Chapter Ten THE OWL

Ava’s bum had started to go numb. She’d sat in the back of the farm truck for almost half an hour as she waited for Cassie to arrive. Cassie had just been finishing her Saturday-morning shift at the vet’s when they’d called, and she’d offered to pop in and take a look at the owl on her way home. As the owl seemed quiet and calm, Cassie had suggested they left it where it was until she got there. So, the owl remained wrapped up in Uncle John’s jacket on Ava’s lap, under the watchful eye of Aunt Kitty. As Ava sat there waiting, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d sat still for so long in one place.

She heard a vehicle pull up behind her and the sound of Cassie’s voice greeting Aunt Kitty. Ava could feel the excitement fizzing again at the thought of getting another look at the owl.

‘So what have you found this time?’ Cassie’s face appeared at the open truck window, her grey hair tied up in a tight bun. There was an amused smile on her lips, which deepened the laughter lines around her eyes.

‘Tom says it’s a tawny owl,’ said Ava. ‘We found it in the woods.’

Cassie smiled warmly as she opened the truck door. She reached inside and took the bundle from Ava.

‘Let’s go and take a look, shall we?’

Ava walked in step with the vet in the direction of the outbuildings at the side of the farmhouse. She smiled as she realized where they were heading – Hope’s barn.

‘It’ll be quiet in here,’ said Cassie.

Once inside, Cassie laid the wrapped owl on a few straw bales stacked at the back. Ava realized they were probably left over from the Easter holiday when the barn was Hope’s temporary home. Cassie took out some thick leather gloves that had been in her coat pocket and put them on.

‘Stand back a bit, Ava,’ she instructed. ‘We don’t want to frighten the poor thing too much.’

Ava did as she was asked, stepping back to give the owl some space. She held her breath as she watched Cassie unwrap the tawny owl. It didn’t try to fly away as its wings became free, and Ava couldn’t help but notice the look of concern on Cassie’s face.

‘Have you helped many owls before?’ asked Ava quietly, her eyes fixed with fascination as she watched Cassie examine the owl. ‘Tom said you volunteered somewhere.’

‘I’ve seen a few owls in my time,’ muttered Cassie. ‘I help out at Hollybank Animal Rescue Centre when I’m not working at the veterinary practice. I see all sorts of wildlife there – deer, hedgehogs, squirrels, that sort of thing, as well as a few rescued donkeys and horses. Had a few owls brought in over the years.’

‘Really?’ said Ava.

Cassie nodded as she continued to examine the owl. ‘This is definitely an adult tawny owl and obviously injured, so you all did the right thing picking it up. A young tawny owl’s different though. It’s best to leave them where they are if you find one. They often leave the nest when they’re young and do end up on the ground sometimes. Most of the time the parents know where it is and will keep feeding it. If you take it away, the parents won’t know where it is.’

The owl made an odd, low hissing sound as Cassie opened and closed its limp wing.

‘Is it broken?’ asked Ava, unable to hide the concern in her voice.

Cassie shook her head.

‘I don’t think so. But it’ll need time to recover in a safe place to give it the best chance back out in the wild. It’s clearly damaged its wing somehow and seems quite weak. It’ll be very vulnerable to predators like this if it can’t fly away. It won’t last long if it can’t hunt for food either.’

Cassie took her phone out of her coat pocket and dialled a number. She headed out into the crisp autumn sunshine that radiated into the courtyard, leaving Ava to supervise the owl for a moment. She stared at it as it lay perfectly still on the straw bales. Its body was dappled with brown and cream feathers, with a darker ring of feathers framing its mesmerizing round face.