“He’ll get used to us,” said Kim. “He already knows lots of things he didn’t know when the hunters brought him out of the woods this morning. He just needs a little time.”
Mr. Parker shook his head gravely. “No, I think the best way for Gruff to learn about humans and become a normal human boy is to plunge right in.”
Kim and Paul looked at each other and at me, mystified.
“We’re all new here in Fox Hollow,” said Mr. Parker, speaking slowly so I would understand. “Wolfe Industries, a fine company, built the town and moved all the people here only two weeks ago. So you see, Gruff, none of us knows anyone else very well. The best thing for you would be to join in with all the other kids right away.”
Then Mr. Parker spoke a word that sent chills up my spine. “School!” he said in a booming voice. “You will go to school as soon as we can arrange it.”
Chapter 4
Mrs. Parker shooed Paul and Kim off to bed.
“Would it help you sleep if I left the light on, Gruff?” she asked.
At least that’s what I thought she said. But how could anyone sleep better in the light? Dark was for sleeping. It wasn’t night I was afraid of, but flesh-eating monsters.
As soon as everyone was gone I got into bed. But it wasn’t like sleeping on the floor of my wolf pack’s den. The bed surface was soft. I kept feeling like I was falling.
And it was lonely, curling up by myself. I was used to having all the warm wolf bodies tucked in around me. I missed Wolfmother and Thornclaw, my wolffather. And I missed my brother Sharpfang and especially the cuddly cubs.
I wondered where the wolves were now. The hunters from the town had chased them off and they could never go back to our old den. I wondered if they had found a new one yet.
Finally I got down off the bed and stretched out on the floor, pulling the blanket over my head. It wasn’t the cozy wolf den but it was a little better.
I almost fell asleep. Then just as I started to nod off, something whispered and rustled outside under my window.
The werewolves were back!
I jumped up and went to the window. But there was nothing there. Nothing I could see, anyway.
After a while I gave up looking. I crawled under the bed with my blanket. The little space felt more like a den, and if the werewolves came through the window, maybe they wouldn’t find me.
Chapter 5
It took almost two weeks for the Parkers to get me into school. I spent the time trying to learn to be a human boy—eating strange foods and watching the flickering box they called a TV to see how humans lived. The TV filled me with questions but it helped me a lot with my English.
Then one evening Mrs. Parker announced that Social Services had been unable to locate my parents and that I could stay with the Parkers, if that was-all right with me. Was it! They could see from the grin on my face that it was fine with me.
But my grin faded fast when Mr. Parker said that now everything was set for me to go to school and I could start the next day. Up until now I had stayed indoors mostly, afraid to meet the townspeople who blamed me for the night the werewolves had almost stolen a little human baby. They didn’t believe in werewolves and nothing could convince them that my wolf family wasn’t to blame.
Also, even though I could understand more English from watching the TV, I still couldn’t talk very well. I was curious about school but it was a mystery and it worried me that Paul didn’t like it very much. He was always moaning about how lucky I was to get to stay home all day. Still, all the kids went to school. It was something human kids did. Maybe going to school would make me more human.
Mrs. Parker sent me to bed early, saying I should get a good night’s sleep before my first day of school. I dragged myself upstairs but it was a long time before I fell asleep. In fact, I was sure I wouldn’t sleep at all.
But the next thing I knew sunlight was streaming in and someone was banging on my door.
“Gruff! You awake?” It was Paul.
I scrambled out from under the bed. “Yes,” I said, my voice coming out like a croak.
The door opened and Paul threw something on the bed. “Here’s some clothes for school. Hurry! Mom always makes us eat breakfast before we go.”
Even though I was now used to wearing jeans and T-shirts, it took me a while to figure out these new school clothes. In the woods I wore deerskins to protect me from the rain and cold. When I was little, Wolfmother chewed the hides for me to make them soft. When I got old enough to do it myself I figured out ways to hold the deerskins together with long pieces of dried deer sinew.
These school clothes were completely different. And not very comfortable. But finally I got them on me and went downstairs.
“Gruff! We’re in the kitchen,” yelled Paul.
He and Kim were already eating. They looked up when I appeared in the door. White liquid spurted out of Kim’s mouth as she looked at me, her eyes crinkling. “M-milk,” I said to myself, practicing English. Paul burst out laughing, spraying brown goo across the table.
“What’s so funny?” asked Mrs. Parker, turning around with a glass in her hand. Her eyes widened. “Oh.”
She frowned at Paul and Kim as she came toward me. “Here, Gruff, let me help you with that shirt.
