Mom and Dad just nod. “So he called here, looking for help?” Dad asks.
“Not exactly.” This is the hard part. “I went to his house.”
Mom gasps. “Brenna!”
“I know,” I say “But, really, it wasn’t dangerous. I just wanted to talk to him. And it turned out that he’d found this fawn in his yard, so we took it to Dr. Mac. That’s the whole story.”
“Most of it, anyway,” Sage says now. “But you’ve heard the rest. About how I ended up—you know, hitting Brenna.” He glances at me, then looks away.
Poor Sage! He must really be feeling guilty about what he did to me, even if he’s still mad that I stuck up for Billy. I want to tell him that my mouth doesn’t even hurt that much anymore, that the swelling is going down. That I’ve forgiven him. But he won’t give me the chance.
“Hold on,” Dad says. The kettle is whistling. He gets up to make a pot of tea.
“Actually,” I say, “I don’t think I want any tea. I’m going upstairs, if that’s OK. Homework.” Sage has a lot of stuff to work out with Mom and Dad, and I have a feeling that he’ll have an easier time of it if I’m not there.
Why do I care? Good question. All I can say is that I do. I’ll always care about Sage. He’s my brother.
“Good luck,” I mouth to him as I walk past. I’d hate to be in his shoes right now. Mom and Dad are really disappointed in him. I don’t know if they’ll tell him he’s grounded, or what. It almost doesn’t matter. Disappointing my parents is usually punishment enough.
When I get to my room and unload my backpack, I realize that homework is the last thing I feel like doing. Instead, I go out into the hall and get the phone to call Maggie.
It’s a relief talking with her. She’s been through this whole thing with me, practically, and it helps to go over it all together.
Maggie’s glad to hear that my fat lip is already better. She tells me the fawn is doing well. “And Chico’s better, too,” she says. “He even ate a little of his dinner.”
That’s good to hear. “It was pretty awesome how he took the biscuit from Billy,” I say.
“Billy? What, so now you’re best buds with the guy?” she asks.
“Maggie, he’s not really that bad. Ask Dr. Mac. He knows all about the woods, and he really does care about animals.”
“Right. He cares about trapping them.” Maggie is unconvinced.
“He only does it for the money,” I say. I can’t believe I’m defending Billy Morrison. “If he had another way to help out his family, he’d probably quit trapping.”
Did you ever see one of those cartoons where a character suddenly has a lightbulb appear over his head?
Corny, I know. But that’s exactly what it feels like. I’ve just had a major brainstorm. “Maggie, I have to go,” I say abruptly.
“What? But—”
“Talk to you tomorrow!” I hang up.
I lie back on my bed to think, my mind racing. As soon as I hear Sage come upstairs, I make my way back down to the kitchen to talk to Dad.
“Hi.”
Billy Morrison looks up from the piece of wood he’s sawing. “Hey,” he says. He looks back down and starts sawing again.
It’s the next day, after school. I’ve come to the Morrison house again, this time by myself. And with my parents’ permission, too. I have something to discuss with Billy, but it’s not about trapping.
I’m not surprised that he doesn’t seem thrilled to see me, after everything that happened yesterday. “Sorry about my brother,” I say.
“That’s OK.” He’s still sawing away. The board he’s cutting is laid between two sawhorses in the backyard.
“You made that tree house out front, didn’t you?” I ask him.
“Yup.”
It’s not going to be easy to get him talking. “And the chairs, the ones on the porch, too. Right?”
“What is this, the third degree?” Billy smiles a little to show he’s kidding. “Yeah, I made the chairs. Well, my dad and I did. So what?” He stops sawing and faces me, hands on hips. He’s wearing the same red wool jacket that he had on the first time I saw him.
“They’re cool, that’s all. I noticed them when I was here before.”
Suddenly, I’m feeling a little awkward. I take off my hat and twist it in my hands. “Listen, Billy. If you had another way to make money, would you quit trapping?”
“Depends,” he says. “What exactly did you have in mind?”
“What’s he doing here?”
I’m back at home, in Sage’s room. We’re both looking out the window, watching Billy and Dad talk together in front of the woodshop.
Sage is not happy to see Billy.
“Dad’s going to give him a job,” I say. “It was my idea. Billy promised to quit trapping if this works out. He’s a really good woodworker, Sage. And he’d much rather build things than kill things.”
I’m babbling a little, but I really, really want Sage to accept this. To understand. Billy is going to be around for a while, and my brother is going to have to deal with it.
Sage nods slowly. Then he surprises me. “Good for you, Brenna,” he says. “Good work.”
It’s exactly what I wanted to hear. I just never thought he’d say it. “But, Sage,” I say. “What about ‘direct action is the only way’?”
“Getting a trapper a different job seems like one sort of direct action,” Sage says, smiling a little. “But the truth is, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking ever since you mentioned good old Steven Bauer. And ever since I hit you.”
Sage bows his head. “I really, really am sorry about that, Brenna,” he continues. “Anyway, I think I’ve gotten a little carried away with all this animal rights stuff. Not that I’ll stop going to meetings or anything,” he adds quickly. “I still believe in all the goals. And I’m still going to be a vegan. But I have to admit that you proved there’s more than one way to make change happen. I guess what I’m saying is that maybe I learned something from my little sister after all.”
I’m stunned.
Then Sage turns and digs around under the bed. “I’m getting rid of this,” he says, holding up the parts of his man-trap. “So you can keep that spring you stole.” He smiles again. “And just so you know, this isn’t what most of the Animals Always people are into. The plans for this trap came from one guy who’s really radical.”
I nod. “Sage,” I begin.
Then I realize that I can’t think of a thing to say, so I just throw my arms around him. He gives me a huge hug. I’ve got my brother back.
Chapter Twelve
Another Sunday morning, another yoga session in the sunroom. I move through the postures, enjoying the feeling of the sun warming my muscles as I stretch.
We do the Eagle, balancing on one foot, focusing intensely. Back down on the floor, we do the Pigeon pose, puffing out our chests, and then flow into the Downward Facing Dog. We move through the Cat, hold the Cobra for five long breaths, then relax into the deep stretch of the Frog.
Mom’s eyes meet mine. “Finish with a Lion?” she asks, just like last week. I nod happily. We open our eyes wide, stick out our tongues, and growl.
Once again, Jayvee runs in to join us, adding his baby lion growl to ours.
But this week something’s different. This week, Dad and Sage are here, too. We sound like a whole pack of lions. We feel like a family again.
Now that Billy is helping my father in the carpentry shop, Dad has more free time. As for Sage, I guess he’s decided that maybe he doesn’t have “more important things to do” after all—at least not on Sunday mornings.
I gaze around the room, looking into each Lion face in turn. And then I can’t hold it in any longer. I burst into giggles. Mom starts laughing, too. Jayvee rolls onto the floor and hoots happily. That makes Sage and Dad crack up.
Soon, the whole room echoes with our laughter.
Later, I ride my bike over to Dr. Mac’s Place. I’m really looking forward to spending a re
gular day there, working with my friends. Things have been so crazy lately! I’ve missed my usual routine. It’ll be a relief to walk in, grab a mop, and start cleaning.
But do I head for the broom closet when I arrive? Of course not. First I have to check up on Chico and the fawn. I’ve brought my camera, thinking I can take pictures of both of them. A nice picture of Chico might help us place him in a good home.
I head for Chico’s cage first, but he’s not in it!
For a second, my stomach does a little flip. Did something go wrong? Then I see Zoe walk in, leading Chico on a leash.
I take the lens cap off my camera and focus on the two of them. Click. Chico looks so much better than before. His coat is shinier, his eyes are brighter, and his tail is waving like a flag.
“He’s walking?” I ask, even though I can see for myself that he is.
“Well, duh,” says Zoe. “Actually, he’s doing a lot more than walking. He just chased a squirrel all over the backyard! Almost caught it, too. And he went up and down the stairs without any problems at all. Dr. Mac says that learning how to go down stairs is one of the hardest things for dogs that have lost a front leg. But he did great!” She beams down at Chico but doesn’t reach out to pat him. “He’s still not the friendliest dog—but who can blame him?” she adds.
I snap another picture as Zoe walks Chico back to his cage. It’s just like Dr. Mac said: he doesn’t even seem to notice that anything’s missing. He’s doing just fine on three legs. “So, he’s all ready to go home?” I ask.
“If he had a home,” Zoe answers. She unclips Chico’s leash and lets him back into his cage.
I come closer and we both look in at him.
This time he doesn’t growl at me. I get a biscuit from the jar and offer it to him, and he actually takes it!
I guess his attitude has a lot to do with my own. When I was so upset and angry about everything, Chico could probably sense it. He didn’t want anything to do with me. But Billy was calm and patient, and that made Chico feel less threatened.
A few days ago, I never would have believed that a hunter could actually be more tuned in to an animal than I was.
Just then, Maggie walks in. “Hey, have you seen the fawn yet?” she asks. “I think she’s almost ready to be moved over to your place.”
“Cool!” It’ll be fun to have the fawn to take care of. Maggie and I go over to the deer’s cage, which is set apart from the others and draped with blankets to keep it quiet and dim. I peer in.
The fawn is lying down, but when she hears me, she jumps to her feet. Her cuts are healing beautifully, and it’s obvious that all four legs are working just fine. She’s gorgeous, with her huge eyes and soft, brown coat.
Moving slowly, I focus my camera and take a few quick shots, hoping there’s enough light for them to come out.
“She looks great,” I whisper to Maggie.
It’s hard to tear ourselves away from the fawn, but there’s lots to do. I get to work cleaning cages to make them ready for any boarders we might get this week. It feels wonderful to be scrubbing away without any worries.
“Nice job!” I turn around to see Dr. Mac nodding approvingly. “These cages are gleaming. Thanks, Brenna.”
“No problem. Hey, the fawn looks great. Chico does, too.”
Dr. Mac smiles at me. “Two success stories,” she says. “We can always use those around here.”
I look over at Chico’s cage. “Well, sort of a success,” I reply. “Chico still doesn’t have a home. I sure wish I could take him, but there’s no way that we can have a dog. Not with all the wild animals at our place.”
“Oh, I think I know somebody who may want him,” says Dr. Mac, a little mysteriously.
“Who?” Maggie, David, Sunita, and Zoe have joined us by then, and they’re just as curious as I am.
“Billy.” Dr. Mac beams as she sees five jaws drop. “He came by here yesterday, and we talked about it. He’s afraid his mother won’t agree because of the expense, but I offered to continue caring for Chico for free if Billy and his family will give him a home.”
Dr. Mac can afford to do things like that. She’s made lots of money from some vet instruments she invented, and she also writes a column about animals that runs in newspapers all over the country.
“Really?” says Maggie.
“That’s awesome!” I say
It dawns on me that I have a lot to thank Billy for. If it weren’t for him, I never would have learned that not everybody who hunts or traps is evil. And now that I understand why some people trap, I think I’ll have a better chance of convincing them not to. (And believe me, I do intend to work hard to ban trapping in this country.)
Even Sage now realizes that by understanding another person’s point of view, it’s easier to work together for change.
It’s kind of like yoga. If you resist stretching, it only hurts worse and your body rebels. But if you give in a little, relax, you can stretch farther than you ever thought you could.
Later that day, Billy and his mom and his sister come by to visit Chico. I feel a ridiculous urge to cry when I see how Chico stands up and wags his tail as soon as he hears Billy’s voice.
When they take Chico out of his cage for a walk, I run to find my camera. I make the four of them stand out in back of the clinic, posing for me. Click. I take one shot, then another. Click.Click. Billy and his mom smile at each other. Click. Billy makes rabbit ears in back of his sister’s head.
Then, I see it. The perfect shot. All three humans are looking down at their beautiful new dog. Chico looks straight at the camera, chest puffed out proudly. He already belongs with the Morrisons—anybody can see that. He’ll be going home soon, and he couldn’t ask for a better family to live with.
Click.
I’ve got the picture. And this time, it’s not in black and white.
Animal Rights 101
By J.J. MACKENZIE, D.V.M.
Wild World News—We humans share our planet with an astonishing number of other species. But animals don’t always get a fair shake. Since they can’t speak for themselves, animals need our help and protection. There are dozens of ways you can get involved in saving their lives or making their lives better. Here are just a few ideas.
Shop Against Cruelty. Make a fashion statement! Avoid buying clothes and accessories made of real fur or wild animal skin. If there’s less of a demand for these products, fewer animals will be trapped for their skins or coats. If you love the look of animal prints, you’re still in luck. Fake furs and skins come in lots of fun patterns and colors.
Don’t buy jewelry or other objects made from materials that come from endangered species. The African elephant could become extinct because of the demand for ivory.
In an average year, millions of animals are injured or killed during testing of cosmetics, skin care products, and household cleaners. You can help reduce this number by buying only from companies that don’t test their products on animals to see if the products are safe for humans. Look for words such as “cruelty free” on the label. You can also have fun making your own cleaning products at home! Look for “recipe” books at the library.
LOOK FOR SOAPS
AND SHAMPOOS NOT
TESTED ON ANIMALS
Pet Protection. If your family is thinking about getting a pet, consider bringing one home from your local shelter instead of buying one from a pet store. You won’t run the risk of supporting a puppy mill (a place where hundreds of dogs a year are bred in unhealthy conditions just to be sold for profit), and you would be giving a homeless animal a second chance at life.
If your heart is set on a purebred dog or cat, find out about local rescue agencies that match families with purebreds who have lost their homes.
Get your cat or dog “fixed,” which means spaying a female or neutering a male. Millions of unwanted kittens and puppies are born every year and end up in shelters or at the pound. If homes aren’t found for them, they may be put to death.
Make
sure your pet wears an identification tag, even if he or she normally stays inside. Indoor cats who don’t know their surroundings can get lost if they accidentally slip out. Keep a sign on your window, in case of fire or other emergency, to alert rescue workers that there’s an animal inside who needs their help!
Pitch In, Speak Out. Volunteer at your local Humane Society. Walk a dog, clean out cat cages, or even be a foster parent for puppies and kittens! Or find out if there’s a wildlife rehabilitation center nearby where you can volunteer. Even if you can’t work direct with the animals, you may still be able to help in other ways, such as raising money or doing publicity.
ANIMAL SHELTERS
CAN ALWAYS USE A
HELPING HAND.
If you see a pet or wild animal that is being abused or neglected, tell an adult immediately. Contact your local ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), Humane Society, or police department.
You can help wild animals by caring more about the environments they live in. Pollution, overpopulation, and the destruction of ecosystems are all contributing to animal extinction. Help clean up a beach, volunteer at a nature center, or start a letter-writing campaign to your local newspapers, business owners, or members of Congress to raise people’s awareness and fight for laws that protect wildlife habitats.
Trapped Page 7
