1. Primordial: adj-having existed from the beginning
“He had been suddenly jerked from the heart of civilization and flung into the heart of things primordial.”

2. Cadence: noun-a recurrent rhythmical series
“And his cadences were their cadences, the cadences which voiced their woe and what to them was the meaning of the stillness, and the cold, and dark.”

3. Imperative (adj.) absolutely necessary or required
p. 15, 1st par. “There was imperative need to be constantly alert…”

4. Antagonist
(noun) a person who is opposed to, struggles against, or competes with another.
p. 15, 3rd par. “Curly rushed to her antagonist, who struck again and leaped aside.”

5. adj. to observe your own mental and emotional processes
Introspective
adj. to observe your own mental and emotional processes
“Billee's one fault was his excessive good nature, while Joe was the very opposite, sour and introspective, with a perpetual snarl and a malignant eye.” 5

6. Perpetual Adj. when something lasts for ever or is infinite.
“He never had enough, and suffered from perpetual hunger pangs.”

7. Malignant Adjective: Menacing
“Billee's one fault was his excessive good nature, while Joe was the very opposite, sour and introspective, with a perpetual snarl and a malignant eye.”

8. Adjective: As a devil; in an evil manner
Diabolically
Adjective: As a devil; in an evil manner
“…Joe whirled around on his heels to face him, mane bristling, ears laid back, lips writhing and snarling, jaws clipping together as fast as he could snap, and eyes diabolically gleaming--the incarnation of belligerent fear.”

9. Indiscretion
(n.) behavior or speech that is indiscreet or displays a lack of good judgement
“Of this offense Buck was unwittingly guilty, and the first knowledge he had of his indiscretion was when Sol-leks whirled upon him and slashed his shoulder...”

10. Prowess (n.) bravery in battle
“By evening Perrault secured another dog, an old husky, long and lean and gaunt, with a battle-scarred face and a single eye which flashed a warning of prowess...”

11. Consternation
[n.] a sudden, alarming amazement or dread that results in utter confusion; dismay.
p.17/18 “The tent, illumined by a candle, glowed warmly in the midst of the white plain; and when he, as a matter of course, entered it, both Perrault and Francois bombarded him with curses and cooking utensils, till he recovered from his consternation and fled ignominiously into the outer cold.”

12. Vicarious
[adj.] felt or enjoyed through imagined participation in the experience of others
p.15 “It is true, it was a vicarious experience else he would not have lived to profit by it.”

13. Arduous
Adj. requiring great exertion; laborious; difficult: an arduous undertaking.
“The day had been long and arduous, and he slept soundly and comfortably, though he growled and ...” 13

14. Ravenous
Adj. extremely hungry; famished; voracious: feeling ravenous after a hard day's work.
“Buck was ravenous. The pound and a half of sun- dried salmon, which was his ration for each day, seemed to go nowhere. He never had enough, and suffered ...” 14

15. Malingerer
(Noun) Someone shirking their duty feigning illness or incapacity
“A clever malingerer and thief, slyly steal a slice of bacon when Perrault's back was turned, he duplicated the performance the following day, getting away with the whole chunk.”

16. Retrogression
(Noun) passing from a more complex to a simpler biological form.
“His development (or retrogression) was rapid.”

17. Primeval
(Adj.) having existed from the beginning; in an earliest or original stage or state
“In vague ways he remembered back to the youth of the breed, to the times the wild dogs ranged in packs through the primeval forest and killed their meat as they ran it down.”

18. Woe
(Noun) intense mournfulness “ And his cadences were their cadences , the cadences which voiced their woe and what to them was the meaning of the stillness, and the cold, and the dark.”