Ree, Harold, and Sonny listen to the howls of coyotes while standing at the bus stop before school. Harold suggests they feed the coyotes so that the animals will not eat them out of hunger. Though Ree tells Harold there’s little chance of that, Sonny simply responds that they should shoot them. While Harold says that he would not shoot the wolves since they look like dogs, Ree tells them that although feeding the coyotes would seem like a kindness, it would only serve to bring them closer to danger from humans.

Ree boards the bus with her brothers and flirts harmlessly with the elder bus driver. After they reach the school, Ree says goodbye to her brothers, dismisses her former teachers’ gazes, and hitchhikes toward Hawkfall, despite Uncle Teardrop’s warnings. Once there, a woman greets Ree but claims she does not recognize the name of her hometown, because it “Might just about as well be Timbuktu to us” (50). The woman, who introduces herself as Megan, later admits that she recognizes Ree from family reunions and takes her to Little Arthur to further inquire after Jessup.

Little Arthur had visited Ree’s home the previous spring to cook meth. During his stay, he gave Ree mushrooms and they got high together.