Russet Clagg

Russet Clagg is the main protagonist of Mel Ellis' 1970 book Flight of the White Wolf, its 1976 live-action Disney TV film adaptation The Flight of the Grey Wolf, and its 1990 anime film adaptation Hashire! Shiroi Ookami. He is the former owner of Gray until he becomes wild and must release him in the Northlands to protect him from being hunted down.
He was played by Jeff East in the Disney film, and by Katsumi Toriumi in the Japanese version of the anime film.
==History==
He lives in Kettle Moraine with his parents, where they own the largest kennel operation in Wisconsin. One day, when he was eight years old, his father, Cal finds a wolf pup after the death of its mother and plans to sell the pup to a friend, but they decide to adopt him. They name him Gray and they train him not to kill other animals. As the wolf matures, his fur becomes white instead of grey.
However, a show champion boxer dog named Bo continues to harass Gray and Russ tries to convince his father to confine him, but Cal tells him that he needs open space. As seven years have passed, Gray gets loose from his chains and kills Bo. Russ and his parents head over and they try to catch Gray, but the wolf escapes and Russ follows him. Russ tries to approach Gray, but he backs away as he is starting to become wild. He decides to settle in the wilderness with Gray and discovers the next morning that authorities have arrived to hunt Gray down as they suspect the wolf for killing Russ. Gray then gets caught in a snare trap until Russ frees him and eats the raw meat. As the posse come by, Russ takes cover and Gray flees. Russ realizes that the hunters want Gray dead and comes up with a plan to get him to safety.
For days, they have been avoiding posses and surviving in the wilderness. On the fourth night, the hunters continue searching after Gray has killed a lamb at dusk. Russ figures that Gray can't make it on his own and reminisces what Cal told him about wolves becoming wild after being neglected for an amount of time. He then realizes that he can't take in Gray and that he should take him up north. He almost gets caught by the posse and makes a dash for it. He manages to elude the hunters and finds a place to sleep.
The next morning, he wakes up to find Gray in front of him. He tries to pet Gray once more, but he backs away. Russ then gets a drink from a nearby pond and washes the mud off his face. They hunt a flock of pheasants and Gray manages to catch one. However, a searching plane passes by and they take cover. As the plane fades out of sight, they continue feasting on the pheasant. After finishing their meal, Gray crossed the creek and Russ spots a helicopter. Russ flees from the helicopter with Gray following him until they run out of breath and duck underwater. Russ then once again experiences thirst and Gray senses a hound nearby. As the bloodhound comes closer to them, Russ and Gray head off into the forest to confuse the dog. However, he realized that the wind is blowing their scent to the hound, but Gray heads out and kills the dog, shocking Russ. They flee the scene into the woods and down a fence.
They arrive at a new hideout and Russ falls asleep. When he wakes up at night, he starves and realizes he can't eat anymore apples, as they're making him sick. He then hatches a plan to break into someone's house and raid their kitchen. He arrives at the farm of the DuBarry's and sneaks into their kitchen. He grabbed a large beef roast, a carton of milk and a couple loaves of bread, along with a newspaper. The owners arrive and Russ flees, startling the horses. He gets knocked down and crawls into the brush as the residents shouted. Russ managed to escape unseen and returns to his hideout. Russ and Gray then feast onto the stolen products until they hear the call of another wolf. Russ can't believe it, as there are no wild wolves in Kettle Moraine and sees that Gray is excited to hear it. Gray heads out to follow the sound and Russ follows him, with blood on his face and torn pants.
However, as they got closer to the sound, he saw no wolf in front of them and realizes that it's a trap. As men opened fire, they manage to wound Gray's chest, but Gray gets up and manages to escape with Russ following him. He heads back to the creek and waits for Gray. He climbs up a cliff and settles in a cave. He again experiences nightmares and waits for Gray to arrive. He then reads the newspaper about Gray and the ambush and realizes that they believe him to be killed by Gray. It is then stated that his parents wouldn't believe that Gray would kill Russ, as he thinks he's another wolf and that four German shepherds were mistakenly killed for wolves.
For days, he waited in the cave, waiting for Gray as the search party is around the area, possibly looking for his body. Eventually, he leaves the cave to Woodbine Drive and arrives at his house. As the cars left, he noticed that Gray was next to him. As Russ tried to approach Gray, the wolf got up and backed away and Russ noticed the wound on his chest. Russ then heads over to the house and knocks on the door. His parents open the door and his mother hugs him. Cal asks if they killed Gray and Russ tells him that they only wounded him and he won't come in. Cal reveals that he learned about the incident at DuBarrys' and Russ questions about saving Gray, to which Cal replies that they're concerned about his safety. Russ tells them that killing Gray is just as bad as killing a person and informs them that he'll take Gray up north to the Nicolet National Forest. As the lights of a car illuminated through a window, Russ flees and informs them to give him supplies. Cal asks if they can cover for him and Russ asks if he can stay or go, to which Cal replies that he can go. Russ heads back to the bush and his parents give him supplies, including a map. Russ thanks them and leaves as cars pull up on their driveway.
Russ decides to leave Kettle Moraine immediately with Gray after hearing Sheriff Bull Shott's threat to poison Gray after the ambush. Upon stopping at Highway 67, Russ takes out the warm clothes his mother gave him and puts them on. As they leave the forest, they travel north to Highway 18. Russ then crosses the road with little to no traffic and Gray is hesitant to follow. However, a driving car approaches Gray and he barely escapes being hit as he makes it with Russ. Russ berates Gray for almost getting himself killed and tries to comfort him. The pair then flee the scene into the forest, hoping the driver didn't recognize Gray. They stop at a culvert and settle there for the day. As he drinks from a pond, he notices Gray staring at him and felt like he must have the ability to read people's minds, like some other animals do. He then notices that Gray is starting to adjust to his nomad life. As they continue to eat, Russ turns on the radio and hears Bill Hoeft's voice about the contents of a wolf pack on the triangle of canvas. He then hears a report by Clinton B. Swayne about his encounter with Gray, while driving and decides to leave, but Gray is slightly unconscious. He decides to sleep until he awoken to a sound and saw Gray was vigilant. He realizes that the posse have arrived and climbs up an oak tree as he watches the hunters head off west.
The next morning, Russ feeds Gray and they continue traveling. Throughout the night, they come to Wisconsin's dairyland and head northwest of Oconomowoc by following some tracks. A passing train frightens Gray and he flees before eventually returning to Russ. They walked for ten hours and they notice a flock of partridges. They go hunting for the birds and manage to catch a few before feasting on them. Gray then cleans himself and Russ falls asleep before waking up to see Gray sleeping quietly. Afterwards, Russ turns on the radio and hears nationwide news before hearing about the hunt for Gray. He overhears that they won't be able to find Russ' remains, as Gray had presumably buried his corpse, while others say it's ridiculous before he turns off the radio. He observes a farmer herding his cattle and pulls out his map to point out possible routes before napping.
They followed the tracks for four days of perfect Indian summer and they camp next to the Horicon National Wildlife Refugee. Eventually, they leave the area before hunters could arrive to shoot geese during hunting season. They run out of food and Russ comes up with an idea to snatch a Canada goose from underwater while using a tube, similar to how Native Americans hunted. Gray falls asleep as Russ uses a pencil as a tube as he heads into the icy cold water. He manages to get a hang of the tactic and manages to spot a flock of geese in front of him. He approaches the geese and manages to catch one, but it escapes and Russ is left with several wounds on his face and arms. Russ heads back to shore and they try to get sleep, but an approaching storm keeps them up. They eventually leave the area, fearing that the hunters will find them and Russ heads to Waupun with Gray waiting behind. He shops for food and chats with his parents on the phone, assuring them that everything is fine.
Russ then heads back to the bush, where Gray is waiting and they eat their dinner. They head to Brandon and then make a camp south of Ripon just as the rain stopped at dawn. They travel through Waukau and stop at a woodlot next to the railroad south of Lake Poygan. They cross the lake and pass through several towns before arriving in a forest south of Tigerton. Russ noticed that Gray was detecting something nearby and follows him, only to find him feasting on the carcass of a cow calf he already killed. Russ tells Gray to leave it to let the farmers assume it's dogs and heads back before Gray returns within an hour. Russ headed to the outskirts of Tigerton, but Gray refused to follow and Russ comes back. Gray still refused to leave until the farmers find the carcass at dawn. Gray flees into the forest, while Russ takes cover. The farmers assume that the calf was either killed by coyotes or hounds and Russ is relieved. The farmers head back and decide to deal with the situation later. Russ continues moving north and notices that Gray had left him to continue feasting on the carcass. Russ heads back for Gray, only to realize that the wolf had walked into a trap. Russ tries to get the trap off, but Gray backs away, so he decides to get the trap out of the ground. He manages to unleash the trap and they flee the scene.
The next morning, Russ turns on the radio and hears about the incident of Abe Forsythe's calf killed by Gray and that Forsythe figured out that a wolf did it. The hunt gets more serious and the pair head further north. However, Gray becomes more exhausted by the pain from the trap and Russ comes to his side. The pair continue moving and cross a stream to a beaver dam. The posse arrive and the dogs circle the pond to locate Gray's scent before leaving. Gray slips into unconsciousness and Russ manages to get the trap off and dispose of it. Russ feeds Gray some meat and water and the wolf slowly regains consciousness.
The next morning, Russ hears the incident about Gray's escape and they continue traveling for miles, following the railroad. They hunt a rabbit and Russ feeds it to Gray as he eats his last remaining rations. He then hears on the radio that the hounds have picked up Gray's trail and Russ declares that they will be long gone before the hunters can find them. During the trip, people often spot them, but brush it off as a boy walking with his white dog. They continue walking until they stop near Antigo and rest for the day. Upon waking up, he turns on the radio and learns that they've lost them for good. However, a hound comes by and follows them. Russ pretends to be friends with the dog to shake it off and notices that the dog belonged to Paul Merkle, a friend of Forsythe. Russ drops the dog off at a farm and they leave.
The following night, Russ eats at a restaurant and calls his parents to inform them that they've thwarted the posse and are safe. Russ buys groceries and heads back to Gray. They cross Antigo and arrive at the great forests before camping near a creek. They continue traveling and cross Wisconsin's last wild river, the Wolf. They rest on a bank and they finally arrive at Nicolet National Forest. They travel through the forest in search for a wolf pack and Gray starts to feel healthy again. They arrive at their destination and find traces of wolves nearby. They decide to camp at the spot as the first snowstorm of the year arrives. Gray hunts a muskrat and Russ is impressed that Gray will make it. Gray then comes over to Russ and lays down as Russ pets him until he stops.
Later, after the storm stopped, Russ went fishing and successfully manages to catch a couple trouts. They notice a hibernating black bear in its den and back away. As time passes, Russ struggles to survive in the harsh weather and store the food. When they hear the howls of a wolf far away, Gray answers the call. The following morning, as the storm ended, Russ sets out to find more wolf tracks until they notice a pack nearby. Gray looks back at Russ and approaches the pack. The wolves circle around Gray and the pack leader before he too began to circle him. Gray feels nervous until the leader welcomes him and he joins the pack. Gray leaves with the pack and they disappear among the trees. Russ leaves and hears the howls behind him before hiking to Wabeno. He phones Cal and informs him that Gray made it and he is at Wabeno.
==Trivia==
*His surname is Hanson in the Disney film.
*He is renamed Weedon Scott Jr. in the English dub of the anime film, though the story bears no relation to Jack London's novel White Fang.
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