Chapter 10: Warning
Blake finished the hut he was working on, and a look of accomplishment briefly showed on his face.
As he remembered it, north of the wall there were not many places where savages could live in wooden houses, so this tribe, with only a year of his work, might be among the best structured among the free people.
The savage he made the hut for nodded to him, and took his arm in thanks, though a little frightened.
Before returning home Blake walked with Ygritte holding his hand along the Milkwater River, collecting all the cone-shaped or appropriately sized stones to take back to his hut to make arrowheads.
He had gotten several useful crafting tools from Shadow Tower, and now he attached stone points to the arrows he made.
"Brother, I got one!"
Blake nodded to his little sister and took the stone in his hand, tossing it into a sack with all the others.
Blake was constantly thinking about how to organize the tribesmen to follow his orders.
He had to gather them, arm them, and increase their numbers as much as possible.
Only in that way would he have enough men to offer Eddard Stark vassalage, so that he would let them cross the wall and he would not see them as nothing more than a bunch of savages. Blake, however, could not think of a way to get enough food to feed so many people.
In the Black Axe tribe, the few warriors there survived by hunting in the Haunted forest or fishing in the Milkwater River. They had no livestock or crops. According to his father, the goats he now owned were formerly owned by a savage named Thorley, who had caught them with luck on a trip he made to the Frostfangs.
The total number of inhabitants in the tribe was about two hundred, and that number seldom went up because of the scarcity of food.
Blake had thought of numerous plans to get food, things like making boats and fishing in the Frozen Shore, finding a valley within the Frostfangs or the Haunted forest where he could plant the land with the seeds he had saved from the fruits and vegetables given by the Night's Watch or looking for more goats in the mountains, but his father Oswin had shook his head at all of them.
No one within the tribe knew how to build boats, and though he had traveled much of the Haunted forest, he had never found a place where the land could be worked, as for looking for goats in the Frostfangs to tame, though possible, they would starve if brought to the tribe, as there was not enough fodder to feed so many animals.
Blake felt his hands were tied, he could not stay too long north of the wall, as the dead would be coming for them in short order.
"If I can't make them grow, then the only option is to unite more tribes."
Each tribe survived differently, and each had its limits on how many members they could support.
Blake then had the idea to do the same as Mance Rayder in the future, unify several tribes into one, and all together cross the wall as vassals.
He would not commit the stupidity of attacking them, since doing so while Eddard Stark was guardian of the north would be suicide, he could summon all his men and even call for reinforcements from other noble families of Westeros, with a demon, King Robert himself would be more than happy to start a war.
On the other hand, if he did so after Eddard died, it would simply be too late, they would have the dead upon them by that time.
Blake knew that south of the wall there were many empty lands, Queenscrown, Brandon's Gift, and the New Gift.
All lands where they could farm, grow, and tame forces for the coming of the white walkers.
They could reinforce the Night's Watch so that, in this way, they would have a chance to defend the wall against their arrival. Or in the worst-case scenario, take ships to Essos to escape death.
When Blake returned to the hut it was already getting dark, as he entered it, he saw his father taking out of the wooden chest four spears. The spears had finely sharpened stone points, tied to the wooden body with ropes and black glue.
Tomorrow his father would leave the tribe along with Wymond and his sons to go to Shadow Tower to trade for their crafts.
Blake put a piece of wolf meat on to cook and sat by the campfire.
Oswin finished packing the baggage and weapons and also sat in front of the campfire watching the fire crackle.
"We've almost taken all the skins from the tribe, only the ones they wear over their bodies are left."
Blake moved the wolf meat gently to cook it evenly while whispering.
"Soon we can only trade your wood carvings, but for those things, the crows won't give us anything of great value."
Oswin replied scratching his beard in agreement with his son.
"I've thought of something."
Blake told Oswin of his idea to visit other nearby tribes and trade in exchange for their skins.
"That seems unnecessarily dangerous."
Oswin, after hearing his son's crazy plan to take control of the tribe, and then many others to finally cross the wall, frowned.
He pulled out a wineskin filled with wine and took a large sip.
"We can recruit other tribesmen, give them weapons, and armor, and make a decent team, enough to kill anyone who covets our stuff."
Blake continued to convince his father, as he was the only one who could help him at this point.
Oswin's face didn't soften at anything that came out of his son's mouth.
"A year ago when I heard you with that about going to Night's Watch to trade, I only listened to you because I had already heard stories of free people making deals with the crows and taking good things."
Oswin gestured around him.
"But we already have a house, we have weapons, armor, quality furs, and enough supplies to make a good living."
Oswin finally looked his son in the eye and asked.
"Why are you so desperate to gain strength and cross the wall?"
Blake hesitated briefly with this question. He hadn't told his father anything about what was coming, about the dead and the eternal winter, and that they would all die if they stayed here.
Oswin did not look away from his son, and after a while, Blake opened his mouth to speak.
"The dead are coming."
"Dead?"
Oswin frowned listening to Blake, and waited for Blake to continue.
"In a short time, dark spirits will raise the dead and murder everyone north of the wall, no one will survive."
Oswin's back went cold listening to Blake's words, as he remembered the demon he killed in the depths of the forest.
"There have always been dark spirits swarming in the depths of the Haunted forest, and they have never posed great danger to the free people."
Oswin waved his hand to push the bad memories out of his head.
"No. They are a great danger."
Blake's eyes were glued to the fire as he recalled in great detail all that the dead would do.
"First the stragglers and lone hunters will begin to disappear. Then the more remote villages will cease to exist overnight. Before we know it, we will see the dead walking in the forests during the day. And if we do nothing, we will all die in this place."
Oswin looked at his son as he felt a lump rise in his throat. He feared no man, but if the dark spirits he saw that time in the darkness of the forest came out to haunt the living he would have something to fear.
His son had almost been taken by them, and he seemed to know many things that no one else could, because of this.
"When will they come?"
At the question, Blake finished cooking the wolf meat, so he removed it from the coals and served it on a plate.
"I'm not sure, but before Ygritte becomes a woman, we should be on the other side of the wall, or prepare for their arrival."
Blake offered the plate to Oswin giving him his warning.
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