On their journey to the Wall, Ethel, his father, and twenty other men rode at a steady pace. They had carts loaded with food and weapons destined for Castle Black.
"Will we see Uncle Benjen?" Ethel asked curiously.
"Perhaps, unless he's been sent ranging beyond the Wall," Ned replied, keeping his eyes on the road.
They had been traveling for several hours and still had a long way to go. Fortunately, the weather was decent, with no snow, which made the journey easier.
Ethel enjoyed the scenery; he had never ventured this far from Winterfell, and everything fascinated him. He kept his Haki of Observation active, sensing all the presences in the forest surrounding them.
"With every step, I feel the Wall's presence growing stronger. What magic they must have used to create something like that," he thought, relishing his ability. For him, it was one of the best feelings, being able to sense things that were invisible to the naked eye.
Before they emerged from the long forest, Ethel sensed the presence of an injured animal. Without a word, he grabbed the reins of his horse tightly and veered off the path into the woods. Eddard saw the boy and quickly followed, not knowing what was happening.
After trailing him for a while, Ned saw his son dismount and kneel beside a massive direwolf. He had never seen or heard of one so large. Its fur was coal-black.
"It's severely injured. Can you bring the bandages and water to help it?" Ethel asked as he knelt beside the majestic wolf.
The wolf, noticing the presence of several men, began to growl and tried to move, but it was too badly hurt. Ethel looked deeply into its eyes, remaining still until the wolf accepted the boy's presence.
Eddard quickly ordered the men to bring medical supplies. One of the guards rushed to get bandages and a canteen of water. Meanwhile, Ethel remained kneeling beside the wolf, speaking softly to calm it.
"Easy, friend. We're here to help you," Ethel whispered, gently stroking the wolf's head.
Looking at the enormous beast, Ned asked, "How did you know this direwolf was here?"
"How can I explain it? It was more intuition than anything. I thought I heard its cries of pain and followed them here," the boy explained.
Ned approached with the bandages and water. "Ethel, are you sure we can get close without it attacking?" he asked, eyeing the animal's size and strength.
"Yes, Father. As long as it doesn't sense fear or harm from us, it'll be fine," Ethel responded confidently.
Carefully, Eddard and Ethel began cleaning the wolf's wounds. Dark blood stained their hands as they worked quickly to bandage the injuries. The wolf growled occasionally but made no attempt to attack them.
"It's impressive, Ethel. I've never seen a direwolf of this size, and certainly not one that allowed itself to be helped this way," Ned commented as he finished bandaging one of the wolf's legs.
"Something terrible must have happened for it to be in this condition," Ethel said, looking at the wolf with compassion. "We need to bring it with us. It won't survive here alone."
Ned nodded. "Very well, but we need to be swift. We can't delay our journey much longer."
With the men's help, they improvised a stretcher to carry the injured wolf without causing more pain. They carefully placed it on the stretcher and secured it in one of the carts. Despite its wounds, the wolf seemed to understand they were there to help and remained still.
During the journey, Ethel stayed by the side of the cart where the wolf lay. "How is it that it lets me be so close, even lets me pet it? In the stories, each Stark sibling has a wolf, but they get them when they are pups. This one is an adult. How strange," he thought.
After a day and a night of travel, they arrived at Castle Black with the first rays of morning sun.
The Night's Watch was already waiting for them with food and warm rooms.
Dressed entirely in furs to withstand the cold, the travelers gathered to eat before going to sleep.
The great wolf was taken to Ethel's room, surprising the guards who carried the stretcher. They had seen many direwolves before, but never one so large, and certainly not one that came from the south.
"How can a wolf this size appear here?" one of the guards murmured, while another nodded in amazement.
"It's incredible; I've never seen anything like it," added another, unable to take his eyes off the majestic animal.
Ethel, attentive to his new companion, ensured it had raw meat and fresh water for when it woke up. He placed the food near the wolf and knelt beside it, gently stroking its coal-black fur.
"Rest, friend. You'll be better soon," Ethel whispered, feeling a deep connection with the direwolf.
The guards, still impressed, left, leaving Ethel and the wolf in the quiet room.
By morning, the wolf was much better. It still couldn't move, but at least it was stable.
"I'd like to keep you," Ethel thought while stroking the animal's head. "At the very least, I'll give you a name. From now on, you'll be Raven, for your black fur," he said softly.
Leaving a guard to watch over the animal, Ethel went to find his father. Today, they were going to the top of the Wall. After many stairs and much cold, they finally reached the top, observing the magnificent landscape.
"Everything is covered in ice, even the trees. How can the wildlings live in these conditions?" Ethel asked his father.
Ned responded after a moment of reflection. "They've lived in these conditions for so many generations that they've adapted perfectly. They have their ways of surviving."