- Matt hates counting his notched sticks. He's has ten of them now, and he knows that autumn is coming on, but his family hasn't arrived. The thought makes him cold inside.
- As if that's not enough, Attean skips days sometimes between visits and doesn't say why.
- While walking in the woods one day, Matt hears the whine of an animal—it sounds like it's hurt.
- The bad news? He's in Turtle Clan territory.
- Despite Attean's past advice, Matt heads over to the sound. When he locates it, he finds Attean's dog caught in a trap and decides that no matter whose territory he's in, he's going to free the mutt.
- There's just one itty-bitty-teensy-weensy problem: the dog hates him. Matt tries to get the trap undone, and winds up with a cut wrist from trying to escape the dog's jaws.
- He realizes he has to find Attean.
- Matt races through the forest, finding the signs that lead to the river; without a canoe, he splashes across the stream and drips his way to the village.
- A bunch of girls see him.
- He asks for Attean or Saknis. One girl answers that they're gone. Hunting.
- Matt asks for Attean's grandmother. The girl leads him to the biggest dwelling in the camp—Attean's grandma stands outside, glaring at him.
- Matt tells her the problem, and a girl comes out of the wigwam to translate for him. She introduces herself as Marie, Attean's sister.
- Grandma scoffs that the dog is "piz wat" (18.25), a.k.a. good-for-nothing, but Matt keeps pleading, and Marie joins in too.
- Grandma's heart softens, and Marie grabs some supplies to go with Matt on their dog-saving mission.
- Granny notices the gash on Matt's hand. She forces him to come inside to take care of it, and Marie explains to him that the "trap maybe make poison" (18.34). Yikes.
- Inside the wigwam it's cozy and beautiful, totally different from the scrawny little thing Matt slept in after the feast.
- Granny cleans and bandages the wound, and even gives Matt some cornbread on his way out.
- Matt makes chitchat with Marie as they tromp through the woods, and learns that she was baptized Christian as a child, hence the non-native name.
- When they get to the dog, Marie covers his head with a blanket and holds on as Matt opens the trap. The pup has a broken paw, but at least he's free.
- Attean sees them on the trail and scolds the dog, but the dog just gives Attean puppy eyes and it's clear that Attean really isn't mad. He scoops up the broken paw very gently.