didn't seem too worried.

My mother gave Linde a reassuring smile. "Then, I shall trust you to keep my son safe, my dear Linde. The worst that you may encounter in the forest is probably a diresquirrel, and I doubt that it may pose any challenge to any of you." Then, she patted Linde's shoulder. "And, in case if there is indeed something truly dangerous, make use of this." She handed Linde a stick made of crystallite materials. "Snap it in half, then you will return here in the Frozen Keep."

"Very well…" Linde put the stick into her pouch. "I will make sure that Karol will be safe, my queen! I will protect him with my life if I must, I swear it!"

"I'll be counting on you, then." My mother nodded to Linde approvingly, trusting her to keep me safe, even though I could protect myself just fine. "Also, if you happen to find a winter direwolf, don't be afraid and try to communicate with it. If you are fortunate, then it may agree to become your companion." She then looked up, as if recalling something. "Back in the day, your father also had a winter direwolf as a companion before, though he released her back to the wild a few years later. He never explained to me about that, so I don't really understand why he released his companion back to the wild."

Then, my mother closed her eyes and turned around, looking to leave both of us.

"Why don't the two of you move along now? I'll be seeing you later, Karol, Linde." And so, my mother left.

I turned around to Linde, and the two of us exchanged looks before I said, "Well, let's get going now. Hope we can find some winter direwolves." And so, the two of us rush down the corridor, heading over to the barrack where we kept our equipment and prepared ourselves for our journey into the forest. While my mother said that it wouldn't be dangerous to be there, with the worst that we might encounter would be a diresquirrel, it wouldn't hurt to prepare ourselves for the worst-case scenario.

======================================================

Both Linde and I went to the forest just behind the Frozen Keep, and I had to keep up with Linde as we ventured deep into the forest. The forest was rather sparse due to the cold climate, and I could see clearly in this forest without any vegetation getting in my way.

"Hmm… your mother's right. I don't think we're going to encounter anything dangerous here," Linde told me as she observed her surroundings. She was trained to become a skilled tracker and ranger, making her a great hunter. "Still, I can find some footprints here. Judging from their sizes, I'm sure they are the winter direwolves we are looking for." After a pause, she added, "And there are a few smaller footprints too, so I guess we can even find some puppies." She beamed up after mentioning puppies. "I can't wait to see some cute puppies."

I smiled after seeing her enthusiasm. The two of us continued venturing through the forest, navigating the terrains. Linde showed her skill as a ranger by telling me about the tracks of animals that lived in the forest. Most of them are not dangerous, though we still prepared ourselves for any kind of combat situation. We carried our weapons of choice, with me carrying a greatsword on my back as well as a crossbow in case if I ever needed to shoot something. As for Linde, she carried a composite bow and a quiver filled with arrows. In case if she ever needed to enter a close quarter combat, she also carried a kukri that was sheathed on her hip.

So far, nothing dangerous showed up. We did see some small critters and animals, which posed little to not threat, and we continued onward into the forest to track down the winter direwolves. As we got deeper, we heard a howl, which indicated that the winter direwolves might be nearby.

"Well, these winter direwolves are probably intelligent enough that they can recognize a member of the royal family, but they are still wild animals. Once we see them, try to not spook them, though we have to be ready in case if they consider our presence unwelcome." Linde helpfully told me as we went towards the direction of the howl. We can see a few marks on the trees around us, as if indicating that we were entering their territory.

"If we can help it, in case if they see us as a threat, try to not harm them," I said, remembering what my mother said about winter direwolves being sacred animals in Everfrost. Linde nodded, agreeing with my sentiment as the two of us continued onward.

But then, as we get deeper into their territory, we suddenly hear a monstrous roar that certainly didn't belong to a direwolf. Linde's elven ears perked up in alert, as if alarmed by the roar. She brandished her composite bow and pulled out two arrows from her quiver. Muttering something under her breath, Linde focused her gaze at the direction from where the roar came from, and I could see her eyes shifting slightly. Feathers sprouted out at the back of her elven ears as her eyes changed their color from black to yellow, which somehow reminded me of a bird of prey.

"Something showed up there." Linde spoke, focusing her raptor eyes at the direction where the roar came from. I could feel that with those eyes, she could see things that were far away from her. "It's attacking the direwolves!" She sounded alarmed before she looked at me, those feathers fell off from her ears as her eyes reverted to normal. "Come on, Karol! The direwolves are in danger!"

Hearing that from Linde, I immediately broke into a sprint, with her following me. I unsheathed my sword, ready to enter combat. Then, we entered a clearing, and we could clearly see the creature that was attacking the winter direwolves.

The creature was tall, looking rather ape-like, standing on both of its feet, and its body was covered in white fur. As for its build, the creature was lanky, with its arms disproportionately long for its body, and it had huge belly. And its fur was covered in blood, with each of its hands tightly holding a crushed body of a direwolf puppy. Linde gasped as she saw such a gruesome thing, though she immediately recovered and nocked her arrow on her bowstring, ready to let it loose at the furred creature.

Meanwhile, it was facing another creature, also covered in white fur. It was a winter direwolf, which was as big as a horse. It seemed to be grievously injured, judging from its wounds, but it growled at the massive creature that had slain its puppies as it kept itself between the creature and its remaining puppy, that seemed to be frightened by the sight of its siblings being crushed by the creature's massive hands.

The creature seemed to be preoccupied by the injured winter direwolf, not realizing our presence. I took advantage of this by taking aim with my crossbow before shooting a bolt right at its side. The creature let out a cry of pain, but it didn't look like the bolt did much damage on it.

Realizing that it was attacked, it turned its attention on the two of us, and it tossed aside the crushed remains of the puppies that it had killed before. It let out a human-like growl, wiping its bloodied palms on its white fur before it let out a roar. I stood my ground, my heart filled with determination as I prayed to the Will of Everfrost, hoping to channel my fury to be my strength. The blade of my greatsword turned radiant as the Will of Everfrost answered my call, and the blade would harm anything evil.

I breathed out, feeling energized by my righteous fury. I could feel evil radiating from the very being of the creature before us. It had slain the winter direwolves, the sacred animals of the kingdom, and I saw such action as evil.

Not wanting to give the creature an opportunity to attack first, I launched myself towards the creature, closing the distance between the two of us before I struck at its belly with my greatsword. I could feel the blade cutting through its flesh, and it let out a massive roar of pain as the very essence of my blade was anathema to its very being.

Still, after attacking, I placed myself within its range, and the creature tried to attack me with its long arms. But before it could land its hit, two arrows flew past me, hitting the creature right in its chest. It let out another roar of pain as it staggered back. I took this opportunity to move past the creature and tried to attack at its flank, and once again, my greatsword cut through its hide, wounding the creature once again.

I tried attacking the creature from different directions, but no matter how many times I landed my hit, the creature simply refused to fall and die. In fact, it continued to fight, swinging its arms wildly, and I took some of its hits. Luckily, my chestplate lessened the blow, though it still hurt.

Eventually, I had to slow down due to exhaustion, and the creature remained standing despite taking many hits on its body, which was littered with wounds from my sword. I could see almost a dozen arrows sticking on its body, including one in its eye, but all those wounds hardly slowed it down.

"Karol, I'm running out of arrows…" Linde informed me, and I could see that her quiver was almost empty. "We should get out of here."

"But… the direwolves…" I said, looking at the mother direwolf that was protecting its puppy. It was terribly hurt, and its puppy snuggled against it.

Linde seemed to be trying to come up with a solution before she pulled out the crystal stick that my mother handed to her earlier. "Maybe… maybe this can work…" She looked at me. "Karol, come here! If we huddle together, maybe we can get out of this with them too!"

Hearing that from Linde, I rushed towards her, barely avoiding another strike from the creature. She rushed towards the wounded direwolf, and it let out a whine as the two of us pressed ourselves against its body. The creature was about to attack all of us as Linde broke the stick, and the moment the stick was broken, we were surrounded in light as the forest disappeared.

I could feel that my eyes were overwhelmed by the light around us, and once my vision returned to me, I found myself right in front of the Frozen Keep. There were a few onlookers around us who gawked at us, who somehow showed up out of nowhere. Linde still pressed herself against the injured direwolf's body before she opened her eyes, finding that we were no longer in the forest.

"A-are we… safe now?" Linde questioned as she looked at her surroundings before she let out a sigh of relief. People around us realized that there was a horse-sized wolf with us, and they were alarmed.

As we were surrounded by curious people, I could see that my mother was making her way towards us. Realizing that the regent queen was coming, the people moved away, not wanting to stand in her way.

"What's happening here?" My mother asked, befuddled by the sudden appearance of the wounded beast right before the castle before she saw both you and Linde. "Karol? Linde?" After a while, she realized what was happening, and she looked at the wounded direwolf, looking rather concerned by this.

"Mother…" I said, standing up to address my mother, but she just smiled at me.

"Get inside, Karol. Linde, please escort my son into the Frozen Keep." Then, she moved closer towards the wounded beast, inspecting its wound. Nodding to herself a few times, she then got up before she addressed her guards. "Bring the beast and its child in. Try to find someone who can treat its wound." She then bent down and stroke the winter direwolf's head. "We can't let it die."

And so, everything went blur afterwards. As for me, I got myself checked and found that there were a few bruises on my chest thanks to the hits that I had taken from that creature, but I was mostly fine. As for Linde, considering that she used her bow and arrows to attack from a distance, she was also fine. The winter direwolf and its pup were brought into the Frozen Keep and treated.

Meanwhile, after making sure that the mother direwolf was fine, my mother went to see me and apologized for everything. She didn't know that there was a dangerous creature in the forest, and she had already dispatched a squad of elite soldiers to hunt the creature down.

"Are you sure you are unhurt?" Linde asked me as she brought her hand to my chest. I blushed slightly as I shook my head. We were at the dining room, getting ourselves something to eat after everything that had happened.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." I told Linde before I tried to change the subject. "Putting that aside, do you know what kind of creature that thing was?" I asked Linde about what that creature might be. Linde brought her hand to her chin, as if deep in thought.

"Hmm… from its appearance alone, I believe it's probably a yeti," Linde reckoned before she dropped her hand from her chin, looking at me. "But a yeti typically never attacks other creatures unless if they need to hunt for food. And they will never attack creatures like winter direwolves to hunt them down. It feels like it attacked and killed those puppies for the sake of killing. Also, the yeti refused to fall after taking many attacks from us, so there had to be something that drove it to attack the direwolves…"

The two of us continued mulling over the matter while enjoying our foods, not realizing that this was just the beginning of what to come for us. We had no way of knowing the future, and at that time, we did not know that something big was awaiting us in the future.