Guests

Ketil keeps thirteen fighting men to defend his farm, and they answer to Snake from a fortified lodging on the property. Their duty centers on nighttime rounds meant to discourage and catch small-time thieves. None of them use their real names, going instead by animal-themed sobriquets, and the story hints that most carry disreputable histories.

During the Slave Arc, Fox and Badger goad Olmar into proving his manhood through killing and drag Thorfinn and Einar to the fortress to serve as his victims; when the scheme falls apart, Fox slashes Thorfinn repeatedly and lops off the tip of his ear before Snake steps in. The band also runs down thieves, seizing the young siblings Sture and Thora. Their sternest trial comes when Gardar breaks loose after slaughtering Kjallakr and his sons: the runaway kills Lizard, escapes captivity by biting a guard's throat, and claims five of the group in all before Snake finally overpowers and binds him.

When Canute marches on the farm, Snake admits they cannot beat a royal army stiffened by Jomsvikings, yet he chooses to stand beside the untrained men bound to fight for Ketil, and his resolve shames the rest into staying. Eight of them survive the battle alongside their leader and remain once Olmar inherits the estate, grumbling as they are put to work tilling the fields for their keep.

Snake commands the outfit, with Fox and Badger among its busiest members. The wider roster takes in Spider, Toad, Rat, Mole, Sparrow and Wild Dog, while Lizard is slain during Gardar's rampage. The group first appears in Chapter 57 and makes its anime debut in Episode 26.