"Wolves Beyond the Border" is one of the original stories by American writer Robert E. Howard featuring Conan the Cimmerian, a fragment begun in the 1930s but not finished or published in Howard's lifetime. It is a peripheral story in the canon in that while it takes place in Conan's "Hyborian Age" and during Conan's lifetime, Conan does not actually appear, but is merely mentioned. The story was completed by L. Sprague de Camp and in this form first published in the collection '' Conan the Usurper'' (1967). It has since been published in its original form in the collection '' The Conan Chronicles Volume 2: The Hour of the Dragon'' ( Gollancz, 2001) and '' Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One (1932-1933)'' (Del Rey, 2003).

Plot summary

(From the ''Conan The Usurper'' version, ) Set during the time of Conan's conquest of Aquilonia, the foreword and story refer to ongoing battles between the armies of Conan and King Numedides. The Picts see an opportunity, however. Narrated by a border ranger named Gault Hagar's son, he witnesses a secret Pictish ceremony conducted by Tenayoga, a Ligurean shaman, and Lord Valerian, an Aquilonian nobleman. Gault travels to Fort Kwanyara, near the village of Schondara, where he meets an old friend, exchanges news on Conan's forces, and discovers Lord Valerian's treachery. Valerian escapes his imprisonment and flees into the Pictish Wilderness. Gault escapes his encounter with a giant ape and follows Valerian to a nearby cabin, where he spies on the nobleman's meeting with Tenayoga and his band of Gunderman guards. The leaders of four Pictish tribes plan on joining forces and consult a wizard in their swamp. Gault, Hakon, and their rangers attack the cabin, setting it alight. The two rangers track those who escaped the carnage into a swamp and are soon captured. The tribes agree to raid Schondara first and quickly depart, leaving their captives bound at the stake. Gault escapes his bonds, slays the wizard, and the pair are just in time to sabotage the Pictish assault while being declared as heroes. The atmosphere of the story is reminiscent of the American Frontier, with a plot that could have been easily transferred to that environment, with Aquilonian settlers as early Americans and Picts as Indians. Indeed, Howard did effect such a transformation with the preceding Conan story, "

The Treasure of Tranicos "The Black Stranger" is a fantasy short story by American writer Robert E. Howard, one of his works featuring the sword & sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian. It was written in the 1930s, but not published in his lifetime. When the original Conan ...

", which is set in the same Pictish environment: failing to find a publisher, he transferred the story to a historical American background.

Adaptation

The story was first adapted by Roy Thomas and Ernie Chan in ''Savage Sword of Conan'' #59The Savage Sword of Conan #59
(in comicvine.com) and then in 2005-2006 by

Timothy Truman Timothy Truman (born February 9, 1956) is an American writer, artist and musician. He is best known for his stories and Wild West-style comic book art, and in particular, for his work on ''Grimjack'' (with John Ostrander), ''Scout'', and the re ...

and

Tomas Giorello Tomas may refer to: People * Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name * Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name * Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name * Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian su ...

for

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops know ...

References

External links

Conan the Barbarian at AmratheLion.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolves Beyond The Border 1967 short stories Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E. Howard Pulp stories Fantasy short stories Horror short stories Picts in fiction Short stories published posthumously