ed
Dusty Star to the very marrow of his bones. It was the very soul of a
wolf that went walking through the wandering spaces of the night: one of
the thirsty prairie voices that go hunting down the wind.

Again the cry came. This time it was louder, as if the creature were
drawing nearer. The boy's pulses began to beat more wildly. Then there
came a long silence, in which the lodge-ears ceased to flap and the wind
itself seemed to have died away. Was it going to be nothing at all,
Dusty Star asked himself--nothing but a bodiless voice that went by on a
windy trail?

Hark, what was that? There was a breathing snuffing sound, as of some
creature sniffing at the bottom of the tepee. Then, something scratched.

As Dusty Star left the buffalo-robes, and crept stealthily across the
tepee in dreadful fear lest either of his parents should wake, his body
burned like a flame.

With the utmost care he unfastened the calf-skin flap and passed out.

There was no moon, but the sky was deep with stars. In their
clear-shining, he saw a wolf crouching on the ground.

Dusty Star did not take any risk by rashly stepping forward. He stood
absolutely still, yet so anxious lest his wild hope should be vain, that
he hardly dared to breathe.

He saw the wolf rise, depress its body slightly and then leap upon him.
He felt the weight of the heavy body against his chest, struggled to
keep his balance, and fell without a sound.

And then the night and the stars, and the whole world were blotted out
by a great hairy wolf-body, and a tongue that licked and slobbered, and
slobbered and licked.

_Kiopo at last!_

Dusty Star did not struggle. He knew if he attempted to rise, Kiopo
would only knock him down again, at the risk of rousing the sleepers in
the tepee. Even as it was, he dreaded lest his father might hear, and
come out to see what was going on; for Kiopo, in his wild delight, could
not content himself with action only, but must keep up a continual
whining and growling, broken every now and then by smothered barks.

It was some time before Kiopo's excitement had cooled enough for him to
let Dusty Star get up. Every time the boy seemed inclined to rise, the
wolf, planting a fore-paw firmly upon his chest, bared his shining
teeth, and growled. It was as much as if he said:

"I ran away from you once, little brother, because it was necessary, but
now I am going to see that you don't escape from _me_!"

When Kiopo was calm enough