Endling: The Only: Chapters 11–23

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

Click here to explore the trilogy.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. undulate
    increase and decrease in volume or pitch
    It was a brief song, a sort of slow, undulating vibration.
  2. grapple
    work hard to come to terms with or deal with something
    No one stirred as this new reality sank in, although Renzo and Tobble and I had already spent our return trip grappling with the revelation.
  3. subdued
    softened in tone
    Khara spoke at last, her voice oddly subdued.
  4. curt
    brief and to the point
    Khara gave a curt nod.
  5. convene
    meet formally
    We’ll discuss it more at the war council convening in a few days.
  6. elude
    escape, either physically or mentally
    Sleep eluded me that evening, and many more evenings to follow.
  7. formidable
    inspiring fear or dread
    Mysenie Marrak, a quiet, capable fellow, delivered a force of five hundred archers armed with formidable bows, all the way from the southern reaches of the Forest of Null.
  8. jerkin
    an old-fashioned sleeveless and collarless jacket
    Woad and his fighters wore leather jerkins and strange pointed shoes.
  9. reproach
    a mild rebuke or criticism
    “But, meaning no reproach—we are all friends here, and I apologize if my words offend either of you admirable raptidons—but...well. Raptidons have certainly carried wobbyks away. And I think the largest raptidons might even carry a dairne.”
  10. apt
    being of striking appropriateness and relevance
    “Impolite? I’ve seen you in action, my friend. The word ‘ferocious’ is more apt.”
  11. disposal
    the power to use something or someone
    But she needed to use every talent at her disposal, and dairnes like Maxyn and me did, after all, have a unique ability.
  12. dubious
    fraught with uncertainty or doubt
    “Perhaps,” Maxyn said. He sounded dubious.
  13. docile
    easily handled or managed
    And I can say that some are lovely, lush places, carpeted by fallen leaves and populated with docile creatures.
  14. phalanx
    a body of troops in close array
    Now, facing a phalanx of dark, enormous trees, we recalled Bodick’s warning.
  15. gnarled
    old and twisted and covered in lines
    But as we continued, the evergreens vanished, replaced by gnarled, misshapen oaks and drooping, black-leaved tyru trees.
  16. cleft
    a long narrow opening
    When I focused my unwilling eyes, a skull stared vacantly back at me from just inside a deep cleft in the tree.
  17. atone
    make amends for
    He strips their flesh and bleaches bone,
    And for their insults they atone.
  18. grovel
    show submission or fear
    Serve, obey him, grovel, praise,
    Or suffer greatly all your days.
  19. gouge
    force with the thumb
    He’ll cut your flesh, you’ll bleed a stream,
    He’ll gouge your eyes until you scream.
  20. doggerel
    a comic verse of irregular measure
    His next words, though doggerel, struck deep.
  21. profusely
    in very large amounts or quantities; extremely
    But of course, being Tobble, he apologized profusely.
  22. wan
    lacking vitality as from weariness or illness or unhappiness
    “Tobble,” I said, managing a wan smile, “we are definitely not doing nothing.”
  23. haunch
    the upper part of the leg of an animal, often used for food
    There, standing easily on Havoc’s haunches, was a creature half the size of Tobble, glowing a soft yellow tinged with violet.
  24. festoon
    decorate or adorn
    With every minute’s ride, the trees grew more festooned with luminous ragglers.
  25. wayward
    unpredictable; following no clear pattern
    Half an hour’s easy ride brought us to a dense stand of trees so full of the sweet creatures it shone like a tiny, wayward sun.
  26. quaint
    very strange or unusual
    It seemed like a quaint notion. Trees making air? But, I supposed, people were free to believe what they wanted.
  27. brood
    think moodily or anxiously about something
    Warm, fully fed, and with time to think, I lay awake brooding about my friends. I was concerned for all of them, but it was Khara who worried me most.
  28. crude
    not carefully or expertly made
    The crude shack must have belonged to a shepherd, because we found rusted shearing scissors and a stack of burlap bags used to carry fleece to market.
  29. regale
    occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
    He spent hours telling me about how he’d learned to fish with his father and uncle, and regaled me with stories about his many siblings.
  30. berate
    censure severely or angrily
    I knew it was wrong, and I berated myself for being so small and selfish.
  31. elated
    full of high-spirited delight
    It made my heart swell to see Tobble’s elated smile.
  32. fallow
    left unplowed and unseeded during a growing season
    The land reeled by, mostly fallow pastures dotted with stands of snow-blanketed trees.
  33. moor
    secure in or as if in a berth or dock
    The harbor was filled with dozens of wobbyk boats in many shapes and sizes, either moored with anchors or drawn up onto the small beach.
  34. extricate
    release from entanglement or difficulty
    Tobble managed to extricate himself from their paws.
  35. imposition
    an uncalled-for burden
    “Put him to the test! If that’s not too great an imposition.”
  36. buffet
    strike against forcefully
    Once outside our hut, we were buffeted by a rush of wobbyks racing past.
  37. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    Elder Diggle approached us, eyeing Dothram warily.
  38. usurp
    seize and take control without authority
    “If I do not return, you must assume that I have been killed, or that Rorid’s authority has been usurped.”
  39. contempt
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    Humans, most especially, seemed to have a need to see themselves as alone in the world. Being isolated from other species made it easy for them to hold others in contempt, to destroy my people, to hem in the felivets, even to try to dominate all of nature.
  40. defer
    yield to another's wish or opinion
    “My goodness,” I teased, “the elders must be very ignorant to defer to you.”
Created on Fri Oct 07 10:40:11 EDT 2022 (updated Wed Jul 12 15:35:23 EDT 2023)

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