Where the Red Fern Grows: Chapters 10–13

by Wilson Rawls
Billy saves enough money to buy two pups, Old Dan and Little Ann. Together they become one of the best hunting teams in the Ozarks—and devoted friends as well. But when the unthinkable happens, Billy must learn how to nurture hope in a time of tragedy.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–13, Chapters 14–20
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. prowl
    move about in or as if in a predatory manner
    It wasn’t too hard for a smart old coon to fool Old Dan, but there were none that prowled the riverbanks that could fool my Little Ann.
  2. nonchalantly
    in a composed and unconcerned manner
    The next morning I hung around the house for a while, and then nonchalantly whistled my way out to the barn.
  3. belligerent
    characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight
    He strutted around with a belligerent and tough attitude.
  4. bewildered
    extremely confused and uncertain what to do
    He was bewildered and mad. I was getting a thrill from it all, as I had never seen them fooled like this.
  5. churn
    be agitated
    His powerful front legs were churning the water.
  6. slough
    a stagnant swamp
    As fast as I could run, I circled the slough, climbed up over the bluff, and came down to where Little Ann was.
  7. cyclone
    an atmospheric system in which air circulates rapidly
    Many years before my time, a terrible cyclone had ripped its way through the mountains, leaving its scar in the form of fallen timber, twisted and snarled.
  8. predicament
    an unpleasant or difficult situation
    I had often wondered what Old Dan would do if Little Ann got into some kind of a predicament.
  9. rile
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
    This did rile me up. I didn’t like to be kissed like that.
  10. wade
    walk through relatively shallow water
    I was hoping he wouldn’t, for I didn’t want to wade the cold water unless I had to do it.
  11. cunning
    crafty artfulness, especially in deception
    Never underestimate the cunning of an old river coon. When the nights are dark and the ground is frozen and slick, they can pull some mean tricks on a hound.
  12. eddy
    a miniature whirlpool or whirlwind
    The still eddy waters next to the banks had frozen, but out in the middle, where the current was swift, the water was running, leaving a trough in the ice pack.
  13. mournful
    expressing sorrow
    Sitting down on the ice, he raised his head and howled the most mournful cry I had ever heard.
  14. paralyze
    cause to be immobile
    It was only a matter of time until her body would be paralyzed by the freezing water.
  15. plight
    a situation from which extrication is difficult
    I groaned at her plight. All I could see was her head and her small front paws. Her claws were spread out and digging into the ice.
  16. pelt
    the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
    No coon hunter came into my grandfather’s store with as many pelts as I did.
  17. disposition
    your usual mood
    He had the meanest disposition of any boy I had ever known.
  18. leer
    look suggestively or obliquely
    Leering at me, he said, “I’d like to make a bet with you.”
  19. gnaw
    bite or chew on with the teeth
    Looking at Grandpa, he gnawed at one corner of it.
  20. sidle
    move sideways
    Rubin sidled over. “This ain’t none of your business,” he said.
  21. smirk
    smile in a mocking or condescending way
    As they turned to leave, Rainie smirked. “Sucker!” he said.
  22. designate
    indicate a place, direction, person, or thing
    The following evening I arrived at the designated spot early.
  23. stingy
    unwilling to spend
    Rainie started telling me how stingy and crooked my grandfather was.
  24. wily
    marked by skill in deception
    The wily old coon crossed the river several times, but couldn’t shake my dogs from his trail.
  25. debris
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    Looking down, I could see the broken tangled mass of the top. Debris from floods had caught in the limbs, forming a drift.
  26. undermine
    dig beneath
    I lost sight of her when she came close to the undermined bank.
  27. wallow
    roll around
    I could hear her clawing and wallowing around, and then all hell broke loose.
  28. maneuver
    an action aimed at evading an opponent
    At this maneuver, Rubin said to Rainie, “He’s heading for that tree.”
  29. surpass
    be or do something to a greater degree
    He had already far surpassed any coon I had ever chased.
  30. resistance
    the military action of combating the enemy's advance
    When I came down, I saw my dogs had given up. That took the last resistance out of me.
  31. taut
    pulled or drawn tight
    Her body grew stiff and taut.
  32. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    I clambered up and looked over to the fight.
  33. nauseate
    upset and make ill
    The muscles in my stomach knotted and jerked. A nauseating sickness spread over my body.
  34. foliage
    the collective amount of leaves of one or more plants
    As I passed under the branches of the bur oak tree, I looked up into the dark foliage.
  35. daze
    confusion characterized by lack of clarity
    Rainie had been so dazed when he got home, they couldn’t make out what he was trying to tell them, but they knew it must have been something bad.
Created on Wed Sep 16 19:47:42 EDT 2015 (updated Thu Sep 13 16:24:44 EDT 2018)

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