There was only one reliable source of stored water in town. And that one reliable source was the water truck at the fire house.

“It’s always full,” noted Kona.

If the fire fighters could be tricked to leave the fire house for a while (Kona pointed to POSSUM), and if the fire house door could be unlocked from the inside (Kona pointed to RACCOON), then the fire house dog (DALMATION) could also be tricked to leave the fire house for a while (CAT), so that Stumpy could open up the tank on the water truck and she and her children (SQUIRRELS) could fill dozens and dozens of straws with water and seal them up with chewing gum.

Kona stopped for a moment to catch his breath. Augustina blinked while she waited. Kona was nervous because now he was getting to the part about the owls.

“We need fliers,” Kona said. “Silent nighttime fliers with binocular vision.”

He pointed to OWLS on the plan as he looked at Augustina with great sincerity. (And there are few things that look so sincere as a Labrador who wants something.)

“If two hundred of you could fly into the fire house,” said Kona, “and collect the straws of water and then deliver them to all who need them . . .”

Kona took another deep breath.

“Then we will have done something magnificent together,” he finished.

Augustina examined the paper. She blinked several times.

She pointed to a name.

“Murray,” she said. “I know Murray. What is his part?”

“Murray’s friend Stumpy has a glow-in-the-dark watch,” said Kona.

“I have heard,” said Augustina.

“And,” Kona continued, “when the owls arrive back at the park with the water, Murray will shine the watch on every nest and every burrow where someone is in need. He will know where the need is. Murray knows the park like the back of his foot.”

Augustina’s head turned slowly to the far, far left and then slowly to the far, far right. Then back to center.

“Many here,” she said, “are in crisis.”

Kona and Herman nodded.

Augustina was silent. She remained silent, in fact, for several minutes. Owls need time to think.

Kona felt his heart pounding.

Finally she spoke:

“Tell me when to have them ready. And you shall have your two hundred fliers.”

If Labradors and crows could cry, surely tears would have flowed.

As it was, Kona and Herman said simply, “Thank you,” which is all, really, an owl ever needs to hear.

So now it was onward to find a possum, a raccoon, and a cat who would play their parts.

Kona wasn’t worried. In fact, he already had just the cat in mind. And possums and raccoons are always up for tricks.

Suddenly it seemed that Houston was actually going to see them land!