Farley makes certain to describe the conventional wisdom as well as the orientation material and “expert” information he receives about wolves before his 18 months living among them in the Barrens. At no point in the earlier chapters does he speak of anyone who suggests that the customary view of wolves as cold-blooded sport killers of wild game—especially caribou—and human beings might be inaccurate. So strong is Farley’s belief in the savagery of wolves that he hides beneath his overturned canoe when approached by Mike’s sled dogs, mistaking the huskies for arctic wolves and believing they are about to tear him apart.

However, from his first encounter with wolves in the wilderness, the falsehoods he has heard about the animals begin to dissolve. George, the pack’s alpha male, first spies Farley at a distance of about six feet and—rather than tearing him to pieces—dashes away in surprise. When Farley chances upon the wolves’ den and sets up an elaborate periscope location to observe them, he finds at the end of the day that the adults have been sitting a few yards behind him, watching him curiously. Startled, he shoos them away harmlessly. Wanting to insert himself into their daily routine, Farley marks out three acres for his tent along the trail the wolves follow.