SPOILER WARNING

Once upon a time, in a strange jungle, where summers can last decades and winters, a lifetime; there lived an Old Wolf.
One day this wolf was charged with the responsibility of executing a Crow that abandoned his murder, that is to say, his flock. The wolf was required to do this because he was the ruler in the northern region of the jungle, the region in which this particular Crow-who-fled was found.
The Old Wolf had 6 cubs. 3 of whom were with him; the Young Wolf, his eldest son and heir; the Winged Wolf, his second son; and the Estranged Wolf, the base-born child of the Old Wolf. He also brought his ward, a Young Squid, as well as some of his other loyal subjects so that they may witness the execution.

The crow's last words are that the Others, monsters from stories of times long passed, are back.

After performing the execution, the Old Wolf returned home somber, his breeding partner, the She-Wolf, asked why the Winged Wolf, young as he was, had to witness such a graphic scene. He explained to her that he wanted to show his cubs, that the one who sentences someone to death, should be the one to perform the execution, that way, killing would not come too easy to them.

The She-Wolf also brought him news. She told him that the Crowned Stag, king of the jungle, would be paying them a visit. She told him that the Stag's old adviser was dead, and it was likely the king wanted the Old Wolf to take his place as the King's Hoof. This made the Old Wolf very unhappy, as being the Hoof was not a prospect he fancied. He did not want to leave his home and travel so far south, to a place where most residents were concerned with preening rather than matters of more importance.

Yawn.. I'm too tired to type out the rest of the story. If you're really interested, read the book. Or, if you're one of those lazy people, watch the series.