Zoe knelt down carefully and held out her hand, smiling as the pup gave it a cautious sniff, then a lick. “Is it a girl or a boy?” Zoe asked Great-Uncle Horace.
“A very boisterous little boy!” replied Great-Uncle Horace. “I found him in Alaska. He was separated from the rest of his pack by a fire in the forest where they lived. He’s too small to look after himself, so the fire rescue team asked if I would bring him back to the Rescue Zoo, and of course, I said yes!”
“He wasn’t hurt in the fire, I hope?” said Lucy with concern.
Great-Uncle Horace shook his head. “No, thank goodness. Just frightened at first – and he keeps howling, all day and all night, and I can’t work out why. There are many different reasons why a wolf might howl, and I still need to get to the bottom of it. But other than that, he seems happy and friendly.”
“He’s beautiful,” said Zoe, stroking the wolf pup’s head. He was about the size of a small dog, with a dark-grey coat, pointed ears and a fluffy tail. His ears and furry paws looked a little bit too big for him, as if he needed to grow into them. Zoe smiled at him and the pup gave a bark, and then jumped up at her playfully, trying to lick her face.
“I think he’s decided he likes you, Zoe!” laughed Lucy.
The pup rolled on to his back excitedly, and Zoe giggled and leaned down to tickle his soft fluffy belly. The little wolf yapped happily, wriggling around and wagging his tail. Then he jumped up, nudged her arm with his head and dashed off into the room, turning to see if she was following him.
“He wants to play chase with me!” Zoe realised, standing up and giggling. “He’s so funny!”
“I knew you’d like each other,” said Great-Uncle Horace, nodding happily. “Perhaps you could think of a name for him, Zoe? You’re always good at that!”
Zoe chased the little pup around the room until she was breathless. Even Meep joined in, although he scampered quickly up on to Zoe’s shoulder when the wolf pup turned around and started chasing Meep, his little tail wagging excitedly!
“Where will he live, Great-Uncle Horace?” Zoe asked. The Rescue Zoo had a pack of Arctic wolves, but no grey wolves like the new pup.
“There’s a spare enclosure next door to Luna and her family,” Great-Uncle Horace explained, “so I sent a message to Ethan and some of the other keepers a week ago, and asked them to start getting it ready. I made sure they didn’t tell you both, as I wanted it to be a surprise! We should be able to take the pup over there tonight. I’ll call Ethan on my walkie-talkie and ask him to meet us there.”
“I still need to check on that poorly pelican,” said Lucy, “so I’ll go and have a look at his foot, and then we’ll take the pup to his new home.”
“Oh yes, poor pelican! I’ll join you,” Great-Uncle Horace said. “He’s in one of the rooms upstairs.”
“Why don’t I stay here with the wolf pup?” Zoe offered quickly. With her mum and Great-Uncle Horace out of the room, she’d be able to speak to the pup without anyone guessing her secret! She waited until their voices were a distant murmur and then turned back to the little wolf. “My name’s Zoe!” she said in a friendly whisper. “And this is Meep, my best friend. What’s your name?”
The wolf pup’s tail started wagging even more eagerly when he realised Zoe could talk to him! He jumped up and put his front paws against her legs, and gave a happy bark.
“Shadow!” replied Zoe, grinning down at the little wolf. “That’s a perfect name for you, because of your lovely grey coat. We’re really glad you’ve come to live at the Rescue Zoo, Shadow. Do you like it so far?”
Shadow gave another eager bark. “Good! And you’re right, there are lots of places to explore here,” said Zoe, smiling. “And I think you’ll like your lovely new enclosure too. It’s right next door to some other wolves, and you’ll get to see it tonight, as soon as—”
Suddenly Meep’s ears pricked up.
“Zoe, someone’s coming!” he told her urgently.
Zoe quickly stopped talking, just as her mum walked back into the room. “I forgot my medical bag,” she explained, picking it up. She tilted her head to one side and paused before speaking again. “It’s funny, Zoe – I heard you chatting to the pup just a moment ago and it sounded as if he was barking back at you. Almost as if you were talking to one another!”
Oh no! Zoe stared at her mum in horror. Had Lucy guessed her secret?
Chapter Five
Shadow’s New Home
Before Zoe could think of an excuse, her mum chuckled.
“Silly me,” she said, shaking her head. “Can you imagine – you and the wolf pup having a conversation!”
As she left again, Zoe let out a sigh of relief.
“That was close!” whispered Meep.
“I know!” admitted Zoe. “I’d better be more careful, Meep.”
Once Lucy had given the pelican a check-up and some more medicine, they were ready to take the pup to the new grey wolf enclosure.