Endling: The Only: Chapters 1–4

by Katherine Applegate
In this final book of the trilogy, Byx needs more than her truth-finding power to unite the different species and prevent two tyrants from destroying everything that stands in their way.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–10, Chapters 11–23, Chapters 24–33, Chapter 34–Epilogue

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. gait
    an animal's manner of moving
    I have a clumsy gait, silky white fur, and teeth that wouldn’t frighten a kitten.
  2. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    My dappled silver horse was gingerly stepping over submerged stones in a shallow stream.
  3. fitful
    intermittently stopping and starting
    “But I can’t fix the direction with the wind so fitful.”
  4. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    When we reached the far bank, Havoc clambered up while I held on for dear life.
  5. apprehension
    fearful expectation or anticipation
    Still, it’s hard to be a dairne near a hungry felivet and not feel a twinge of apprehension.
  6. impunity
    exemption from punishment or loss
    It’s called the Army of Peace. It’s not called the Army That Lets Eshwins Attack Others with Impunity. We were there to scare the eshwins off.
  7. withers
    the highest part of the back at the base of an animal's neck
    We galloped into a wide meadow dotted with fading wildflowers, Havoc’s hooves pounding the earth. The grass was up to his withers, high enough to conceal a crouching eshwin.
  8. tussock
    a bunch of hair, feathers, or growing grass
    “That large tussock of gewgrass ahead would cushion your fall.”
  9. guttural
    relating to or articulated in the throat
    The eshwin barreled toward me, grunting its guttural cry of triumph—errrOOOT!—and dribbling frothy saliva, anticipating the moment it would slice me open with its tusks.
  10. steward
    one having charge of buildings or grounds or animals
    I recognized one of the stewards who fed and watered the horses.
  11. chide
    scold or reprimand severely or angrily
    “They are disgusting animals,” I said. “And of no use except as food.”
    “Not ‘of no use,’” Sabito chided in his harsh-sounding raptidon voice.
  12. chagrin
    cause to feel shame
    I looked at the ground, chagrined.
  13. concede
    admit or acknowledge, often reluctantly
    “I didn’t mean to lecture. And I will concede that eshwins are not the most...lovable animals.”
  14. toil
    productive work, especially physical work done for wages
    Terramant digs beneath the soil
    In deep and dark and endless toil.
  15. jaded
    exhausted
    How weary I sounded to my own ears! How jaded!
  16. naive
    marked by or showing unaffected simplicity
    Not so long ago, I was just a silly pup. The runt of my litter. Self-involved, naive, impatient to see the world.
  17. sate
    fill to contentment
    The eshwins made for a satisfying meal, and we were feeling drowsy and sated.
  18. sentinel
    a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
    It was impossible to forget that war was brewing all around us, surrounded as we were by armed sentinels.
  19. precipice
    the brink of a dangerous or potentially disastrous situation
    But dairnes, it had turned out, were still endangered, walking the thin knife’s edge over the precipice of extinction.
  20. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    Two powerful tyrants, the Murdano in my native Nedarra, and the Kazar Sg’drit in Dreyland to the north, were poised on the edge of conflict.
  21. sinewy
    possessing physical strength and weight; rugged and powerful
    Fortunately, we had experienced warriors as well, hard men and women with sinewy muscles and appraising eyes.
  22. appraise
    consider in a comprehensive way
    Fortunately, we had experienced warriors as well, hard men and women with sinewy muscles and appraising eyes.
  23. fickle
    marked by erratic changeableness in affections
    It involved a lad in love with a fickle lass, and although I couldn’t catch all the nuances—humans are impossibly confusing when it comes to affection—I noticed Khara rolling her eyes more than once, her soft brown skin flushed in the firelight.
  24. nuance
    a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
    It involved a lad in love with a fickle lass, and although I couldn’t catch all the nuances—humans are impossibly confusing when it comes to affection—I noticed Khara rolling her eyes more than once, her soft brown skin flushed in the firelight.
  25. flourish
    a showy gesture
    “Your loss,” Renzo said with a dramatic sigh, bowing with a flourish.
  26. diplomacy
    negotiation between nations
    “I can lead the army, Byx. But our goal is to stop a war, not engage in one. For that, we need diplomacy. And that means I need your help.”
  27. wistful
    showing pensive sadness
    “Renzo,” Khara repeated, and I could have sworn the idea of him leaving her side made her wistful.
  28. duplicity
    the act of deceiving or acting in bad faith
    You’ll talk to the natite queen, watching for signs of duplicity and listening for reasons to trust her.
  29. waver
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
    I’ll need you to be the voice of the Army of Peace. To explain our mission and secure loyalty. You’ll need to be convincing, if you sense they are wavering.
  30. abreast
    alongside each other, facing in the same direction
    Early the next morning we headed across the rolling plains of Nedarra, four abreast, five thousand strong, a column bristling with tall lances.
  31. livery
    a uniform, especially worn by servants and chauffeurs
    But Khara had asked a group of seamstresses to come up with a new livery in colors that would represent a united Nedarra, and she already wore the first of those tunics.
  32. emblazon
    decorate, adorn, or inscribe with a design
    It was pale blue, emblazoned with a vivid green representation of Urman’s yew, the tree where a great interspecies peace pact had been made many years ago.
  33. seasoned
    rendered competent through trial and experience
    Sometimes, even to my own seasoned ears, Khara sounded nearly as terrifying as her generals.
  34. astride
    with one leg on each side
    Gambler loped over, with Tobble astride his back.
  35. heed
    pay close attention to
    The spears on our backs are sharp and long
    The Army of Peace is mighty and strong
    Heed well the warning in this, our song:
    We’ll have your heads if you do us wrong.
  36. cadence
    the accent in a metrical foot of verse
    I’d come to know these chants well, and sometimes even joined in. The soldiers called them “cadences.”
  37. belligerent
    characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight
    The rhymes were often humorous, and just as often belligerent.
  38. invariably
    without change, in every case
    Some of the more adventurous ones would spread their glissaires, the fine extensions of our coats that allow us to glide like flying squirrels. Those attempts invariably led to sudden plunges, huge spouts of water, and gales of laughter.
  39. rueful
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
    Still, the thought of my younger self, trembling at the edge of that water hole, brought a rueful smile to my face.
  40. placid
    calm and free from disturbance
    One of the soldiers tossed a stone into the placid water.
Created on Fri Oct 07 10:37:14 EDT 2022 (updated Wed Jul 12 15:35:05 EDT 2023)

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