Chapter 20
A day after White Fang had bit Weedon Scott, he goes to see the dog again. He sits down on the ground, so that White Fang can see he is in no danger. He talks for a long time, and White Fang's growl seems to fall in rhythm with his speaking. After offering food, Scott tries to pet White Fang. This makes White Fang extremely uncomfortable.
Despite this, Scott is able to pet White Fang. Matt comes out of the cabin, and White Fang jumps back. Matt tells Scott that he is crazy, but Scott again goes over to White Fang and pets him. This is the end of a way of life for White Fang. He has never before experienced love. For Gray Beaver he had loyalty, but not love.
It is now that he begins to love Scott. He learns to leave the sled dogs alone, and even tolerates Matt. He begins to pull the sled, and it is different from Mit-sah's sled. It is a different formation, and the leader is not hated but rather is truly the leader. White Fang insists on being the leader, and after seeing him pull, Matt is convinced.
In spring, White Fang has a great crisis. His master disappears and does not return. The days pass, but Scott does not come back, and White Fang gets very sick. Finally, Matt brings him inside the cabin. Matt writes a letter to Scott, saying that he is afraid that White Fang is going to die. He does not eat, he won't work, and he has no spirit. Finally, Scott returns, entering the cabin and calling for White Fang. White Fang does not bound towards him, but walks quietly, and looks at him with immeasurable love. He begins to snuggle up to Scott.
Chapter 21
White Fang can sense the coming danger, even though he doesn't know what it is. He cries outside the cabin door, and Weedon Scott and Matt can hear him. Weedon is leaving to go to California, and he can't take White Fang with him.
Scott boards the steamship with Matt and gets everything ready for his departure. As he is saying goodbye to Matt, and Matt is getting ready to go ashore, White Fang appears on the deck of the ship. Matt chases him, but he runs around the ship, easily slipping away. Scott, however, calls him, and White Fang walks right to him.
They had locked White Fang in the cabin, and they realize that he must have squeezed out of the window, despite the fact that is much too small for White Fang. He has cuts and bruises from the escape. Thinking quickly, Scott decides that he has no choice, he must take White Fang with him. They say goodbye to Matt, and depart for California on the steamboat.
Chapter 22
White Fang is overcome when they enter San Francisco. He did not realize that such amazing things existed: automobiles, buildings, electric cars. He sees how powerful the white men are. He follows closely behind Weedon Scott, knowing how dependent he is on Scott.
White Fang is placed in a baggage car and chained in the corner. He begins to guard his master's suitcases and will not allow anyone to touch them until Scott comes to retrieve them. Finally Scott arrives, and White Fang leaves the luggage car. He finds he is no longer in the city, but rather is surrounded by beautiful countryside.
A carriage is waiting as they exit the train. A woman, Scott's mother, greets Weedon, giving him a hug. Immediately White Fang suspects danger, and ferociously snarls and growls at her. He tells White Fang to lie down, and asks his mother to hug him again. With Scott yelling at him to stay down, White Fang cautiously accepts the embrace as a normal human interaction.
Weedon Scott and his mother now prepare to leave on the carriage, and all of the luggage is loaded on. For fifteen minutes White Fang runs behind the carriage, making sure that no harm comes to his master. After the ride is over, White Fang enters through a stone archway into the lands belonging to the Scott family.
He is immediately met by an angry sheep dog named Collie. Because the dog is female, he will not attack her; his instinct forbids it. However, she has no such instinctual barrier, and fears White Fang because she knows he comes from the Wild. He is a wolf. She springs upon him, biting his shoulder and not allowing him to go any further. Scott decides to let White Fang deal with Collie himself, and continues the ride. White Fang cannot follow, however, as Collie still won't allow him to pass. He finally just knocks her over.
Running past Collie, he finally reaches the house. A new opponent attacks him, a deerhound named Dick, and White Fang is thrown from his feet. As White Fang is almost about to close on Dick's throat, Collie strikes at White Fang and he is again knocked off his feet. By this time, Scott is next to White Fang, holding him, and the dogs are called off by Weedon's father, Judge Scott.
As Weedon starts to enter the house, Scott's father suggests that White Fang and Dick stay outside to fight it out, and then they will become friends. Scott laughs, saying that White Fang will show his friendship by going to Dick's funeral once he has killed Dick. They decide that White Fang must come inside the house. White Fang enters the house, staying close to Scott and scouting all the time for danger that might attack his master.
Chapter 23
White Fang has traveled much and is very adaptable. In Sierra Vista, Judge Scott's home, he begins to make a place for himself. He has no more trouble with the dogs, as Weedon Scott protects him. Dick soon accepts him as part of the household. White Fang does not let Dick get close to him. Collie is a different story. She accepts him because her master insists that she does, but she is a sheep dog, and the wolf is her arch-enemy. She always tries to make his life as miserable as possible.
White Fang also has to learn about the family of his master. It is very complicated for him, and he can't really understand all the relations. There is Judge Scott, Judge Scott's wife, and Weedon's two sisters, Beth and Mary. Then there is Weedon's wife, Alice, and his two children, Weedon Jr. and Maud, who are four and six years old. He begins to understand that all of them belong to Weedon Scott, and begins to realize how each of them relates to his master.
White Fang understands that the two children are valued very highly by his master, and that they are to be guarded and protected. They must be allowed to pet him, even though he doesn't like it. Eventually, he begins to like the children's attention, but does not ever seek them out. White Fang allows all members of the family to pet and caress him, but he never growls for them in the way he does for his master. They can never get him to snuggle against them as he does Weedon Scott.
Outside the house, White Fang learns even more lessons. He finds that he is not allowed to go beyond the boundaries of the fences. He runs into trouble, however, with the farm animals. He has never encountered any tame animals besides dogs. All other animals are food. When he encounters a chicken, he eats it.
When Weedon is told of the occurrence, he says he will teach White Fang to leave the chickens alone, but he cannot until he catches him in the act of killing. This comes soon, as one morning Scott wakes to find that White Fang has invaded the chicken coop. Scott takes White Fang and cuffs him, rubbing his nose in the dead chickens. Then he takes White Fang to the living chickens, and forces him not to attack them. White Fang learns his lesson.
Judge Scott is skeptical, and makes a bet with Weedon. White Fang will be locked in the chicken coop, and for every chicken he kills Weedon will pay his father a gold coin. However, for every ten minutes that he does not kill a chicken, Judge Scott will say to White Fang, "White Fang, you are smarter than I thought." White Fang is locked in the chicken coop and the bet is played out. Weedon Scott wins hands down, as White Fang ignores all the chickens and eventually just jumps the fence of the coop.
White Fang sometimes follows his master into San Jose, the nearby town, and here are even more rules. He cannot eat the meat hanging from butcher shops, and he must put up with the attentions of other humans in town. Especially unfair is the problem of small boys, who throw stones at him.
He has a similar problem when crossing in front of a certain saloon, where three dogs often attack him. He knows he cannot fight, but feels that it is very unfair. One day, his master sees the men in the saloon encouraging their dogs to attack, and tells White Fang to go fight them. Knowing that it is against the rules, White Fang hesitates, but Weedon Scott tells him again. Soon the dogs are dead, and the men of San Jose learn that they should not encourage their dogs to attack White Fang.
Chapter 24
Months go by at the Sierra Vista, with lots of food and little work for White Fang. He remains separate from other dogs, though he knows the rules even better than others do.
He never spends time with other dogs, and is treated with suspicion by them;, they are all afraid of him. Only one problem really exists in his life - Collie. She simply will not become friends with White Fang, and cannot forgive him for the death of the chickens.
White Fang misses the Northlands in a very vague, unsettled way, but it isn't much of a problem. Weedon Scott often wrestles with White Fang, playing at a fight. White Fang will not allow anyone else to take part in this. This is something reserved for his master. Scott also goes out on horseback often, and White Fang runs with the horse. This is one of his favorite duties.
On one of the rides with Scott, White Fang sees a jackrabbit cause the horse to stumble and fall, giving his master a broken leg. His master tells him to run home, but White Fang doesn't want to desert his master. Scott commands him again, and he finally goes.
When White Fang arrives home, the children try to play with him, but he pushes them away. Judge Scott comments that one cannot trust a wolf. White Fang stands before them, growling, but the Judge just tells him to go lie down. He grabs at Alice's dress, trying to pull her, and is now the center of attention. He tries, but no sound comes out, and Judge Scott's wife is afraid that he is going mad. Finally, a bark bursts out of him, and Beth knows that something has happened to Weedon Scott. They follow White Fang to Scott, and from then on they trust White Fang.
As the second winter in the Southland approaches, White Fang finds that Collie is no longer vicious towards him, and there is playfulness in her nips. One day, she leads him off into the woods. White Fang knows he must ride with the master that afternoon, but instead goes with her. He runs with her as Kiche did with One Eye so long ago.
Chapter 25
At this time, the papers are filled with news of an escaped convict, Jim Hall.
The women of the Sierra Vista are filled with anxiety about this escape. Judge Scott dismisses their anxiety, but he is in more danger than anyone. He was the judge to sentence Jim Hall to prison. In court that day, Hall said he would get revenge on Judge Scott. White Fang is not supposed to sleep in the house, but every night, Alice lets White Fang in to sleep in the big hall and guard. In the morning, she lets him out before anyone gets up.
On one night, a stranger enters the house. White Fang does not make an uproar, but rather follows quietly, stalking the stranger. As the stranger starts up the stairs, White Fang attacks. Giving no warning, he lands on the man's back, burying his fangs into the back of the stranger's neck. They crash to the floor, and the whole house rises. There are gunshots, and breaking furniture and glass. Soon the commotion is done, and a gurgling is heard.
Weedon Scott turns on the light, and he and Judge Scott go down the stairs with revolvers. They find Jim Hall, his throat torn out. He is dead. They also find White Fang, totally beaten, barely able to growl as Scott pets him. The next morning the doctor arrives, and the news is bad. One leg is broken, and three ribs, one of which pierces his lung. Also, he was shot three times. The doctor says he has one chance in ten thousand.
White Fang hangs on, however. He is in plaster and bandages, unable to move. He dreams a lot. One nightmare is particularly terrible. He dreams that numbers of electric cars are descending on him. Finally, one day, the bandages are taken off, and he must try to walk. He gains the name "Blessed Wolf" from the household for his heroic deeds. Judge Scott agrees, saying that he is not a dog, but a wolf. Only a wolf could have performed such amazing deeds. As he walks again, he sees Collie and a litter of puppies. One puppy walks forward towards him, touching its nose to him. White Fang licks it on the nose. Everyone from the house cheers.
White Fang's weakness takes him over, and lies on the ground, letting all of the puppies climb over him and bask in the sun.
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