Next morning, Sasuke opened his eyes already knowing they would be having company soon. He could sense a group of men coming toward their direction from the south. Men as well as horses.
Sasuke was never the best sensor. He depended mostly on Kakashi when a kid, then Orochimaru or one of his underlings during his time with the man, and finally Karin.
But after gaining his Hashirama arm, Sasuke's senses had grown sharper than ever before. Despite the four men approaching not having chakra, the wind was blowing from their direction and carrying their scent.
From the knowledge he got from Tork the wildling, it wasn't hard to figure out it was most likely men of the Night's Watch. The people on this side of the Wall had a hard time raising animals like those of the south. The climate didn't really make for good grazing fields and pastures.
He was about to wake the others when he noticed Dacey already staring up at him with one eye open. She looked at him in that way children did when they wanted something from you.
"Can you promise me you'll take me home?" she asked.
For a second, Sasuke was taken aback by the earnestness in her voice. He doubted there was anything in this world that could stop him from doing something if he put his mind to it, but he didn't go around giving promises for everyone.
"No."
The girl pouted, and for a moment it looked like she was about to cry. Only for a sly smile to form on her face. "Please," she started in her thin, childish voice. "Please, please, please, please."
Sasuke stared down at her in horror. She continued to repeat the word, over and over until even the kids and Tilda woke up confused around them.
"Please, please, please…"
The tiny voice scratched at his ears like the nails of a chicken. Sasuke groaned. This was hell. A thousand times worse than fighting Kaguya.
Maybe Itachi was right in killing their whole clan after all. If this is what children did to get what they wanted, wholesale slaughter sounded like a sensible solution. He narrowed his eyes at the girl, using the full might of his Uchiha scowl to intimidate her.
No reaction. She just kept going as if he wasn't even there. "Please, please, please…"
Finally, after a full two minutes of torture, Sasuke couldn't take it anymore.
"Stop!"
The girl paused, looking at him expectantly. Her mouth was half-open as if threatening to continue with his torment. And were her eyes glinting in amusement?
Gritting his teeth, Sasuke said, "If you promise never to speak to me again, yes, I'll take you home."
Dacey scrunched her eyes as if deep in thought. Then she nodded her head.
"I promise to speak an appropriate amount for a child, but no more and no less," she said.
"No negotiation," Sasuke said.
She smiled. "Please, please—"
"Fine," he cut in. "I'll take you home. Now get up, all of you. There's people coming."
That seemed to shock them all into compliance, even Dacey. They all clambered up to their feet, Tilda helping the youngest kids getting themselves sorted out.
He turned away with a sigh. If this was what the Sage meant by helping others, Sasuke didn't think he would get too far. His plan had been to leave the rescued kids with the Night's Watch and continue his travels heading south.
That was good enough, wasn't it?
Then again, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to stop by Bear Island. It wasn't as if he had a fixed goal, at this point. He had to learn to live, wasn't that the point? To see where life, with all its whims and twists, took him.
Soon the last of their fire was snuffed out by handfuls of snow and everyone that had to relieve themselves had done so. And right on time, too, as Sasuke heard the dull thudding sound of horses' hooves stomping over snow.
The children heard it too. One of the boys shivered as he spoke, "Is it more wildlings?"
Dacey shook her head. "I don't think wildlings have horses."
A few minutes later Four riders rode through the forest toward them at a slow canter. Sasuke figured it was to avoid injuring the animals. There wasn't exactly a ton of foliage or undergrowth given the temperature, but the forest floor was thick with jutting roots and animal holes.
Upon finally seeing their group, the four riders pulled up on the reins. Hands went to sword hilts, and even from a distance Sasuke could see their eyes hardening as if expecting confrontation.
One of them spoke with the others, and they must have noticed it was only one man, a young woman, and four children, as they started to move closer again.
"The Night's Watch," the boy murmured with awe in his voice as they approached.
Another child threw both hands up in the air and shouted, "Here! We're here!"
One of the men came closer than the others and dismounted. He looked to be in his late thirties, hair dark but already peppered with white held in a heavy braid. In Sasuke's eyes, the man had the bearings of a serious warrior, tall and sharp and watchful.
The man looked over their group carefully. He spent longer watching Sasuke, gaze fixed on the sword at his hip, but his eyes seemed to soften once they passed over the children.
"You the folk taken from Bear Island?" he asked in a rough voice.
The children fell into happy sobs, nodding their heads. Tilda had tears in her eyes too, but they all kept quiet and looked to the little girl in their mix.
"Yes, we are from Bear Island," Dacey Mormont said. She drew herself up, as if she knew the expectation the others had of her. "We were taken from Fair Creek three weeks ago. They took us across the Bay of Ice, up the Frozen Shore and through the Skirling Pass, then turned south." She swallowed. "I'm not so sure where we are now."
A semblance of a smile made its way to the man's face. "You would be Lady Dacey Mormont, then?"
She nodded, proud for putting up a good showing of herself.
"Good. I'm Qhorin, a ranger of the Night's Watch," he said. "Your grand-uncle will be happy to see you."
Then he turned to Sasuke and his eyes narrowed.
---------
Vote and Review if you can!! Reminder that 125 Power Stones unlocks a Bonus Chapter!