Elf Dog and Owl Head: Chapters 10–14

by M.T. Anderson
With a virus shutting down most of his world aboveground, young Clay O'Brian decides to play in the woods, where he meets an elf-hound that belongs to the People Under the Mountain and an owl-head boy who lives in a hidden village.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–9, Chapters 10–14, Chapters 15–21
35 words 12 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. despair
    a state in which all hope is lost or absent
    “Well, that really cheers me up,” said Vud. “It moves me right from the pit of despair to the swamp of depression.”
  2. bewildered
    extremely confused and uncertain what to do
    Clay said, “It looks like the key to an old-fashioned door.”
    “Old-fashioned?” Amos the Owl Boy said, bewildered.
    “Never mind.” Clay grinned. “For you, I’m sure this is really modern.”
  3. intent
    giving or marked by complete attention to
    They were so intent on looking for a secret passage, they did not notice a dark blue shape winding its way through the underbrush toward them.
  4. snag
    a sharp or rough part that sticks out from a surface
    He watched her dart through the trees, leaping cleanly over snags.
  5. bramble
    any of various rough thorny shrubs or vines
    The wyrm landed curled and in pain in the brambles.
  6. stagger
    walk with great difficulty
    Clay staggered, tripping over fallen branches.
  7. crevasse
    a deep fissure
    The river tumbled down between boulders into pools and a deep crevasse in the earth.
  8. furrow
    a slight depression in the smoothness of a surface
    Elphinore sank her teeth deep into the monster’s neck. But the price was high: the wyrm twisted and clawed and slashed three huge furrows in the dog’s hip.
  9. malice
    the quality of threatening evil
    She looked into the old wyrm’s eyes. They reflected only hunger and malice.
  10. abyss
    a bottomless gulf or pit
    But more importantly, the wyrm, eyes wide with shock, plunged down the waterfall, her tail still wound around the falling log. She slammed into rocks. And then she hurtled into the dark abyss where the water poured all around her.
  11. tumult
    violent agitation
    There was no sign of the wyrm in the tumult of waters.
  12. hobble
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    His whole lower leg was now throbbing with pain from running on his twisted ankle.
    Hobbling to sit down on a rock, Clay said, “Thanks, Amos.”
  13. maul
    injure badly
    And they’ll never let me come out here again with scratches on me like this. They’ll think I was mauled by a bear.
  14. stanch
    stop the flow of a liquid
    He took off his shredded sweatshirt and tied it around her to try to stanch the bleeding.
  15. totter
    walk unsteadily
    Amos was small, and the dog was heavy for him. He tottered under her weight.
  16. intoxicated
    stupefied or excited by a chemical substance
    She slithered onward, intoxicated by the friendly, familiar smells of mildew, fungus, and mold.
  17. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    Elphinore was sprawled in Amos the Owl Boy’s arms.
  18. apothecary
    a health professional who prepares and dispenses drugs
    The elders took the boys into an apothecary house, a simple one-room house with herbs hanging from the ceiling, and many jars and tubs of mysterious liquids on shelves.
  19. salve
    a preparation applied externally as a soothing remedy
    The doctor spread some of the salve on his side.
  20. unguent
    preparation applied externally as a remedy or for soothing
    There is not much I can do for this ankle. The growth unguent would cause the skin to harden and his bone to grow bumps and spurs.
  21. tend
    have care of or look after
    She busied herself tending to his leg.
  22. splint
    a medical device to immobilize and protect a body part
    The doctor had tied a splint made of mouse skin and birch bark over Clay’s ankle.
  23. stuffy
    lacking fresh air
    Inside, the church was hot and stuffy in the summer sun.
  24. gouge
    an impression in a surface, as made by a blow
    The three pink stripes from the wyrm’s gouges were faint.
  25. marooned
    cut off or left behind
    He was going to be stuck back in his house, marooned with his family.
  26. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    He has not been by for a while. I had assumed he was dead.
  27. spare
    save or relieve from an experience or action
    Or perhaps he is dead, and in his last whispered words, he requested that you come and tell me. Spare me nothing. I will shed no tears.
  28. utterly
    completely and without qualification
    “I am like no one. I am utterly alone. Trapped in this world.”
  29. trilobite
    an extinct arthropod with a three-part exoskeleton
    When Jed said he had just gone swimming at Walsh Pond, DiRossi said that dumb little puddle was nothing compared to swimming with the plesiosaurs and trilobites in the oceans before the great comet fell.
  30. loom
    appear very large or occupy a commanding position
    She imagined the day when everyone had gone back to school, and they were sitting there, wondering where she was—and then, outside the windows, they would see a huge, looming blue figure.
  31. homestead
    dwelling that is usually a farmhouse and adjoining land
    If she survives the first night, perhaps she will eventually set up a small homestead. A hut.
  32. aphid
    any of various small plant-sucking insects
    Maybe one day she will marry a talking cricket and farm aphids with him.
  33. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    She glowered at him. He stared, unconcerned, toward the blue sky and waited for her to realize everything he would not say.
  34. confirm
    establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
    “Some dumb giant.”
    “Vud,” Clay confirmed. “He’s kind of depressing.”
  35. ruthless
    without mercy or pity
    She and the other dogs of the royal palace always had to be serious and ruthless. They were not supposed to be animals, exactly—they were supposed to be weapons.
Created on Sun Apr 21 12:39:00 EDT 2024 (updated Mon Apr 22 09:11:32 EDT 2024)

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