There were as many rumors of monsters in the woods as there were old wives tales. For all his worldly travels Jamie had yet to encounter any actual monsters in the traditional sense.
He'd grown up hearing- and telling -these stories in a playful effort to scare his siblings. It was an endeavor never successful with Cersei as she'd always been sharper and smarter than him, seeing through his fantasies as easily as through a pane of glass - And Tyiron was quick to out smart him as well the older they got. It was all in all, a short-lived victory.
That was to say, that Lannisters were a cynical sort. And as they grew out of ghost stories and tales of treacherous monsters, so the imaginative rumors of towns folk were brushed off as exaggerations. Simple people needed ways to keep themselves entertained, why not exaggerate the creatures in the woods, turn an overzealous bear into a beast of legend. Something to use for winning over the hearts of whores and fellow drunks in taverns.
However, when the King himself caught wind of these recent tales, ever the expeditious hunter (though growing fatter with every passing day), he announced an interest of a personal visit to the woods. It had been Jamie's disbelieving face that had earned him the honor of scout because apparently there was no better use of a sworn king's guard than to trek the gruesomely boring terrain of the country and find the "haunted bear" or whatever they'd concocted in advance of the King.
In the outskirts of town, after nearly four days of travel, Jamie discovered another creature - white haired and bearded, a mountainous height and padded with utilitarian muscle (this much was visible, even with all those layers covering him). Though he imagined, based on the laid out equipment and the cognizant speech, this was not the same creature from the rumors.
With a light dismount from his horse, Jamie approached the other traveler, tugging the reins along with him.
"I suppose I am, in a manner of speaking," he replied with a speculative look. "The people in these parts tell such colorful stories they traveled all the way to the Keep. Were you expecting His Grace to write you personally of his intentions to hunt?"
Pointing at the impressive array of gear, Jamie raised his eyebrows, "Is that all for one measly bear, or don't tell me- There really is a monster out lurking in those wood."
His tone was quite obviously teasing and not entirely in good nature.
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