Spice and Wolf, Vol. 1

Spice and Wolf, Vol. 1 (狼と香辛料) is the first volume of Spice and Wolf. It was written by Isuna Hasekura with illustrations by Jyuu Ayakura. It was originally released on February 10, 2006 by Dengeki Bunko.

Summary
"The life of a traveling merchant is a lonely one, a fact with which Kraft Lawrence is well acquainted. Wandering from town to town with just his horse, cart, and whatever wares have come his way, the peddler has pretty well settled into his routine- that is, until the night Lawrence finds a wolf goddess asleep in his cart. Taking the form of a fetching girl with wolf ears and a tail, Holo has wearied of tending to harvests in the countryside and strikes up a bargain with the merchant to lend him the cunning of 'Holo the Wisewolf' to increase his profits in exchange for taking her along on his travels. What kind of businessman could turn down such an offer? Lawrence soon learns, though, that having an ancient goddess as a traveling companion can be a bit of a mixed blessing. Will this wolf girl turn out to be too wild to tame?"

Prologue
It is often thought that the way wheat sways in the wind makes it look as though a wolf is running through it. This has spawned sayings regarding the "wolf's" role in the wheat's growth. An unnamed being muses over them, finding them pretty but flawed. She has come to notice that not many people regard these sayings with the same level of wonder as they once did.

Over the past few centuries, many things have changed: the lifespan of humans has increased and those that once remembered the ancient promise are long gone. She feels as though the village she has spent so much time overseeing is no longer in need of her. Staring at some distant mountains, the unnamed being wistfully thinks of her homeland as she sets to grooming her tail.

Chapter 1
After picking up some marten pelts for trade, Kraft Lawrence gazes around the vicinity from his wagon. His eyes spot a monastery, and from there, someone waves at him. Curious, he meets the figure halfway and is surprised to find out that the man is a knight. Not only that, but another knight is standing close to the monastery, presumably on guard.

From the knight's arrogant manners and low-ranking gray cloak, Lawrence deduces that this man was recently knighted. He offers the man a honey drop, knowing the sweet would help soften the knight a bit.

Lawrence had finished trading some salt at a mountain village for their wheat. He plans on going to the northwest to sell the wheat. In exchange for another honey drop, the knight explains that word of a pagan festival had reached the monastery, hence the extra guard. Lawrence lies about not knowing what the festival is about. In truth, it's just a standard harvest festival, albeit a more grandiose one than some other villages have.

He isn't surprised that the Church is keeping a close eye on the assumed pagan festivities. Its influence has dwindled throughout the years; those who work for or alongside the Church are clinging to whatever authority can weld. A merchant through and through, Lawrence's main- and perhaps only- concern is what affect this would have on various businesses and, by extension, his own profits.

By the time Lawrence arrives in Pasloe, the harvesting is close to being finished. As it turns out, the last bit to be cut is where Yarei is helping out. He stops his wagon near the field, watching as people jeer goodnaturedly at the people still harvesting. Continual questions of “Were is the wolf? Who will catch Holo?” fly about until the very last bundle of wheat is cut. Yarei, Lawrence's acquaintance, turns out to be this year's “Holo”, letting out a wolfish howl. The farmers chase after him.

Yarei being this year's Holo is unfortunate for Lawrence; he'd wanted to report to his friend and business middleman about the goings on at the monastery. Since he has pelts and wheat to sell- not to mention bills to pay- Lawrence can't wait until the festival ends to speak to him. Still, there isn't much he can do about it; as an outsider, he isn't exactly welcome to join in.

Climbing back onto his wagon, Lawrence feels envious of the farmer's neighborly home life. His work as traveling merchant often sees him hopping from place to place as he chases down profit. It leaves him little if any time at all to stay in area for too long. Much like every other traveling merchant, Lawrence dreams of one day picking a town and opening up a shop. Unfortunately, the big deals that could help him earn that money are usually taken up by large trading companies before he can get them.

As he gazes at the moon later that night, thoughts of the various people he's met flutter through his head. Recently, a sense of loneliness has become his companion. The only living thing that sticks by him year round is his horse, and the possibility of it suddenly turning human is zero. Lawrence had even laughed at the common tale among his occupation, but know he kinda wishes it would happen.

Sighing at himself, he spots a river and spot next to it that would like good for camping. Deciding to call it a night, he stops his wagon and hops into the wagon bed, intending to settle down on the marten pelts for the night. However, when he flips up the tarp covering them, he's greeted with the sight of a teenage girl fast asleep under the pelts.

Confused and annoyed, he tries to wake her up by raising his voice while pointedly asking why she's in his wagon. Based on her beauty and age, he guesses that she might be a village runaway or a prostitute. Both are trouble, but the latter explanation would make for a bigger headache if true. Despite the noise he is making, the girl continues to sleep on, blissfully unaware. Lawrence takes the pelt under her head and tugs it out. When the girl's head moves out from underneath other pelts, Lawrence sees a pair of dog ears at the top of her head.

The girl finally awakes, standing up to reveal a tail attach to her rear and that she's completely naked. Looking to the moon, she lets loose a howl, showing off a pair of small fangs. The howl is a true wolf's cry that spooks both the horse and Lawrence. Once finished, she speaks to Lawrence casually, like she hides in stranger's wagons and howls at the moon all time.

For his part, Lawrence tries to demand information from the mysterious girl, but the girl either ignores his fear or doesn't care that he's afraid. It isn't until he calls her a demon and pulls a dagger on her that she takes the situation seriously, introducing herself as Holo.

Lawrence assumes that Holo is a village girl who's possessed by a demon, hidden away by her family until she managed to escape confinement. However, the conversation that follows contradicts this statement: according to Holo, she's from a northern town called Yoitsu, a place Lawrence knows as a story. And in that story, Yoitsu was said to have been destroyed by bear-like creatures six centuries ago.

He recalls a mention of changing forms earlier. If she is a wolf spirit who's taken human form, she should be able to prove that she is indeed Holo by shifting into her wolf form. Holo, however, is reluctant to. So, Lawrence gives her an ultimatum: if she can prove she's a wolf and not a possessed human, he won't turn her over to the Church. In order for her to transform, though, she needs to eat some wheat or fresh blood.

The mention of blood makes Lawrence's fear rise again, making Holo even less inclined to transform. However, her own fear of the Church outweighs her annoyance. She eats a grain of wheat and turns her left arm into a huge wolf's paw. Seeing his disbelief, she invites him to touch it, teasing him playfully. Sure enough, the wolf's paw is solid and warm beneath his hand.

Despite all the evidence, Lawrence is still doubtful Holo is who she says. Then she gives an explanation as to how she was able to escape: since she lives in the wheat, she can only move from one sheaf of wheat to a larger sheaf that's nearby. The wheat Lawrence is hauling met those requirements, meaning Holo was able to move from the field to his wagon.

As Holo returns her arm to normal, Lawrence threatens to return her to Pasloe; without their harvest god, the village will suffer, surely. Holo sets him straight with tears in her eyes and anger in her voice; the days where the villagers would need a god to oversee their harvests is long gone. The only reason she stayed in Pasloe was because of a promise she'd made eons ago, and whatever reverence they once had for her is a thing of the past.

Now that she's finally freed, Holo wishes to travel with Lawrence to see what has changed in the world since she settled in Pasloe. After that, she will return to Yoitsu. Ever the traveling merchant, Lawrence claims to think on this offer, half-convinced now that Holo is who she says. As he covers himself in the furs and lays next to Holo, though, it's clear he's already accepted. Closing his eyes, he looks forward to seeing if Holo will still be there or if she will have made off with his cargo.

The next morning, Holo was doing a bit of both. She was still in the wagon bed, but shuffling through Lawrence's belongings. In fact, she'd seen fit to try on his best- and most expensive- clothes. For his part, Lawrence can't bring himself to be angry, even finding the sight of the small Holo in clothes far too big for her charming.

As she shows off, Holo asks him what he decided. Lawrence agrees to her offer on the condition that she help him with his merchant business. Offended at the implication that she would be a freeloader, Holo readily accepts.

She immediately proves herself helpful by pointing out that it will rain soon. Annoyed that she didn't warn him earlier, they hastily pack up the few belongings he'd gotten out of the wagon. Once that's done, they both slide onto the riding bench, it just barely big enough to fit the two of them. Taking the reins, the odd business duo set off together for the first time.

Chapter 2
To be added...

Chapter 3
To be added...

Chapter 4
To be added...

Chapter 5
To be added...

Chapter 6
To be added...

Epilogue
To be added...

Characters

 * Kraft Lawrence
 * Holo
 * Yarei
 * Zheren

Trivia

 * During Holo and Lawrence's first conversation, Holo mentions Nyohhira. This is the town that she and Lawrence would eventually settle down in.
 * In the anime, Yarei's role was given to an anime original character called Chloe.
 * When the light novels were first released in English, Yen Press gave the first six volumes original covers. The manga-style illustration of Holo was instead used as a dust jacket. The reason this was done was to reach a wider audience.
 * J. Michael Tatum, the voice actor for Lawerence, narrated the audiobook version of this volume.