Prior to Chapter 12, there is another introductory section from the screecher’s perspective. The creature starts to explore her world, learning to walk and discovering how vision works. She sees nearby trees with blue and silver leaves and sits beneath one, knowing instinctually that they are important. Though she rests, she doesn’t close her eyes because deep down she knows that “the world is a dangerous place” (60).

Chapter 12 takes place the morning after Sir Zurt’s death, which is Willodeen’s 11th birthday. Mae and Birdie made her a cake even though they don’t have the resources to splurge on such frivolities, and Willodeen appreciates the cake. Willodeen goes outside to collect logs for a fire, and she finds one of Connor’s creations on the rocking chair. It’s a screecher made of grass, weeds, mud, and other natural materials. Willodeen normally doesn’t care much for things that don’t have a purpose, but this creation makes her happy in a way she can’t explain. She doesn’t know why Connor made it for her, but she keeps it because she “needed it to be mine” (66).