“Excuse me, elder,” Martin said cautiously. “May I ask… where exactly is this place?”
The old man had been staring at him the whole time—eyes sharp and unblinking, as if trying to strip him bare with his gaze. The intensity made Martin’s skin crawl.
“This is the land of our Wolfteeth Tribe,” the elder replied with deep reverence. “My name is Earthwolf. I am one of the tribe’s elders. You may address me as Elder Earthwolf.”
“Earthwolf?” Martin muttered under his breath. “What a strange name.”
But he didn’t dare dwell on it. He quickly asked, “Elder Earthwolf… are there many tribes like yours here?”
He wanted to say savages, but thought better of it. Offending them right now seemed like an excellent way to get killed.
“Indeed,” the old man nodded. “There are many tribes in these lands.
