‘Hello,’ whispered Ava.

The owl’s large black eyes blinked at her. She reached out with a shaky hand to gently stroke the owl’s soft feathery chest. The owl blinked again. Cassie appeared behind her, making Ava jump.

‘Try not to touch it too much,’ she said, kindly but firmly. ‘We want to get it back into the wild as soon as we can and not get too used to humans if we can help it. Owls would be naturally wary of humans in the wild, and we need to try and keep it that way.’

Ava bit her lip and nodded.

Cassie sighed.

‘The rescue centre I help at is full to the brim at the moment and can’t take in another bird of prey. The nearest one that can take it is a few hours away, which I think is a bit far in this situation. It’s a long way to go, and hopefully the owl shouldn’t take too long to recover, so the journey seems a bit much. I’d like to get it back into the woods here if I can too, so it would mean another long journey back.’

‘So what are we going to do?’ asked Ava.

‘Well,’ began Cassie, a smile creeping across her lips. ‘I think the best plan is to let it recover here.’

Ava’s eyes widened as she took in what Cassie said.

‘Really?’

‘I think it’s the best option we’ve got. The poor thing isn’t too badly injured, so I don’t think it will be long until we can release it. The woodlands here are its home, so we can take it down there when it’s ready to go back. This barn will be perfect for it to stay in while it gets better – it’s quiet and secure. I’ll come up and see to the owl on my way to and from work every day and, of course, I’ll have a willing assistant.’

Ava beamed. ‘I’ll do whatever it takes!’

Cassie smiled at her. ‘I know you will. We can keep it in the barn until it’s stronger, and then it’s only a quick trip down to the woods to release it when the time is right.’

‘Just one thing,’ said Ava.

‘Go on,’ replied Cassie.

‘Can you tell if it’s a boy or a girl?’

‘Does it matter?’ asked Cassie, giving Ava a quizzical look.

Ava’s cheeks reddened a little.

‘Not really. It’s just that if it’s staying a while, it’ll need a name.’

Cassie laughed and Ava’s cheeks flushed a deeper red.

‘You and your animal names!’ said Cassie with a broad smile. ‘It’s actually quite hard to tell in owls. Female tawny owls are usually a bit bigger than the males, so it’s easier to tell when there’s a pair together. My gut feeling is that this one is probably a female, but I’m not one hundred percent sure.’

‘Do you think this owl is one of a pair?’ asked Ava, suddenly wondering if another owl was missing this one.

Cassie shrugged. ‘Maybe. They tend to pair up for life, so let’s hope this one recovers quickly just in case. It’s down to us to get it back to the woods.’

Ava looked at the owl still partially wrapped in her uncle’s jacket.

‘I’ll get you back to the woods,’ she whispered. ‘I promise.’