Wild Born: Chapters 8–11

by Brandon Mull
In the first volume of the popular Spirit Animals series, four children must use their newly discovered powers to fight against the forces of evil.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–7, Chapters 8–11, Chapters 12–15, Chapters 16–19
40 words 11 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. foliage
    the collective amount of leaves of one or more plants
    The warm, humid air carried the rich smell of jungle foliage, mingled with the salty tang of the sea.
  2. limber
    capable of moving or bending freely
    The tension departed from her muscles, leaving her relaxed and limber.
  3. innate
    inborn or existing naturally
    Through their bond, Abeke studied the leopard’s techniques while borrowing her sharper senses and innate stealth.
  4. discern
    perceive, recognize, or detect
    By the moonlight, she could discern the coastline, partly shielded from the open water by long sandbars.
  5. balmy
    mild and pleasant
    A balmy breeze ruffled the surrounding leaves, bringing the faint smell of smoke.
  6. considerable
    large in number, amount, extent, or degree
    After a considerable hike, the smoke grew stronger and Abeke could hear distant conversations.
  7. monstrosity
    a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed
    An ordinary dog paced inside one of the other cages, looking small and scared compared to the neighboring monstrosities.
  8. convulse
    move or stir about violently
    Abeke didn’t want to watch, but couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight of the dog convulsing and enlarging.
  9. resonate
    produce a deep, clear sound
    The beefy dog let out a powerful bark that resonated through the jungle, sending birds flying from the trees.
  10. slink
    move or walk stealthily
    Once Abeke noticed her, the leopard slunk back deeper into the trees.
  11. notion
    an odd or fanciful or capricious idea
    Abeke’s first instinct was to run. Her second thought was to help Uraza. But then she got the distinct impression that she should climb. The notion came so strongly that she leaped to the nearest tree, embracing the trunk with arms and knees.
  12. mar
    cause to become imperfect
    Behind her, she saw Uraza had taken to a tree as well, a red wound marring her magnificent pelt.
  13. tenacity
    persistent determination
    Abeke’s tree shook as the dog rammed it with manic tenacity.
  14. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
    The creature sank back, took two wobbly steps, then collapsed on the forest floor with a plaintive whine.
  15. antechamber
    an outer room or waiting area that leads into another room
    In a lofty antechamber, daylight streamed through a stained-glass window, splashing colorful patterns across the floor.
  16. dappled
    having spots or patches of color
    When the wolf passed through the tinted light, dappled hues glossed his gray-white coat.
  17. unfathomable
    impossible to come to understand
    She looked at him with eyes as unfathomable as the ocean. He wondered if she could read his mind.
  18. sheer
    very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front
    He had been climbing a high, rugged mountain, the rough stone as cold as ice beneath his palms. Scaling a sheer face, he had reached a point where he could progress no farther, nor could he descend the way he had come.
  19. lurch
    move abruptly
    He gave an agonized scream and then he fell, his stomach lurching to his throat as he hurtled toward the ground.
  20. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    Briggan stood up, watching her intently.
  21. consequence
    the state of having important effects or influence
    “Dreams can range from the meaningless to the prophetic,” Lenori said. “It usually takes experience to discern one from the other. The dreams Rollan and Meilin shared with me were of little consequence..."
  22. loll
    hang loosely or laxly
    Briggan turned his head, his tongue lolling out in another wolfish grin.
  23. cadence
    a recurrent rhythmical series
    Lenori was speaking but Conor got lost in the cadence of her words. Her voice was rhythmic, a melodic pulse that steadied and calmed him.
  24. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    Tarik’s otter darted around the room in bursts of motion, clambering across furniture and bookcases.
  25. vigor
    active strength of body or mind
    In spite of the white in his hair and beard, he had thick, powerful limbs and a broad chest. Age had not yet robbed him of strength or vigor.
  26. unscathed
    not injured
    Before the original Essix, Briggan, Jhi, and Uraza joined the fight, we were losing the war. None of the continents went unscathed. Most of Nilo and Zhong had fallen.
  27. besiege
    surround so as to force to give up
    The Zhongese and Niloans who escaped fled to Eura and Amaya, only to find those nations besieged as well. Cities were razed. Food was in short supply.
  28. fledgling
    young and inexperienced
    The Greencloaks were a fledgling organization then, but when four of the Great Beasts showed their support, the Marked flocked to join us.
  29. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
    They tend to remain aloof, only getting involved during times of the direst peril.
  30. talisman
    a trinket thought to be a magical protection against evil
    “Each of the Great Beasts protects a unique talisman,” Lenori inserted. “A totem that houses great power.”
  31. prevalent
    most frequent or common
    It’s a prevalent opinion, shared in varying measures by the Prime Minister of Amaya, the Queen of Eura, the Emperor of Zhong, and the High Chieftain of Nilo.
  32. brash
    offensively bold
    He can be patient and subtle, or ruthless and brash, depending on the need.
  33. lament
    regret strongly
    I lament that you’re all so young, but your connections to the Fallen will be critical in finding and retrieving the talismans. These talismans could change the course of the war.
  34. battlement
    a notched rampart around the top of a castle or city wall
    By the muted moonlight, Meilin could make out that she was on the roof of a tower bordered by battlements.
  35. blunder
    make one's way clumsily or blindly
    Down below, Shane blundered closer to her hiding place.
  36. wrought
    shaped to fit by altering the contours of a pliable mass
    A circlet ringed his head, wrought like a snake consuming its own tail.
  37. wizened
    lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
    To one side of the king crouched a wizened old woman on a stool, bundled in coarse rags.
  38. plausible
    apparently reasonable, valid, or truthful
    This information was new to her, but she supposed it was all plausible.
  39. crone
    an ugly, evil-looking old woman
    "We don’t require information from you,” General Gar clarified, and gestured to the crone on the stool.
  40. envoy
    someone on a mission to represent another's interests
    “We have already sent an envoy to inform them of the danger they caused and to insist they take their unnatural tests elsewhere.”
Created on Thu Aug 13 10:33:02 EDT 2020 (updated Mon Aug 17 10:06:38 EDT 2020)

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