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Refugees

"Dig deeper, at least one more meter!"

Blake was leading an excavation where four members of the tribe were shoveling iron-hard soil and ice with considerable effort, it was planned to make a warehouse with basement storage where food would be kept.

I would keep ice inside so that the food would be kept refrigerated as best as possible, and it would also be much safer.

"This time I'll be the bear!"

"Then I'll take the dire wolf!"

"It's not a dire wolf, it's a normal wolf."

"It's almost as big as the bear, of course, it's a dire wolf."

"My dad says dire wolves are twice as big as a bear, that one is smaller, it must be a normal wolf, just pretty big."

Blake turned his head and saw his sister Ygritte playing with other clan children, from the threadbare clothes and how dirty some of them were, she looked like a princess playing with peasants.

"I need to hand out new clothes to the children..."

Blake whispered to himself. Ygritte would pull out all the toys Blake carved for her to play with the tribal children at the first opportunity, many times the toys would get broken, lost, or just given away, and then she would go to her brother to ask him to make her more.

"Don't worry kid, my son is just like those brats, whenever he goes out to play he always ends up arriving with dirty and torn clothes. The kids are too active within the tribe, if you give them new furs every time they tear the ones they wear, he'll never rest."

Blake looked at one of the men who was helping him dig the storehouse, he was big and had thick hairy arms like a bear, that's why Blake had asked him to help him with this job.

"I'll still think of something."

"As you say boy, sometimes I think you worry too much."

The man gave in to Blake's stubbornness and kept digging.

"If Blake didn't constantly worry about everything, things wouldn't go so well in the tribe and you'd have to eat raw squirrel meat, I've never seen a settlement that could provide food and shelter for so many people, so don't make things harder for him, shut up and keep digging."

Who spoke was Wren, Wymond's eldest son who did not accompany his father on this expedition as his wife was about to give birth and he did not want to leave her alone.

"I know, I know, anyway, who then we will have to work is us."

Blake stopped watching and helped also prepare the logs that he would use as warehouse walls and basement storage columns.

"Blake, you're wanted at the south entrance of the tribe, there are some members of the free folk who want to come in!"

"Okay, let's go."

Blake wiped his hands of the dirt and sawdust walking to the South entrance.

The tribe had four gates, north, south, east, and west. And the savages seeking shelter were at the south gate, the one closest to Oswin and Blake's cabin.

Since the tribe was working at capacity, Blake told his father that it was best not to bring any more savages on this trip to Thenn, unless there were very few. And so when he reached the south gate and saw who was asking for shelter it didn't take him long to decide to open the gates and let them pass.

They were two spear-wielding women and a wounded man. One of them had darkened and matted red hair, as it seemed that her way here had been quite difficult. The other on the other hand had black hair and was as stocky as some of the men.

The man they were carrying was the oldest of the group, perhaps forty or fifty years old, something that briefly surprised Blake, as savages didn't usually live very long.

They looked exhausted and famished as if they had been running from something for a long time. And when they finally came in, Blake walked toward them and asked.

"Who are they, where are they from, and what are they looking for in the black axe tribe?"

The spear-women looked up to see the ghostly-looking boy, but when they looked at the two warriors armed with shields and copper-tipped spears on either side of the boy they understood that somehow he was in charge.

The one who stepped forward was the youngest of them, the redhead, who Blake thought was in her early thirties.

"Our village is located south of the Antler River, we fled seeking refuge as an evil Skinchanger has taken control of the area, he demands food and women, and those who do not heed him are devoured to death by his beasts."

The woman gritted her teeth as she explained the second half of the sentence.

"Just you people?"

Blake raised an eyebrow at the spear woman's statement. It wasn't that he didn't believe what she was saying, as there were many legends north of the wall about the Skinchangers, but it struck him as odd that only three people managed to cross the entire Haunted forest to reach the banks of the Milkwater River.

The Haunted forest was a coarse and dangerous place, only experienced or well-equipped hunters made it through, and these people didn't seem to be.

"No, at first there were more than twenty of us, but we had some altercations along the way."

"What altercation?"

Blake continued to ask and noticed how the woman bit her sides hesitating if she should speak.

"The Black Axe Tribe accepts refugees from other tribes as long as they are willing to follow our rules. If they are accepted they will be provided with food, clothing, and a place to sleep without freezing, in return they will have to work within the tribe and follow the orders of the Magnar."

"Are you the Magnar?"

The red-haired woman asked interrupting Blake.

Blake frowned at the interruption, but answered anyway, as free people tended to behave that way.

"No, it's my father."

Blake then looked at the two women. Women had priority when it came to being accepted into the tribe, as they could father children and were easier to control than most men, except of course in some cases.

"And following the rules of the tribe means obeying me, and obeying me means answering my questions."

Blake said these last words looking at the redhead who was startled to be watched by Blake's glowing blue eyes.

"Do you have any healers!"

The one who asked was the brunette, who hadn't said a word and was in the back tending to the injured man. Blake estimated he was maybe thirty-five.

"If they are accepted, yes."

Blake calmly replied again.

"The truth is..."

The redhead tried to reply.

"BLAKE, BLACK CROWS!!!"

As the redhead was counting the altercation, a lookout shouted at the wall, and Blake, dumbfounded, watched as ten Night's Watch showed themselves from the top of a hill about eighty yards away.

"You guys, what did you do!?"

Blake shouted toward the newcomers who were pointed at by the tribal guards as they saw his reaction.