Hmmm... that's really good. I didn't think of that, but it makes much sense, a very recognizable geographic feature, and still in the wilderness.

I could see Perrin eventually telling the wolves to hurry up, that he will wait for them X moons, and bring them north for the Last Hunt. But at first, the wolves will just start coming to him on their own, as the pack he called to fight at Malden has sent the signal to all the others they've found him. At first, Perrin will fight this.

Another point to note: Rand seems aware that Perrin is where he needs to be. He told as much to Nynaeve who wondered what he knew. Rand may have seen the wolf gathering off-screen – Brandon wasn’t about to let us know too much in TGS about Perrin and Mat, he cleverely just told us about the obvious, like the Galad-Morgase reunion (that came off a bit like a cheat, that Tam would mention that over everything else…), and Mat having to wait in Caemlyn before going to Ghenjei.



I wonder about that too. It's related to why the heck Slayer bothers giving the wolves in TAR the "final death"? For fun? I doubt it, even though he enjoys doing that a lot I think he has deeper reasons.

A possibility is that the Dark One intends to twist tel'aran'rhiod to his will and do something with that to the Pattern, and he intends only his dreamwalkers to use it, that no one fights his Will there. Egwene, the WO, the Heroes, they're not the primary problem as there are few of them (though the Shadow used to have Egwene well surrounded, and her abilities undermined), but there would be hundreds of thousands or more wolves in TAR, all very well used to TAR powers, all hating the Shadow.... a formidable force for Perrin to use in TAR, combined with the human dreamwalkers.



And there's little reason to believe it would all happen miraculously near SG in the last five minutes.... as you point out, the other gatherings have begun... including two very "late" ones: the Bordermen with Lan, the Ogier, both in KOD.

The timing seems very right for Perrin to get his army of wolves in TOM, as the LB begins. I think it's significant that he was named as Wolf King by the woman to whom he later gave the Manetheren banner (that was just an illusion in his mind, this “kingdom” of men), and from then on he has raised his real banner: the wolfhead.

It’s also very fitting that Perrin has to reconcile the worse wolf-haters among humans with the wolves (and with himself!), especially that the WC share the wolves’s visceral hatred of the Shadow. The WC could learn a few lessons from the wolves… like that they must protect their own pack – humans - not become their predators! There’s no place for rabid wolves in a pack, the others must put them down for the good of the pack (that would be a very wolfish thing to tell Perrin about the WC, incidentally).




One of them, at least. I still suspect there's another important aspect and it's men, (or rather women) as for a long time Faile has somewhat represented Perrin's tie to his human side. He is wolf, she is woman. Faile grounds Perrin in the world of man, she is like his safety line so he doesn't forget the human part of him, and to make him return to mankind once his role as wolf is over. She is also a threat, when he deals with his fears for her with blind wolf instincts (like Hopper who got stupidly killed over his dead she-wolf in EOTW), not as a rational man.

There's been much foreshadowing (going back to TGH and maybe even EOTW and I forget) of how much the Bordermen value the wolves. An Arafellin pushed the EFers to give Perrin the wolfhead as sigil, and praised the wolves to them, how they hate the Shadow. A Saldaean (Faile) called him lovingly her "wolf king" back in TSR, and told him to tell his mother he was the king of wolves...

I think Brandon managed to hide from us that not only Tam al'Thor left Perrin. Cadsuane spoke of a few very important people with Perrrin, including one who was vital. The vital one was apparently Tam. Who are the others and how they interested Cadsuane? One might be Berelain, if Cadsuane has gotten ideas about the Seanchan, like sending to them an heir of Hawkwing as a last chance effort to turn them around. Nynaeve and Cadsuane have discussed Rand's failure with the Bordermen when Nynaeve got back, a failure Cadsuane and Nynaeve both expected. Nynaeve is the most motivated to convince the Bordermen to go north soon, because Lan's survival may depend on it, but as Green Cadsuane is very worried too.

I think Cadsuane/Nynaeve have decided to take matters in their hands. They fetched Tam for Rand – that was the most important, but I think they're also about to send their own embassy to deal with the Bordermen. Nynaeve expected to tell Rand after his meeting with Tam if it went as they wished, but Rand has left and they'll go forward without him. That embassy could likely include: Faile Bashere (perhaps with her father.. which would be a mistake.. but in TGS there was this possible indirect foreshadowing that Davram might return to his Queen), Kiruna Nachiman - Paitar's favourite and beloved sister (she’s in Cairhien), Nynaeve Mandragoran - bringing Lan's ring to the fore and pleading the rulers for their help: will they come too late to help Malkier again, Lan is now protecting their own lands, or will they return to their duty? Cadsuane could also include a mix of Greens and Borderlanda Aes Sedai with Rand to add weight to the embassy, like Aisling Noon (Easar’s advisor), and a Shienaran and a Kandori, and Asha'man from Cadsuane's circle, like Jahar Narishma with Merise etc. Perhaps Alanna too, reunited with Perrin (and perhaps with a letter from Verin for him? We know there has to be a Verin letter to Perrin as well and unlike Mat who left trails with the Band she had no way to find him with ease... and it should concern Isam and the wolves and Wolf King, perhaps reveal what Verin knows of the importance of the wolves for the Light). I don't think Cadsuane will be included, she will want to wait to see if Rand returns, and in what state he will be and how doomed they are or not (right now, she must fear the worst and perhaps be quite defeated by her new failure.. .which is why I think it’s mostly Nynaeve that will rise up and take the initiatives for a while)

I think the climax in Perrin's story line could include not only his army of wolves, but also Faile bringing the Bordermen to his side. In the battle that starts TG or through previous or parallel events in TOM (eg: there may well be an attack by the Shadow at Far Madding - I doubt the Shadow's plan is to let the Bordermen get stranded where Rand could find them and send them back home, and being within the Guardian's power they have just negated their circle of thirteen and are sitting ducks for channellers attacking from outside the city... or even for the sort of Shadowspawn army sent against Rand in KOD - Davram Bashere was stunned by its size, and knew without Rand they were all dead. The longer they stay near FM, the more chances the Shadow will strike at them massively), Tenobia will die trying to lead her men in battle, and Davram too (not necessarily in those events or that story line), so when Faile is reunited with the Wolf King, she comes to him as Queen. Jordan could even continue the trend that female rulers of men, so far no male ruler (with Perrin it's male=wolf, female=human), come to Perrin by offing Paitar Nachiman and making Kiruna their ruler for now, and if Easar dies, maybe it's Alesune, his powerful female advisor and mistress of his household, who would lead the Shienarans with Agelmar as her general, before Easar's son can take the throne).

Because of how the books have been divided, it means probably most of Perrin's story line will happen before Nynaeve (I'm under the impression it's her who went to visit Perrin, with or without Cadsuane with her) finds him. It's then that she would also ask Faile for her help with the Bordermen, or just let slip something about the situation and Faile will offer. Perrin would arrange to join Faile at Far Madding once the wolf gathering is finished. It could mean it's the army of wolves that could save the Bordermen. And all these people Travel to the site of "the reunion" (Caemlyn, most people agree) My feeling remains that Perrin won't come to Caemlyn to fight, and Mat will arrive in the middle of the battle. I think Perrin may arrive only in the aftermath of the battle and soon after (at the beginning of AMOL, maybe) will Travel with wolves and Bordemen to the north (I would also expect many channellers will be sent with him), where I think Lan will already be facing big trouble. Isam might follow the wolf army and Perrin. That would be a good way to bring about the Lan/Isam face-off too, also expected to happen.

What of Berelain in TOM? I expect her to play a role with Galad, but I suspect she might also be integral to the Seanchan resolution. We're not done with Tylee and that "I'd like an alliance with Perrin Aybara" stuff from the TGS prologue.

And I'll make one final prediction, about the "hidden threat": the Forsaken who will hunt Perrin and stay hidden is the same one who has appeared to Masema in a vision as Rand and tried to make him kill Perrin. There's only one Forsaken who has been tied to both Perrin and the wolves: Lanfear, aka Cyndane, Moonhunter to the wolves. And she's been tied to Perrin at the same time Masema went mad... Lanfear is also the only Forsaken would back in TDR could have conceived the crackpot notion of manipulating Masema into becoming Rand's prophet and gather him an army of fanatics: Lanfear. I have long believed Masema was an aborted project of Lanfear.

There's your possible TAR connection Etzel: the wolves are guarding Perrin's dreams, but at least for now they aren't protecting his people's dreams, and there's plenty of potential assassins to manipulate near him. I think in TOM, Perrin's people are going to face a plague of nightmares and people lead by their dreams will very suddenly try to assassinate Perrin (Byar, a BA in the group for exampl, but perhaps very unexpected people we know to be good but now driven mad) and the wolves are going to help him fend off these attacks from TAR, and protect people's dreams from Cyndane. I suspect a lot Elyas will be killed in TAR, either by Slayer or by the "hidden threat".