Last Wild Boy by Hugh MacDonald Page A

a protective stance.
    Nora clutched Adam’s basket closer to her and took a couple small steps back, trying to be as quiet as possible.
    A pathetic yelp broke the silence, making Nora jump. It came from a tall stand of ferns nearby. Nora waited while Mabon investigated, his stick raised and at the ready.
    Mabon used his stick to part the ferns, and looked down among them. Then he turned and gestured for Nora to come over. She stepped cautiously toward him and looked down. There, lying at the base of a gnarled apple tree, was the young dog that had defended Nora back when the pack attacked her. The dog’s brown fur was matted with blood, and he could barely lift his head to look up at them.
    â€œHe must have followed us here,” Mabon said.
    â€œPoor thing,” said Nora, bending down to touch his head. The dog whined and blinked up at Nora.
    â€œStep back,” Mabon said. “I’ll have to finish him. We can’t leave him here like this.”
    â€œWhy not?” asked Nora.
    â€œBecause there are too many other creatures out here to come and find him. He’d be eaten alive, just like the leader of his pack.”
    â€œBut he’s hardly more than a puppy,” said Nora, looking up at Mabon. “Couldn’t we take him with us?”
    Mabon stared hard at her. Her face was drawn and pale, except for her fiery red cheeks. He had noticed that she and the baby were breathing with a heavy wheeze and that her voice was raspy and tired. She was in no condition to go much farther on her own, let alone with a baby and a wounded dog. But something in her gold-speckled eyes told him that she was determined to take the dog with them, no matter what he had to say. “I’ll have to carry him,” he said finally. “He won’t be able to walk on his own. But that means you’d need to carry your own bags. Could you manage that?”
    â€œHow much farther will we have to go?” Nora asked, stifling a cough. “Couldn’t we just stay here and rest awhile? It’s not like we know where we’re going anyways.”
    â€œWe can’t stay here,” Mabon said, bending down and tearing a strip of cloth from his tunic. He picked the dog’s leg up and carefully wrapped the cloth around its wound. “We’re too out in the open, and the rangers will be looking for us. We’ll have to find somewhere safe to stay for the night.”
    â€œAnd what happens after that?” Nora asked. “Do we just keep walking forever?”
    â€œI don’t know,” said Mabon. “I’ve been thinking we could go to the Manuhome and see my old friend Dr. Ueland. I’m not sure what, if anything, he’d be able to do to help. Maybe he could hide us there, though I can’t see how. But I don’t know where else to go.”
    â€œWhat’s the Manuhome?” Nora asked.
    â€œIt’s the main facility for both the agricultural and manufacturing homelands. It’s where many of the outsider workers live, and the rest are trained before they’re sent to their postings. I lived there when I was younger, before I was banished to the dead zone. Dr. Ueland is the head of the Manuhome. He trained me himself, and he was good to me.”
    â€œHow far is it?” Nora asked.
    â€œI’m not sure,” said Mabon. “Maybe another’s day’s walk. Maybe more.” He stood up and brushed the dirt from his trousers. “We should get going. It will be getting dark soon.”
    Nora’s grunted as she picked up her own bags. She tried to lift Mabon’s as well, but they were too heavy. “Don’t worry,” Mabon said, picking them up and slinging them over his shoulder. “I’ll take them. You just carry Adam and your bags.” He stooped low and gently raised the dog up. It whined, but settled into the young man’s strong arms without a fight.
    Nora picked up Adam’s basket and