"It is the castle of Lord Julius of Carveling. An English nobleman settled in these lands with his wife and three children in 1610 under King James the First, with the intention of forming a new British colony in this part of the country. However, the first thing he did upon arriving was to build his castle. It was an almost identical but smaller replica of the king's castle, so he used the labor of both the Britons who came with him and the natives of the area. He compensated them by saying that it would be everyone's new home. Within its walls, there was neither fear nor cold nor hunger. The Britons, blinded by their devotion to the king, did not hesitate. In doing so, he helped the naive natives with the promise of peace to the British by showing them where the most resistant trees were to make good timber and tasty prey so that they would avoid hunger.
"But as the construction went on, the working conditions got worse, and it got to the point that the slave traders were with both the natives and the English. But they thought they were building a refuge and a home for everyone, and that was partly true. In a very small part."
"Six years later, the castle was completed. In honor of the completion of the so-called 'colony', Lord Julius held a dinner to which he invited all those involved in the construction. That night, everyone enjoyed a lavish feast. However, some did not know that this would be the first and last time. Where they eat food inside the walls"
"Lord Julius had offered some servants who had come from England a job there to poison food, except for his family. They distributed it at dinner, and if they refused, he would accuse them of treason against the kingdom and execute them. They had no choice, and they obeyed. But they soon expressed their regret for not choosing to be executed"
"This man's service was like hard labor without the possibility of rest. It is said that he trained dogs to follow his servants, and if one of them sat down to rest, the dogs would attack them."
"However, his yoke did not last long. Five years after the castle was completed, their dogs began to disappear. The servants took advantage of this and fled to another colony. But it was only the beginning."
"First was his wife. She disappeared when she went to the nearest colony to hire more servants; then his eighteen-year-old son disappeared while out hunting in the woods; then his fifteen-year-old son went out one morning to get some air. He left the garden and was never seen again. Finally, his ten-year-old son mysteriously disappeared from his bed while he was sleeping."
"Lord Julius went mad. He claimed to have seen spectral wolves roaming the lands surrounding the castle. Although the few visitors he received at the time saw nothing, he became so mad that he confessed to killing the guests at the opening banquet. Some said that these wolves that he saw were the spirits of the guests, British citizens, whom he killed that night, and that their spirits tortured him for not keeping his promise and killing their souls."
"Lord Julius, later known as the Madman of Carverlane Castle, supposedly had the same fate as his family, thanks to a letter he left behind stating that he could no longer bear the guilt and the haunting eyes of the spirit wolves he saw every night from his castle garden, some of them roaming the corridors. This led him to isolate himself in his room, almost without being able to eat. The last thing he said was that he was going into the forest, and they never found him again."
"It was decided to keep the castle because it is considered a historical, albeit much forgotten, heritage." Clyde finished telling the horrific story of the ruins, leaving Andy and Lincoln impressed.
"Fuck, man. What a bad feeling."
"Ghost wolves?" Lincoln kept thinking about every detail, remembering a conversation he had with Edenshaw a year and a half ago, the day he got the tattoo on his back.
-flashback-
Inside a cabin deep in the woods, we find thirteen-year-old Lincoln. The boy was sitting shirtless on a chair, with Edenshaw sitting behind him. The old Indian dipped a thorn in natural ink and hit Lincoln with it with a small hammer, no larger than a hand.
"It is ready. It is finished," said the Indian as he put the tools away.
Lincoln stood up and tensed his muscles, which were already cramping from the lack of movement. "I hope it's good. It's not that I doubt you, master. But…"
"I've done this tattoo many times, Lincoln. Don't underestimate the power of this old man's memory. By the way, it didn't hurt, did it?"
"Not at all." Lincoln had teeth marks on his bottom lip, which meant it was sore. "It's a wolf, isn't it? My totem?"
"Yes. Very powerful." Edenshaw lights his pipe and starts smoking. "However, you are already part of the tribe. When my spirit ascends, you will be responsible for protecting the heritage of my people."
"Master. Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead, little wolf. Ask with confidence."
"Master Wan-xiu said something very strange to me in our last training. Something, according to him, only you can answer."
"Oh. And what is it, little wolf?"
"He told me something about my destiny. Which has to do with my totem. Do you know what he meant?"
"Wan-xiu never spoke clearly, nor did he give direct or concrete answers. But when he says something, you'd better take it seriously. Come closer, little wolf."