Trull, his brothers, Midik and Theradas Buhn are at the edge of the ice field. The Arapay have told them of fur-shrouded killers that hunt the ice fields called Jheck, but so far they have not been attacked. A broad crevasse cuts their path. They decide to descend by rope and spend the night at the bottom. Theradas explores and finds others have been there before, for there is a rough altar with offerings of shells. Beyond is a huge plane of ice, containing the frozen bodies of stampeding beasts, and huge wolves. The brothers speculate it was created by sorcery of the Watcher, of the Ice Hold.