The Wolfswood is a vast northern forest stretching from Winterfell northwest toward the Sunset Sea, dominated by oak, pine, sentinels, and blackthorn.
Because of its low population density the wood teems with game—especially wolves. Travelers can sometimes hear their mournful howls even in daylight hours. Hence the name.
To earn those ten gold dragons they would have to push deep into the Wolfswood—a completely different mission from the simple debt collection they had signed on for back in Winterfell. Ethan naturally could not agree so easily.
But if he refused Ander Bacchus would never willingly hand over the money and send them peacefully on their way.
"Lord Ander—give us a few minutes to discuss."
After requesting a short recess Ethan led his small debt-collection team outside the hall into the open yard.
Ethan: "What do you all think?"
Eddie: "Captain—the Wolfswood is dangerous. Sure it's called the Wolfswood—but the real threats aren't just clever wolves. There are brown bears shadowcats and clans so poor they treat wooden pitchforks like heirlooms.
If we're just collecting a gambling debt for Theon Greyjoy I don't think it's worth the risk."
Conrad: "Captain—I'll follow your lead. Just make sure I get my share."
Juan: "I'll do whatever Conrad does."
Kevin: "Teacher—I'll follow you."
Haiward: Stayed inside the hall drinking and reminiscing with Ander—never came out at all.
Ethan understood the subtext in Eddie's words.
Collecting a gambling debt for Theon Greyjoy alone was not worth gambling their lives.
But recovering ten gold dragons from Ander Bacchus?
That risk suddenly became far more reasonable.
The trick now was how to quietly separate "the gambling debt" from "the ten gold dragons" in everyone's mind—that was Ethan's job.
Back inside the hall Ethan confirmed with Ander:
"If we agree to enter the Wolfswood and help you search for your missing man—you'll pay our team eleven gold dragons correct?"
"Ten gold dragons" Ander countered immediately. "You're not just going to take the coin and walk away are you?"
"Of course not."
"Then we have a deal."
Both sides reached quick agreement.
Haiward acted as witness.
They produced parchment wrote out every agreed term signed and sealed the document.
Everyone carefully avoided mentioning Theon Greyjoy's name anywhere in the text.
Searching for missing persons in the Wolfswood is no trivial task.
Even in 21st-century Earth with modern equipment GPS helicopters drones and highly trained rescue teams countless experienced hikers still vanish forever after one wrong turn in well-known national parks.
Even the best-prepared search parties sometimes lose members while looking for the lost.
There is no such thing as perfect preparation—only the best possible preparation under the circumstances.
To give everyone a clear understanding of the risks inside the Wolfswood and to ensure they had sufficient stamina Ander postponed immediate departure.
Instead he treated Ethan's team like genuine friends and allies.
That evening's feast was lively and generous.
Although Ander refused to pay his gambling debt had a short temper and spoke harshly—he was an excellent host.
During their earlier argument Ethan had casually mentioned that his team hadn't eaten meat in quite a while.
Ander remembered.
So tonight he ordered a sheep slaughtered roasted it over pine branches and personally carved portions for every guest with his dagger.
He also brought up newly brewed potato spirits from the cellar for the visitors to enjoy.
Laughter and stories filled the hall long into the night.
The next morning was the agreed departure time.
Because the Wolfswood is mountainous thickly wooded and full of undergrowth Ander advised against riding.
Ethan's group therefore left their horses in Ander's stables and gathered—fully armed—in an open clearing just outside Rabbitpaw Village.
Conrad wore chainmail over leather carried a round wooden shield and a longsword.
Juan wore only leather likewise carried shield and axe.
Eddie dressed similarly to Juan—leather armor hooded green-brown cloak short sword quiver and longbow.
When Kevin arrived he looked completely different:
long spear strapped across his back wooden shield longsword nearly a meter in length at his hip dagger on the opposite side full leather-and-chain harness gauntlets greaves and a fierce horned helm.
Seeing the outfit Conrad cautioned:
"Kevin—that's a bit much. All that weight will tire you out fast in the forest."
Kevin gave a wry smile.
"It's Teacher's rule.
Wait till you see what *he* looks like."
Having only known Ethan for a few days Conrad Eddie and Juan had never yet seen him in full battle array.
They were quite curious.
Sure enough when Ethan appeared a short while later they witnessed true professionalism.
Ethan wore a complete suit of brass-hued plate: helm breastplate faulds greaves vambraces pauldrons sabatons—the full set.
His weapons matched Kevin's plus one additional two-handed longsword slung across his back.
Eddie stared openly.
This was high-end heavy armor—normally seen only in large-scale battles involving tens of thousands worn by high nobles or elite royal guards.
What did Rabbitpaw Village have that deserved such equipment on parade?
"Captain—are you dressed to take King's Landing?"
Ethan pretended not to understand the teasing.
"Hm? You think this is enough to take King's Landing?"
Soon afterward Ander arrived with his two remaining guards.
Seeing Ethan's full plate he immediately advised:
"Captain Ethan—that armor will make moving through the forest very difficult."
Despite repeated pleas from everyone Ethan remained unmoved.
When they pressed he declared solemnly that a true warrior must always stand ready for battle—at any moment in any place.
His real thought however was far simpler:
Any single piece of his "Lightbringer" suit was worth more than the entire village of Rabbitpaw—people and livestock included.
If it were stolen who here could possibly compensate him?
Finally with no further argument Ethan Ander and their combined team stepped into the shadowed Wolfswood under the pale morning light.
Before setting out Ander had questioned relatives of the missing men reconstructed their last known movements and roughly mapped the most likely search sectors.
So he now led the eight-man party deeper into the trees.
Inside the dim forest tall dense canopies blocked most sunlight.
The group instinctively drew closer together tension rising.
This was the correct instinct—but looking at their current formation Ethan felt something was badly wrong.
As someone who had cleared countless dungeons large and small in another life Ethan could not tolerate sloppy positioning.
Seeing people standing in obviously wrong places made his blood pressure rise.
Ander had brought two men:
Havis—an archer—currently stood far right of the loose formation.
Eddie—also an archer—trailed at the very back.
The shield-bearing front-liners bunched heavily to the left.
If an enemy struck from the right flank the line would collapse instantly.
Ethan therefore ordered everyone to halt.
He quickly reorganized the formation.
Ethan and Kevin—best armored—took point with shields raised spears passed to Juan and one of Ander's men (Yuen).
Behind them stood the two archers—Havis and Eddie.
Ander and Conrad—both large and strong—guarded the flanks.
After the adjustment the formation looked far more balanced and professional—though the previously tense atmosphere had been thoroughly shattered by the impromptu drill.
After a quiet morning of walking—no incidents no tracks—no one had found anything.
Gradually the group relaxed.
Conrad glanced enviously at Ethan's brass plate and asked:
"Captain—how much did that armor set you back?"
Ethan saw no reason to hide it.
"I didn't buy it. Earned it through military merit from the quartermaster when I served.
Later I checked market prices—this suit would sell for thirty-seven Seris gold coins… roughly forty-odd gold dragons here."
"Gods…"
Everyone exhaled in awe.
"What kind of deeds earned you gear like that? Capture an enemy king? Conquer a city single-handed?"
Conrad turned to Ander:
"My lord—could a man get armor like that serving under Lord Eddard?"
Ander chuckled dryly.
"Heh. Lord Eddard would sooner grant you a barren moor than part with armor worth forty gold dragons."
Though everyone chatted and laughed Ander gradually grew uneasy.
Wolfswood—Wolfswood.
The name only makes sense when wolves actually live there.
Yet they had walked for hours without hearing a single howl—or even normal birdsong.
Eddie—the designated scout—noticed the same eerie quiet and asked:
"Lord Ander—is the Wolfswood usually *this* silent?"
Ander already gripping his sword hilt more tightly answered:
"No.
If there aren't even wolves—what kind of Wolfswood is it?
Something's wrong.
We turn back—now."
With that Ander led them around in a careful arc to retrace their steps.
Suddenly one of his men screamed.
Everyone instantly drew steel and snapped into a back-to-back circle.
"Yuen—don't scream! Don't move!"
Ander slapped the panicked man to the ground.
Then they saw it: a fist-sized gray spider perched on Yuen's head its fangs busily chewing through his hair.
Eddie stepped forward pinched the creature off and examined it closely.
The spider's body was roughly fist-sized eight long thin curved legs constantly twitching.
Its carapace bore intricate patterns and clusters of small red compound eyes.
Ethan leaned in to look.
What struck him most was that—unlike the hairy giant spiders he remembered—this one had only a smooth single-layer gray exoskeleton.
After a moment even Eddie felt queasy.
He flung the spider to the ground and crushed it under his boot.
A wet *pop*—and a wave of rotting stench rolled outward.
"Ugh—it reeks!" Juan pinched his nose and staggered aside dry-heaving.
Ethan picked up a twig and prodded the broken corpse.
"What kind of spider is this? Why does it look so strange? Have any of you seen one before?"
Ander looked at his men.
No one spoke.
He shook his head.
"No.
There are many strange things in the Wolfswood—we rarely come this deep."
"Teacher—something's wrong…"
Kevin suddenly gripped Ethan's arm.
"Listen."
At his student's warning Ethan focused.
A dense soft rustling came from the canopy overhead.
He looked up.
Countless enormous gray spiders dangled from branches suspended on thick silk threads.
A wave of visceral nausea and primal revulsion surged from deep inside him.
Goosebumps instantly covered every inch of skin.
"Fuck—brothers MOVE!"
Ethan shouted and sprinted back the way they had come.
It wasn't cowardice—there was simply no other choice.
There were too many—gray spiders the size of sandbags hanging overhead like summer peaches ready for harvest… except these peaches had eight twitching legs and dripping fangs.
Everyone present—except perhaps Juan—was a battlefield veteran.
Led by Ethan they bolted.
But after running only a short distance the spiders grew thicker—and larger—sandbag-sized to serving-platter-sized.
Ethan held his shield overhead; he could feel spiders constantly landing on it then being shaken off.
Any that slipped past he slashed away with his dagger—never letting them touch bare skin.
So many—so big—so disgusting.
Who knew what venom they carried? Better safe than sorry.
After several frantic minutes when the disgusting things finally thinned Ethan slowed and looked back.
Conrad Juan Kevin and a half-dead breathless Eddie were all behind him.
Ander too—but one of Ander's men was missing.
"Where's your man?"
Ander—brushing sticky silk threads from his arms—did a quick headcount and realized someone was gone.
He turned to his remaining guard:
"Yuen—where's Havis? Wasn't he with you?"
Yuen—still shaken—stammered:
"I… I didn't notice… he was right behind me…"
"Conrad—you didn't see him either?"
Conrad frowned looked back into the trees.
"No… nothing."
"And the rest of you?"
Ander scanned the survivors.
No one had an answer.
"We have to go back for him.
I brought two men out—I'm bringing two back.
I won't leave him to become spider dung."
Eddie—still panting—said fearfully:
"Or… we could return to the village first come back better prepared?"
Ethan glanced at him and shook his head.
"We're paid to do the job.
If we keep going we might still find one or two alive.
If we come back later—we probably won't even find bones."
Ander said nothing more.
He tore strips from the blanket he carried and began wrapping exposed skin.
Seeing this the others followed suit—binding wrists necks faces anything the spiders might reach.
Once everyone was as covered as possible they moved quietly back toward the ambush site.
Because they no longer dared run the return trip took half an hour.
When they reached the place where the spiders had first attacked the creatures were gone.
Instead a white human-shaped cocoon hung swaying gently in mid-air suspended by thick silk cables
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