Wheeling Gull Isle The Boy Who Lived

The boy came out of his hiding place eventually and Strand wagged her tail at him in greeting. “Nice to finally see you,” she teased. He wanted her to promise to teach him how to fish. “Psh,” she said. “Of course! Didn’t I say I would?” She looked him over. He seemed to about the same age as Padma—almost an adult, but not quite. Why was she always finding pups? She was hardly out of that stage herself, just a teenager. She was in no shape to be taking care of pups. But if he was as old as Padma, then surely he could take care of himself… aside from the part where he didn’t know how to fish. If she was going to convince him to live on the island with her, she’d definitely have to keep her word and teach him all that. And how to swim, if he didn’t already know.

“Now, listen. I’m Strand and this is my island. I’m the leader here.” Her voice was calm, but firm. “If you wanna live here with me and let me teach you how to fish, then you gotta respect me. I’m in charge, got it?”