Today was the final day of the hunt in The Kingswood. The candidate for the position of Vanguard Commander for the Seven Kingdoms allied forces would be decided among four people: Mufasa, Joffrey, The Mountain, and Loras.
Among the four, Joffrey was able to bag so much game only because his squires helped him. He hadn't caught much himself—just two wild boars, three deer, and five rabbits.
As for Mufasa, in addition to the black bear he killed on the first day, he had also slain two wolves, four deer, eight wild boars, and eighteen rabbits.
On the final day, Mufasa was prowling alone through the densest thickets of the forest; it was an excellent place for concealment.
At this moment, he was focusing intently on the trap he had set, quietly waiting for his ideal prey to take the bait.
While he was fully concentrated and oblivious to his surroundings, someone slipped through the brush like an eel and reached Mufasa's side.
"Our golden lion king is actually lying here on his stomach! Not majestic at all," a teasing female voice rang out.
Mufasa looked back and saw Ygritte; she was staring right at him.
Mufasa frowned; she had been pestering him constantly over the past few days.
"What are you doing here?"
"Mufasa, I'm here to help you! I'm a wildling, after all. When it comes to hunting, you should be calling me your master," Ygritte laughed.
Ever since their tryst in the hollowed-out tree where the black bear had lived, she felt Mufasa was much stronger than Jon Snow. Thus, driven by her wildling nature and her admiration for the strong, she took the initiative to get close to Mufasa.
As the two were talking, a rainbow-colored light suddenly appeared in the woods. Mufasa and Ygritte immediately fell silent and looked toward the clearing.
A deer-like creature walked over. It was surrounded by a halo of light, making it difficult to see clearly.
Mufasa had to use magic to clearly perceive the creature's appearance.
It could be described as a classic elk, but with vibrant colors. Most of its body was white, while its antlers and four hooves were black. Additionally, its back and belly featured seven stripes of different colors, just like a rainbow.
"It's the Nine-Colored Deer!" Ygritte exclaimed.
"You know what it's called?" Mufasa asked curiously.
"I saw it once in the Haunted Forest," she said.
"The Haunted Forest? But this is The Kingswood! How did it get here?" Mufasa asked.
"The Nine-Colored Deer is a divine stag. It has seven colored stripes plus black and white, totaling nine colors. In our wildling legends, the Nine-Colored Deer is one of the incarnations of the old gods," Ygritte said.
"The old gods, huh!"
Mufasa suddenly remembered something. If the true form of the Seven Gods worshipped by the Southerners was the Great Old One Cthulhu and its Kin, then could it be that the old gods worshipped by the Northmen and the wildlings Beyond the Wall were also *those* 'Old Ones'?
"Let's not make a sound. The Nine-Colored Deer is too terrifying; just let it leave on its own," Mufasa said.
"Mufasa, don't you want to be the vanguard of the Seven Kingdoms allied forces? I can help you. As long as you ride the Nine-Colored Deer back, the position will definitely be yours," Ygritte said.
"What are you going to do?" Mufasa asked.
Ygritte ignored Mufasa's voice and charged straight out. Without using her bow and arrows, she lunged toward the Nine-Colored Deer and mounted its back.
The creature then began to run frantically.
Mufasa chased wildly behind her but was eventually left in the dust.
"Ygritte!" Mufasa shouted into the empty forest.
But there was no response.
Finally, just as Mufasa was searching aimlessly for her, Ygritte appeared before his eyes, riding the Nine-Colored Deer.
"Mufasa, come up! Let's go back together!" she laughed.
"You!"
Mufasa said, looking at Ygritte, who seemed somewhat different.
"Are you... alright? You look different!"
Ygritte now possessed a sort of sacred radiance, looking like a celestial maiden.
"I'm fine. Come, get on! Give me your hand!" Ygritte said.
Mufasa involuntarily reached out his arm. Ygritte's strength seemed to have increased, and she pulled Mufasa up directly.
The two of them rode out on the Nine-Colored Deer.
However, just as they were about to reach the camp, Ygritte jumped down ahead of time.
"You?" Mufasa looked at her in confusion.
"I'll let you enjoy this glory all to yourself! Just don't forget my kindness!" Ygritte patted the Nine-Colored Deer's rump, and it continued forward.
Mufasa rode the Nine-Colored Deer into the camp. The King, ministers, knights, and soldiers all looked at Mufasa on the back of the Nine-Colored Deer in shock.
"What is that thing? My gods! Ned, do you see? That might be the legendary Nine-Colored Deer of the Baratheon Family. It's ten thousand times rarer than a White Hart."
"The Baratheon Family has a saying passed down through generations: if any descendant of the family encounters the divine stag, the position of Family Head shall be passed to him," King Robert said excitedly to Ned.
"Your Majesty, Mufasa is not a member of the Baratheon Family. His name is Lannister," Eddard Stark reminded him.
King Robert sighed. "If only he were my son."
Joffrey, Myrcella, and the others all surrounded Mufasa.
"Mufasa, where did you find the Nine-Colored Deer? Is it the divine stag of The Kingswood? Get down quickly and let me ride it too!" Joffrey couldn't help but reach out to touch the Nine-Colored Deer.
But he was suddenly sent flying backward, leaving everyone stunned.
"The Nine-Colored Deer kicked the Prince!"
"Your Highness, are you alright?!"
"Quick, help him! Someone might die!"
Joffrey was surrounded by the crowd, and Mufasa also came to his side.
"Little Joff, are you alright? I don't know why it kicked you!" Mufasa said.
At this moment, Maester Qyburn arrived and examined Joffrey.
"No major danger, just a few broken ribs. He needs to rest for a few months," Maester Qyburn said.
"The divine stag refused to let Joffrey near it, yet allowed Mufasa to ride it. Why is that?" Many people were baffled by this.
Mufasa approached the Nine-Colored Deer again and stroked its neck. Although they couldn't speak, Mufasa could feel that this Nine-Colored Deer was a much higher-level creature than Exotic Beasts like Heraka.
Mufasa looked at his remaining Popularity Points and spent them all on identifying the Nine-Colored Deer.
"???"
"???"
"Divine Beast"
"???"
"???"
"???"
In the end, he only got the answer that the Nine-Colored Deer was a Divine Beast.
Mufasa knew that biological levels were divided into many ranks: from the lowest Wild Beast to Exotic Beast, then Spirit Beast, then Saint Beast, and finally Divine Beast.
This Nine-Colored Deer had actually skipped Spirit Beast and Saint Beast to reach the Divine Beast level directly.
"How on earth did Ygritte gain its recognition, and even make it recognize me?" Mufasa thought to himself.
×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×
Read Extra Chapter Visit My Patreon
I have only 1 tier
19$ Tier – Access to 40 advance chapters
patreon.com/Lempil
patreon.com/Lempil