GoT/aSoIaF Foreshadowing
On the way back to the castle the party finds a stag dead in the road, partially disemboweled. Looking for what killed it, they find a dead female direwolf, killed with a stag antler piece broken off in her throat. The female died after giving birth, and her five pups huddle by the corpse for warmth. Eddard’s ward, Theon Greyjoy, is all for killing the pups, but Jon Snow convinces his father that this is an omen: the direwolf is the symbol of House Stark and Eddard has five trueborn children. With Bran looking on beseechingly, Eddard agrees that his children should have the pups, but only if they clean, raise, and feed them themselves with no help from the servants. Just as the party leaves, Jon finds a sixth pup, an albino runt of the litter. Theon ruefully points out that this one belongs to Jon. (x)