The swelling along her side faded, her appetite came back, and her roars once again carried across the sanctuary, not as warnings, but as calls of life. The fox kit was relocated to a wildlife rehabilitation center nearby, where staff sent updates every few days. Lily read each one carefully, saving the photos in her notebook.
When she and her father returned the next Saturday, Shira was lying out in the open, the sun glowing against her coat. Lily ran to the railing, grinning. “She’s better!” she said, pressing her palms to the glass. Caleb smiled beside her. “Looks like your favorite’s back to her old self.” Ethan approached, leaning on the railing with a satisfied sigh.