Wayward Creatures: Chapters 23–34

by Dayna Lorentz
Seventh grader Gabriel Meyer wanted to impress his friends, while a coyote named Rill wanted to be free from the responsibilities of her pack, but both end up dealing with the consequences of a destructive fire in a Vermont park.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–13, Chapters 14–22, Chapters 23–34
40 words 5 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. lurch
    the act of moving forward suddenly
    Finally, with one lurch forward, my rump escapes the rock, and I land on my side in the gravel at the bottom of the crevice.
  2. reluctantly
    with a certain degree of unwillingness
    The hiker reluctantly backs away down the trail and continues with her walk.
  3. impending
    close in time; about to occur
    The rumble starts in my gut and builds, revving from zero to full-rage race-car fast at the casual mention of my girl’s impending death.
  4. facility
    a building or place that provides a particular service
    There’s got to be some news out of the rehabilitation facility.
  5. manure
    any animal or plant material used to fertilize land
    “Whoa! I’m throwing manure here. Don’t push me into the poop!”
  6. inspiration
    the act of arousing to a particular emotion or action
    “You know, you’re the inspiration for this. The company who sent the trees mentioned seeing that a local kid was donating profits from his chicken coop sales to rebuild the picnic area.”
  7. blather
    talk foolishly
    Liz declared herself my “public relations” manager for my chicken coops, and then started blathering on about the “urban chicken market” and the need for the coops to have a cool paint job.
  8. nook
    a secluded place, corner, or recessed area
    Near one large tree, there’s a nook created by a rock and a log. I curl myself into it and try not to think about what happens next.
  9. wryly
    in a humorously sarcastic or mocking manner
    “Hey, Mr. Larkin. You got here early.”
    “Is eight early?” He looks to my dad, smiling wryly.
  10. vermin
    any of various small animals or insects that are pests
    “Time was, coyotes were considered vermin,” Dad says. “When I was a kid, my friends would go out on coyote-hunting contests, with a prize for whoever took out the most.”
  11. manipulate
    influence or control shrewdly or deviously
    “If we get the kid on our side, the parents will be on our side.”
    “You want to manipulate a little kid?” Leo asks, and I am kind of with him on this one.
  12. marquee
    a structure, often with a signboard, over an entrance
    “Rockledge coyotes rock,” I say, spreading my hands like I’m revealing a marquee.
  13. commission
    a fee for services rendered
    “They’re hiring in sales?” Mom mumbles from her chair. “And it’s a full-time, salaried position?”
    “With commissions,” Dad says, waggling his eyebrows now.
  14. protocol
    code of correct conduct
    “My contact said the normal protocol would have been to euthanize the coyote on arrival. I think this is a good sign.”
  15. testimonial
    something that serves as evidence
    She offered to make a little testimonial about the incident for our website. Dad offered to film me talking to her.
  16. idly
    in a lazy, casual, or aimless way
    “My pleasure,” he says, idly swiping his phone.
  17. pelt
    the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
    A table has been set up for us, and we put out the coyote pelt and the stack of handouts I printed at school.
  18. conservation
    careful management of the environment and natural resources
    I appreciate your care and concern for the Rockledge coyote. Raising awareness about the role of predators in our ecosystem is an important step in their conservation.
  19. tactic
    a plan for attaining a particular goal
    “It’s a lie,” I say, a little uncomfortable with his tactics.
  20. campaign
    a series of actions tending toward a particular end
    “I’ve got a website and social media campaign, and we did a booth at the Harvest Festival last weekend. My friends and I might even get a news guy to cover it.”
  21. feedback
    the process in which output of a system is returned to input
    Her voice is like feedback squeal to my ears: I can’t help but cringe.
  22. alleged
    declared but not proved
    Owen pitches adding an interview with the mom of the alleged coyote victim, and Cora’s uncle loves the idea.
  23. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    I step tentatively forward. Glance from side to side—no humans.
  24. cleft
    a long narrow opening
    The cleft in the rock is smaller than I remember it, the slope at its far end shallower.
  25. determine
    establish after a calculation, investigation, or experiment
    We were able to determine the date of her injuries because the animal had severe burns resulting from the Rockledge Fire.
  26. optimal
    most desirable possible under a restriction
    An animal is only releasable if it will have the ability to return to its wild life and have an optimal chance of surviving.
  27. rabid
    infected by an acute viral disease of the nervous system
    The Department's policy on coyotes is that if they are releasable and if there is no evidence of their being either rabid or having become a nuisance animal or otherwise become too comfortable with humans, they may be released.
  28. deem
    judge or regard in a particular way
    This animal was deemed to have met the Department's criteria, and was therefore released this morning into its native habitat.
  29. criterion
    the ideal in terms of which something can be judged
    This animal was deemed to have met the Department's criteria, and was therefore released this morning into its native habitat.
  30. crony
    a close friend or associate
    “Let’s go,” he says to his cronies, and they shuffle off.
  31. resin
    a viscous substance obtained from plants or simple molecules
    Teeth waddles in front of me, guiding me along a human path made of crushed stone stuck together with some kind of resin, like sap, only awful and stinking.
  32. tenacious
    stubbornly unyielding
    “I’ll give you this, Rill, you’re tenacious.”
    “Tena-what?” I snarl, licking my shoulder, which throbs with dull pain.
    “You have grit. You follow through. You say you’re going to do something, and you do it.”
  33. prance
    spring forward on the hind legs
    Father leaps and prances around me, sniffing me and licking my fur.
  34. nuzzle
    gently rub or push one's nose or face against something
    His yips fall off and he nuzzles my ruff. “Oh, my girl, my girl,” he whuffles into my fur.
  35. snarky
    easily irritated or annoyed
    “Well, then,” he yips in a snarky tone. “He can wait here.”
  36. slobber
    let saliva dribble from the mouth
    “I’d love that,” I yip, and lick him again, just to get him squealing.
    “No slobbering!” He shuffles off into the brush, shaking like I doused him in drool.
  37. cacophony
    loud confusing disagreeable sounds
    Somewhere in the woods, there’s a cacophony of yips—the runts most likely bungling the squirrel hunt.
  38. bungle
    make a mess of, destroy, or ruin
    Somewhere in the woods, there’s a cacophony of yips—the runts most likely bungling the squirrel hunt.
  39. bicker
    argue over petty things
    I take up the meat, swallow it down, then race toward the bickering runts.
  40. groove
    a long narrow furrow cut by a natural process or a tool
    I slam the shovel in and manage to shift the heavy branch back into the groove I dug for it.
Created on Mon Dec 04 14:40:39 EST 2023 (updated Wed Dec 06 11:52:52 EST 2023)

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