Walker Boh and his party encountered one on their journey to recover the Black Elfstone in The Druid of Shannara. It had been magically warped by the Stone King and made to guard the pass to his kingdom. It was blind, but its other senses made up for that. It lived in a valley strewn with boulders, and its grey fur allowed it to blend in perfectly with its surroundings. According to Horner Dees, he and a group had managed to get past the Koden once before, by running faster than the members of the party the Koden managed to catch. However, this time Walker Boh used his ability to communicate with animals to make the Koden a promise that they would find a way to free it from Uhl Belk's magic if they were allowed to pass.