The Wild Boy

The Wild Boy is a novel by Warren Rochelle. It was published in September 2001 by Golden Gryphon Press, as a hardcover with the ISBN 1930846045.

The novel involves the Lindauzi, "an ursinoid race, came to Earth at the turn of the millennium in hopes that they could breed humans to become their emotional symbionts, without which they would revert to nonsentience. [...] The story takes place over the years 2125 to 2157, and deals with three main protagonists: Ilox, a human raised by the Lindauzi; Phlarx, his Lindauzi owner; and Caleb, Ilox's son, who is raised in the ruins of the twentieth century."

Lindauzi walk upright. Their fangs and claws retract, although the latter at least must be learned. Ilox, as a human "pup", is given to the Lindauzi Phlarx as an Upright Day present. Morix, Phlarx's father, scolds him with: "Phlarx, retract, retract! How many times have you been told to retract your claws in greeting? You walk upright, you are not a baby in the nursery."