User:Courtney3345

In the pre-agricultural Europe of about six thousand years ago, after the end of the last ice age, the hunter-gatherers of the Forest live in clans. Torak and his father, of Wolf Clan, live alone in the Forest as outcasts. When Torak is 12 summers (years) old, his father, Fa, is killed by a bear believed to be possessed by a demon. Before Torak's father dies, he makes Torak swear an oath to head north to find the Mountain of the World Spirit, and ask the World Spirit to help destroy the bear before it kills all life in the Forest.

Torak heads north and soon encounters an orphaned wolf cub; the rest of the cub's wolf pack has been drowned in a flood. Torak discovers that he can communicate with the cub. Wolf accepts Torak as his pack-brother, and becomes Torak's guide. Torak and Wolf are soon captured by Renn, Hord and Oslak of Raven Clan, and Torak is accused of stealing one of their roe deer. Torak is taken to the Raven camp, so that his fate can be decided by Fin-Kedinn, the Raven Clan leader.

In the Raven camp, Torak fights Hord, a Raven youth, to prove his innocence. He wins by blinding Hord with steam from a stew. This, together with the dog whistle Torak made to summon Wolf, makes Fin-Kedinn and Saeunn, the Raven Mage, see Torak as the possible fulfilment of a prophecy about a "Listener". The prophecy states that the Listener will offer his heart's blood to the World Spirit and thereby kill the demon-bear. One interpretation of this prophecy is that Torak must be sacrificed, and his blood taken to the Mountain of the World Spirit.

Torak escapes, helped by Renn, Hord's young sister, who believes Torak must go to the Mountain of the World Spirit himself. Renn tells Torak of the rest of the prophecy, which says he must find three parts of the "Nanuak", the brightest soul, to please the World Spirit and ensure its aid. On their journey together, guided by Wolf, Torak finds the first part of the Nanuak when he falls into a river, the second part in a cave, and the third part on their treacherous crossing of the Ice River close to the High Mountains. Nearly at their destination, Renn and Torak are recaptured by Hord and Oslak, and taken to the Raven Clan's new temporary camp. Fin-Kedinn releases Torak, believing him to be the one who should go to the Mountain. Fin-Kedinn also reveals that Torak's father had dedicated himself to thwarting a group of rogue mages, the Soul Eaters, who have together turned to evil in their determination to rule the Forest. The Soul Eaters created the demon-bear specifically to kill Torak's father; they will therefore see Torak as their enemy, and Torak may be destined to destroy them.

Torak and Wolf climb towards the Mountain alone. The bear is drawn after them by the Nanuak. Torak is unexpectedly attacked by Hord, who believes he must be the one to take the Nanuak to the Mountain. Torak realizes that Wolf is his heart's blood, and as Wolf carries off the Nanuak, Hord and the demon-bear are engulfed by the ensuing avalanche. Torak returns towards the Raven Clan camp alone.