Eleven: Lone Wolves

Fitz takes his wolf cub out before dawn to a remote goatherd’s hut, intending to force independence by leaving him there to hunt mice and survive alone. The cub senses Fitz’s plan and accuses him of betrayal; Fitz uses a harsh Wit repulsion to drive the animal away, severing their connection and leaving Fitz hollow.

While trudging back, Fitz is ambushed by three Forged men. They circle him, ignore offered gear, and attack for “meat.” In a brutal struggle Fitz is bitten, strangled, and wounded; he kills one with his knife but is being overwhelmed when the wolf charges back. Together they kill the attackers; Fitz experiences the kill through the wolf and is sickened.

Afterward, the wolf claims his true name, Nighteyes. Recognizing their interdependence, Fitz accepts pack-bond; they fully join minds, sharing senses and pain. In falling snow they limp home, each supporting the other.

The next day Fitz visits Verity’s tower and finds him Skilling into the winter sea, increasingly compelled by its lure and isolation. Fitz reports the attack; Verity reveals he has tracked Forged ones moving inexorably toward Buckkeep and now orders Fitz to eliminate them. Verity cautions Fitz to avoid brawling and to prepare properly.

They discuss occupying Kettricken by restoring the long-neglected Queen’s Garden. At Verity’s maps, they note the converging pattern of Forged “like moths to a flame,” perhaps drawn to Verity himself. On the Fool’s hinted quests, Verity authorizes Fitz to research Elderlings and the Skill, giving him a key to a cache of scrolls and instructing him to keep patterned notes. Verity then summons Fitz to his tower at dawn, suggesting they may discover another unsuspected Skilled person.