A day and a half later, the travelers had come to an area filled with rocky hills. As they stopped for a rest, Dany examined the map. "It looks like we're about halfway there now," she said.

"We're making good time," Brian agreed. "On foot, this journey would probably have taken weeks, or even months. Maybe this isn't such a bad way to travel after all." He was starting to get used to riding on Drogon's back now.

"Do you guys hear that?" Arya asked suddenly.

Brian pricked up his ears. He could hear the faint sounds of moaning and sobbing, mingled with rough laughter. It seemed to come from a grove of stunted trees at the bottom of the hill they were standing on. "Sounds like someone in trouble," he murmured.

"Maybe we should go check it out," said Dany.

Brian, Dany, and Arya went down the hill. When they got to the bottom, they crept around the trees until, through a gap, they saw movement. A group of apelike creatures covered in matted grey fur stood in a clearing. They had beady eyes and wet black noses. Their hands sported long wiry fingers with yellowed claws. It looked like they were gathered around someone who was tied up on the ground, but Brian couldn't tell who it was.

"Gods," Arya swore softly. "I've heard of these things before."

"Me too," Brian whispered. "But I always thought they were imaginary."

"Well, I've never heard of them," Dany said. "What are they?"

Arya smirked. "I expect the list of things you've never heard of would fill several books."

Dany glared at her. "Make one more crack, Stark, and I swear I'll…"

Brian interrupted before another argument could begin. "They're called snarks. Lord Peter Griffin used to tell me stories about them when I was a puppy. According to legend, they'll capture travelers and make them answer riddles. And if you answer wrong, they'll bite off one of your fingers or toes!"

"Who's that they've got tied up there?" Dany wondered.

Just then, one of the snarks moved slightly, creating a gap in the circle, and then they could see the prisoner all too clearly. It was another direwolf!

The captive wolf looked a lot like Brian, except he was brown instead of white, and he had a pointier nose.

"Lemme go!" he wailed. "I ain't done nothin' to ya! I just wanna go home!" He sounded like a New York Boston guy.

"Silence!" roared the largest snark. "You were trespassing on our land, and for that, you must pay! So, we're going to play a little game, wolf."

"What kinda game?" the direwolf asked.

The snark leader leered through a mouthful of sharp yellow teeth. "It's called Twenty Questions. We're going to ask you some riddles. If you answer them all correctly, you get to walk out of here unharmed. But if you get any wrong, we will bite off a finger or toe for every one you miss!"

Arya drew Needle. "We can't let them hurt that direwolf!" She was about to storm into the clearing and attack the snarks single handed, but Brian put a paw on her shoulder to restrain her.

"Hold on. You can't just rush in there. You'll get yourself killed," he said, even though his own stomach turned at the thought of a fellow direwolf having his fingers and toes bitten off.

"He's right," said Dany. "The three of us won't stand a chance in hand to hand combat with a dozen of those monsters. We'll go back up the hill and get Drogon, and he can take care of them."

Reluctantly, Arya slid Needle back into her belt and they all headed back up the hill.

"Okay, here's the first riddle," said the snark leader. "You have a fox and two chickens that you need to get across a river. You can only take one at a time in the boat. The fox will eat the chickens if left alone. What do you do?"

The direwolf thought for a minute, then said, "I'd buy livestock insurance, den barbeque da chickens an' blame da fox!"

The big snark made a sound like a buzzer. "Wrong answer. That's going to cost you a finger."

He raised the wolf's hand to his mouth and was about to bite when he heard a voice from above call, "Dracarys!"

The snark leader looked up and saw Drogon flying over the clearing, with Dany, Brian, and Arya on his back. But he only got a brief glimpse before a burst of fire ended his life.

The other snarks howled and began to run around the clearing, shrieking. Drogon strafed them all and they fell to the ground burning.

Drogon landed and Dany, Brian, and Arya got off his back. The charred bodies of the snarks lay on the ground. Most of them were dead, but Arya heard one of them groaning. She walked over to him, brandishing Needle. "I give you the gift of death. Valar morgulis!" And she slit his throat.

Brian went to the brown direwolf and untied him. "Tanks for savin' me," the wolf gasped.

"No problem," said Brian. "My name's Brian. What's yours?"

The direwolf grinned. "I'm Vinny. Pleased ta meet ya!"