A 'fellowship of the ring' but with only 3 in the group. It's a coming-of-age story, wrapped up in a quest. They make a great team, Wolf, Tarok, and the surprise helper. Torak is frightened and frequently tempted to break his promise, but he keeps his word (another moral of the story). (He wonders, 'All of it?') No one has ever climbed the World Mountain or seen the World Spirit - the stuff of legend. He must also offer up his own heart's blood. Torak must also offer sacrifices (find three pieces of the Nanuak: the river eye, stone bite, etc) to the World Spirit.

As his father (Fa) is dying, having been mawled by the bear, 12-year-old Torak makes him a promise: To journey into the frozen North, to the tallest mountain, home of the World Spirit, and plead for help, for only this Spirit is powerful enough to defeat such a demon. PLOT (no major spoilers): A suddenly-orphaned youth and his wolf cub are destined to save the world from a malevolent demon-possessed bear. For example, the ritual of respect young Torak showed to any animals he killed, thanking it and promising to use every part to sustain life (the hide, bones, and meat). There are some life-lessons embedded in the story. The setting is vivid and the story sometimes felt almost real, like it could almost have happened, back when people lived in tribal clans, ate reindeer, and worshipped the spirits in rocks and rivers and ravens. It's told in 3rd person, with the POV shifting from the boy Torak to his brother - a wolf cub. Beautifully written, the story is fast-paced and action-packed. It's a fantasy, set in ancient Bronze-Age Europe, uncounted aeons ago. I listened to Ian McKellen (Gandalf) bring this piece to stunning life.

Wolf brother audio book