The Wild Robot Novels & Stories

He starts to walk closer and my defenses are up, mind racing to remember the defensive spell Blu taught me. He is tall, and lanky, but with strong arms and an even stronger scents. "Hello." He smiles, british accent thick, and I frown at him, because up-close, he looks even better, not that I care, just stating facts. "Who are you?" I say, holding the door handle as I step outside, still on threshold though, I am not stupid. "Wilder." He grins. "Can I help you?" I say, and he smirks.

It was unacceptable. The host began introducing the robots and the rules. Cameron's robot looked flashy. It had a large electronic screen that lit up in a rainbow of colors after the introduction, earning cheers from the crowd. Finn's robot, MAVIS could make a heart gesture and had round, adorable eyes. The audience praised MAVIS for being cute, making Cameron's robot seem less appealing. Cameron glared at Finn.

Startled, I get up from the bed and move toward the window, pulling back the curtain with trembling hands. Outside, under the moonlit sky, a large black wolf stands in the clearing. Its silhouette is striking against the silver light, casting a long shadow on the grass. The wolf’s eyes glow a deep, intense blue as it lifts its head and howls again, a sound that seems to resonate with the very essence of the night.

Three identical men stood there, their eyes locked onto me. “Why don’t we all introduce ourselves to the new Wild Cat member?” one of them said, his voice smooth yet unreadable. I frowned, eyeing him warily. Wild Cat? What the hell was going on? Wild Cat? What did he mean by that? I had no idea what was happening, but I knew one thing—I didn’t like it. Not one bit. I pushed myself up from the ground, my body still trembling with unease. I needed to get out of here. Now.

He pressed the wrong button, and suddenly the robot pulled out a wooden mallet, chasing Patrick and Lila around and whacking their heads. Anson: “?” Wait, what? That wasn’t supposed to happen! Robert saw the chaos and kicked him. “What are you fooling around for? Stop it right now!” As Robert tried to snatch the remote, Anson refused to let go. In the struggle, Robert accidentally pressed another button. The robot let out a string of “hiya, hiya!” and slammed both Patrick and Lila unconscious. Robert: “…” How did that happen? He shoved the remote back at Anson and snapped, “Look what you’ve done!”

Rain misted against the car windows, blurring the world outside into watercolor streaks of gray and green. When we finally turned into the narrow street that led to the house, my chest tightened. The place stood quietly at the end of the lane, its walls kissed by creeping vines and memories I thought I’d long outgrown. I told Roberto to go straight back to the city and not to tell Ram where I was. My tone carried a quiet finality that even he dared not challenge. He hesitated, concern flickering across his lined face, but after a moment he nodded, tipped his hat, and drove away.

I didn't know what kind of contract had been attached to it, but there were so many words that I didn't even want to read it. "Then just write down both your names and mine, and it's all done," Jared said, still on the line with me. I immediately scrolled to the final page of the document and filled in the blanks as quickly as I could. Suddenly, Jared began to chuckle under his breath. I genuinely still couldn't understand how his temperament could change so easily like that. All of a sudden, my computer shook violently, and its screen turned pink. Then, I heard a robotic female voice say, "Congratulations on completing the contract mission! You have successfully formed a bond with your targ

Like it knew something she didn’t. She rubbed her arms, shaking off the thought. She had sat in the living room alone for a while after Elara had left her but she was starting to feel suffocated so she slipped outside when no one noticed, and decided to go out for an evening walk. The Liaison estate was grand, spreading out into well-trimmed gardens before filling out into the wild treeline. Garrick liked to say he kept the wild at bay, but Irvine often thought the wild kept itself alive, waiting, and bidding. Tonight, she wanted to feel it wrap around her.

The waterfall roared louder than usual, but a rancid smell overpowered the usual scent of roses. Rogues were waiting for her, not Xavier. One of them was the unkempt man from the market. Rose readied herself, then she felt him. Xavier, running flat out, drawn by the bond. He burst into the clearing, eyes blazing. “Rose, run!” “No, we fight together.” Then the wild roses moved like a living thing. They had always grown thick here, but tonight they came alive. Vines wrapped her ankles, thorns gentle against her skin, petals brushing her face.

Issuing separate commands, the remaining weres head for land with us. The transition to terrestrial wolves is over quickly, and by the time we reach the surface buildings, Silas already has Leo at ground level sending waves of invisible heat down the mine entrance, so hot they liquify metal and vaporize everything else. After the fifth blast disperses and before the floor is even cool, Ian charges into the darkness and the rest of us race in after him.