Bran’s heart was thumping in his chest as he pushed through a waist-high drift to his brothers’ side.
Half-buried in bloodstained snow, a huge dark shape slumped in death. Ice had formed in its shaggy grey fur, and the faint smell of corruption clung to it like a woman’s perfume. Bran glimpsed blind eyes crawling with maggots, a wide mouth full of yellowed teeth. But it was the size of it that made him gasp. It was bigger than his pony, twice the size of the largest hound in his father’s kennel.
“It’s no freak,” Jon said calmly. “That’s a direwolf. They grow larger than the other kind.”
Theon Greyjoy said, “There’s not been a direwolf sighted south of the Wall in two hundred years.”
“I see one now,” Jon replied.
Bran tore his eyes away from the monster. That was when he noticed the bundle in Robb’s arms. He gave a cry of delight and moved closer. The pup was a tiny ball of grey-black fur, its eyes still closed. It nuzzled blindly against Robb’s chest as he cradled it, searching for milk among his leathers, making a sad little whimpery sound. Bran reached out hesitantly. “Go on,” Robb told him. “You can touch him.”
Maggot 蛆虫
Kennel 狗屋
布兰的心怦怦狂跳，他推开一堆及腰的漂浮物，奔至兄长身旁。
一个巨大的暗黝身形半掩在血渍斑驳的雪堆里，绵软而无生息。蓬松的灰绒毛已经结冰，腐朽的气息紧附其间，就像女人身上的香水味，布兰隐约瞥见它无神的眼窝里爬满蛆虫，咧嘴内满是黄牙。但真正吓住他的是这只狼的体形，它竟比他的小马还大，是他父亲最大的猎犬身躯的两倍。
"我没骗你，"琼恩正色道，"这确实是冰原狼，他们比其他狼都要来得大。"
席恩·葛雷乔伊说："可两百年来，绝境长城以南没人见过半条冰原狼。"
"眼前不就是一条？"琼恩回答。
布兰努力将视线扯离面前的怪物，这才注意到罗柏怀里抱着的东西。他高兴得叫了一声，随即靠过去。那只幼狼只是团灰黑的毛球，双眼仍未张开。它盲目地往罗柏胸膛磨蹭，在他的皮护甲上寻找奶头，发出哀伤的低吟。布兰有些犹豫地探出手，"没关系，"罗柏告诉他，"你可以摸摸看。"
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