Will rode slowly through the dim Wolfswood, his eyes lightly closed, yet seeing more clearly than if they were open. He was not traveling on the King's Road within the Wolfswood, because through his green sight, he had discovered two scouts from the Howling Stone Tribe lying in ambush in the oak trees ahead.

The most formidable force within the Wolfswood was the Howling Stone Tribe. They lived in the mountains of the Wolfswood and had never been conquered by any power, be it the Children of the Forest, the Andals, the First Men, or the Stark family. The mountains spanned hundreds of miles, with high peaks and dense forests, making it nearly impossible to climb. The northernmost part of the mountains connected to the Shadow Tower, where the Night's Watch stationed their soldiers.

The mountains of the Wolfswood were covered in snow year-round, and forest wolves did not inhabit those heights. Only shadowcats, mountain lions, and snow wolves could survive in such harsh conditions.

Will would reach Long Lake in another day. Beyond the lake was the Last Hearth—the domain of House Umber, a place the Howling Stone Tribe dared not openly raid. The Last Hearth was the final city in the kingdom bordering the North.

House Umber's territory was vast, stretching north of the Lake, east of the King's Road in the Wolfswood, all the way to the Seal Bay in the far east. Despite the large territory, the population was sparse.

The place where Eddard Stark and Night's Watch Commander Mormont had arranged for the rangers to meet Will was near the Last Hearth. In truth, it was not to meet Will, but for the rangers to confirm his return and release a raven to Winterfell, concluding this matter.

Will did not want to be discovered by that Tribe's scouts, so he avoided the King's Road and traveled directly through the forest of the Wolfswood. With his green sight, the secrets of the forest within a radius of several miles were laid bare to him.

Since encountering Woodshield's forest team a few days earlier, Will's ability with green sight had improved daily. Riding northward alone, he had nothing else to do but cultivate his green sight. Cultivating green sight brought Will many new and enjoyable experiences he had never had before, and his rapid progress was greatly related to the novel life experiences green sight provided.

He was fascinated by the different and strange perspectives green sight offered. In the past few days, in addition to possessing trees, he had also possessed the warhorse he was riding, the birds in the forest, the black carrion-eaters, and even the eagles above the forest.

Small forest creatures like squirrels, pheasants, foxes, tree mice, and a wounded male wolf that had been driven out of its pack after losing a battle for dominance, had all been successfully possessed by Will. Whenever possession proved difficult, the old spirit would appear beside him, teaching him how to control his soul's power to seize another life form.

The invasion of the White Walkers, though destined, was still a year away. Will needed to prepare within this year. In his arms, he carried a map obtained from the heart tree in the godswood.

Now, even if Will were a fool, he understood that he was the king of the Hall of Judgment spoken of by the Old God, destined to ride a three-headed dragon, witness the alliance between the Emperor and the Children of the Forest.

Although the prophecy was clear, Will knew nothing about what specifically to do in the future. He only knew that, having come to this fantastical world, he had no path to turn back on; he could only move forward.

Suddenly, Will stopped and turned back to look at the path he had come from.

His green sight saw, several miles away in the forest, the young leader Woodshield, covered in blood, leading a group of people running swiftly through the woods. As his vision expanded, he saw that this group numbered about a hundred, all clad in animal skins, with few wearing shoes. Most of them were strong men, each armed with crude weapons of various kinds.

A small tribe without a name, its primitive and backward state was evident.

Behind this group, Will saw three well-armored pursuit teams. One team was on horseback, chasing along the King's Road, while the other two consisted of spearmen and swordsmen with shields, well-equipped and shouting slogans as they pursued Woodshield's group of over a hundred.

However, in the forest, the speed of Woodshield's group, without shields or armor, was not much slower than that of the cavalry moving along the King's Road. As for the spearmen and swordsmen with shields, they were even further behind.

The road leading into the Wolfswood from the King's Road was difficult, narrow, and steep, with moss, pebbles, and fallen branches. Other than moving slowly, trying to gallop on horseback would be less effective than traveling through the woods.

Looking at the banners of the troops, Will saw the tree trunks of oak trees, the branches of black thorns, and the straight and a white ironwood with a sword in it—these were the soldiers of the Glover family's vassals from Deepwood Motte, the Bole, Branch, and Forrester families.

The soldiers of these three noble families were jointly hunting down the members of Woodshield's tribe.

To the right, the cavalry team along the King's Road was small in number, and the advantage of cavalry in the forest was greatly diminished. Will counted a total of twenty-five riders. The spearmen in the center numbered fifty, and the swordsmen with shields also numbered fifty. The soldiers of the three noble families were pursuing and exterminating the tree folk of Woodshield's tribe.

The cavalry on the right and the swordsmen with shields on the left were in the lead, with the spearmen trailing behind, forming a good pincer pocket. Unfortunately, Woodshield's people were more agile and faster, making it difficult for the pursuing soldiers to catch up in the forest.

However, even the increasingly distant spearmen showed no sign of giving up.

The people of the Bole, Branch, and Forrester families had lived in the Wolfswood for generations and were skilled in tracking. As long as there was the slightest trace, they could continue the pursuit. It seemed they were prepared for a long chase, a protracted battle, determined to annihilate every member of Woodshield's small tribe.

Will turned his horse and rode toward Woodshield's group.

A few days earlier, he had tried to persuade Woodshield and his five subordinates to follow him to the Wall to become men of the Night's Watch, but Woodshield had refused. His reason was that there were still elders and children in the tribe, and he could not leave them to seek a better life.

Yes, a better life.

Because Will had told Woodshield that at the Wall, when hungry, there would be bread, cheese, and hot venison soup with onions and carrots. When cold, there would be stoves, black cloaks, fur pants, thick boots, wooden huts, and beds with soft straw mattresses. When patrolling, there would be good horses, armor, good swords, and a team. When attacked by enemies, there would be brothers, a legion, superiors, and comrades.

To become a man of the Night's Watch at the Wall would be like entering the most beautiful heaven. During rest times, one could even sneak to the town to drink, where there was also a brothel. At that time, both Woodshield and his five subordinates had been tempted. But in the end, Will's persuasion had failed.

Now it seemed that the group of a hundred led by Woodshield included many women, about a third, all young and agile. Therefore, based on Will's experience, it was likely that Woodshield's tribe had been ambushed and massacred by the people of the three noble families. The elders and children that Woodshield could not abandon had probably been killed by the soldiers of the three families.

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