Where Wolves Don't Die

In his ninth-grade biology class, Ezra Cloud sits beside his friend and crush, Nora George. When their teacher, Mr. Lukas, asks about keystone species, Ezra answers correctly, mentioning timber wolves. Afterward, a classmate, Matt Schroeder, makes a racist remark. Ezra belongs to the Ojibwe wolf clan from the Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation (also known as Red Gut), while Nora is from the eagle clan. Ezra recalls a past summer camp experience where Matt slapped him in front of camp counselors who did nothing to intervene. The counselors subsequently required the boys to share a tent. Later on that same trip, Ezra contemplated killing Matt with a large rock as he slept but ultimately decided against it, afraid that Matt would kill him if the attempt failed. After class, Nora comforts Ezra, advising him to ignore Matt’s provocations.

During his next class, algebra, Ezra thinks about his mother, Isabelle, who died from acute lymphoblastic leukemia a year ago. He believes her illness was caused by chemical exposure at her job at Erickson Lumber Company. He finds it difficult to remember her clearly, as his mind goes blank when he tries.