I loved Wolfmother more than life itself, so I did the only thing I could. I let go. Rolling onto the ground, I urged her to run without me, to leave me behind. She whined and tossed her head, rolling her eyes. I barked roughly, begging her to run.
Leaper gave a pained little cry and that decided it. Wolfmother gave me one last, mournful look and then disappeared into the swamp with a flash of her bushy tail.
I brushed the tears from my eyes, filled my fists with rocks again, and scrambled into the nearest tree.
Soon the hunters came tramping back, complaining because they hadn’t killed any wolves. I was so mad and upset that I didn’t care if they saw me. I reared back and threw as hard as I could. POW! The rock hit Roy right in the nose.
“Look, up in the tree!”
CRACK! CRACK! The bullets came whizzing by. If I stayed in the tree they’d get me for sure.
So I leaped down to the ground, ready to run for my life.
“Look!” somebody cried. “Is that thing human?”
I turned, but the hunters blocked my way. They were going to kill me, no doubt about it. But if I had to die I was going to die like a wolf, brave and true.
I dropped down on all fours and gave my attack howl. “AROOOOOOH!” Then I ran right at them, snapping and snarling, feeling the wildness in my heart.
They had me in their sights now. They couldn’t miss. It was all over.
I threw back my head and let out a long “farewell” howl to my family.
The Legwalker called Mike was staring at me. His eyes were terrible. Slowly he brought up his rifle.
Chapter 40
I was about to die, and I felt so lonesome and miserable I didn’t even care.
Mike’s finger squeezed on the trigger.
“No!” Roy shouted grabbing Mike’s rifle. “Are you guys blind? That’s not a wolf, that’s a boy!”
“He ain’t like no boy I’ve ever seen. He’s a wild thing.”
Mike and Roy started arguing. Paying attention to each other and not to me. Now was my chance to get away.
I started backing up slowly, not making a sound. Let these stupid Legwalkers argue all they wanted. Meanwhile I’d escape. It didn’t matter that I had nowhere to go, no place to call home. At least I’d be free. Until the next full moon.
I was backing up slowly when something hard and heavy hit me from behind.
The world went black.
Chapter 41
Bouncing.
I was bouncing. Wrapped tight in something scratchy and musty smelling that had last been used by mice—and not recently, either. I didn’t know if I could move.
Where was I?
Carefully, I opened one eye and took a quick peep. Legwalkers! All around me!
I was their prisoner.
Two of them were carrying me, having made a sling out of an old blanket. What were they going to do to me? I had to try to get away.
Desperately, I watched for my chance. But the Legwalkers on either side of me stayed close, hemming me in.
All of a sudden the tension seemed to whoosh right out of the Legwalkers. They all began to breathe easier and walked with more confidence. I noticed the trees begin to thin out. The sunshine was brighter.
We were getting close to the place of the Leg-walker dens.
Then one of the Legwalkers let out a shout and raised his arm. I heard answering shouts coming from nearby.
My insides trembled with fear.
“We bagged ourselves a wolf-boy!” shouted Mike. He laughed, but not like he thought it was funny. More like he was nervous.
I heard footsteps come running to meet us. At the edge of the woods the Legwalkers put me down. They all took a step back and looked at me. The whole town seemed to be crowding around, staring at me.
“Mike nearly shot the kid,” said the one called Roy.
“I did not. I always shoot what I aim at, unlike some I know. The wolf-boy just had the wind knocked out of him. Watch out, he bites.”
“Was he really living in the woods?” said a new voice, pushing through the crowd to stand beside me. It was Paul, the young Legwalker whose den I’d spied on.
“He was helping the wolves,” said one of the hunters in a grim voice. “Kept us from hitting any of them. Fixed it so they got clean away.”
“He must have been raised by them wolves,” said the one called Mike. “Knew all their calls and everything.”
“Cool!” said Paul, his eyes shining. “Hey, Dad, he doesn’t have any place to live now. Could he come home with us?”
“With us?” One of the hunters scratched his head. “We’ll have to call Social Services. But I suppose he can come with us until the authorities figure out what to do with him.”
“I’d be careful,” said Mike warningly. “That boy’s more beast than human.”
I turned my head a little to look at Paul.
“He moved,” cried a new voice, a young voice.
It was the Legwalker I’d frightened, the female from Paul’s room. Kim. She ran forward and dropped to her knees beside me.
I tensed with fear. Did she recognize me from the full-moon night? Did she know I was the monster who’d made her scream?
“This is so cool,” said Paul, his eyes shining. “A real live wolf-boy!”
Kim put her hand on my forehead. It felt warm and soft, like the first real touch of summer sun. “Can you speak?” she asked me, looking straight into my eyes.
“He sure can howl,” laughed one of the hunters. Another one tried to imitate me, sounding more like a sick pig than a wolf.
“Better not get so close, Kim,” said her father. “He might bite. I imagine he’s pretty frightened.”
“Stop!” cried Kim, looking distressed. “He understands you. You do understand, don’t you?”
I swallowed. My heart thumped. If I could make Legwalker sounds, then maybe they wouldn’t hurt me.
“Y-yes,” I said. It came out of my throat sounding like a wolf growl and a snake’s hiss all mixed up
