by Amelia Cobb
“Yes please!” Zoe beamed. Then she looked down at her feet. “Oh … but I don’t know how to do it!”
Great-Uncle Horace smiled. “Why don’t you watch how the penguins slide along the ice?” he suggested, his eyes twinkling. “That might give you some ideas. I’ll come and join you as soon as I’ve found some skates for myself!”
Zoe felt very wobbly. She held tight to the side of the rink and put one skate out on to the ice. “It’s so slippery!” she told Meep, who was watching from the side.
“Maybe Goo is right!” squeaked Meep, using the funny nickname he had for Great-Uncle Horace. “Maybe you should see how the penguins do it.”
“I could ask them for some tips!” said Zoe.
The penguins’ home was on the other side of the fence. Zoe glanced around to check that Great-Uncle Horace was still busy searching for skates, then called out. “Polly! Pip! Everyone! Can you help me?”
The penguins waddled over, looking interested. “How do you stay up on the ice?” Zoe asked.
The littlest penguin, Pip, peeped proudly at Zoe. “OK, Pip, show me!” Zoe replied, smiling at the tiny penguin. She watched as he slid his small black feet out in front of him, one by one. Then she took a deep breath and slowly slid one skate forward a little bit, then another, with her arms out for balance.
“You’re skating, Zoe!” Meep cried.
Zoe managed one very wobbly circle around the rink. “This is hard – but it’s fun!” she said, grinning as the penguins clapped their wings.
Then Great-Uncle Horace glided on to the ice. Zoe stared as he spun around in a circle! “I didn’t know you were so good,” she said.
“I learned to skate in Canada!” Great-Uncle Horace explained, taking Zoe’s hand and skating along with her. Zoe suddenly felt much steadier with somebody to hold on to. “I was there to help a family of snowy owls – wonderful creatures. Did you know that male snowy owl’s feathers get whiter throughout their lives?”
As Zoe and Great-Uncle Horace skated around, the zookeepers started to join them. Even Mr Pinch had come along. “This shouldn’t be too difficult,” he announced. But the moment he stepped on to the ice, his arms spun around in a circle, his knees wobbled and his feet shot out in opposite directions.
“Oh dear,” whispered Great-Uncle Horace as Mr Pinch fell flat on his bottom with a noisy thud. Zoe heard the penguins squeaking with laughter, and she tried to hide her smile.
After a while Zoe’s legs felt tired, so she decided to have a rest at the edge of the rink. As she sat watching the others skate, she had an idea. “Meep, why don’t we go and visit the snow leopards while everyone’s busy here?” she whispered.
Zoe quickly swapped her skates for her boots, then she and Meep slipped away. The path outside the snow leopards’ enclosure was closed to visitors for now, because Great-Uncle Horace said they needed peace and quiet to get used to their new home. Zoe and Meep tiptoed past the NO ENTRY sign.
“Shall we use your necklace to go in, Zoe?” Meep asked.
Zoe hesitated. “Let’s stay outside for now, Meep. The snow leopards don’t know we want to be friends yet, and it might be dangerous.”
They peered over the fence. It was very quiet, and all Zoe could hear was the trickle of the waterfall. “I can’t see them!” she whispered.
But Meep’s sharp eyes had spotted something. “Look, Zoe! There’s a long, fluffy tail peeping out from behind that bush.”
“That must be the mum,” said Zoe. “Great-Uncle Horace told me that snow leopards use their tails to keep their balance when they’re climbing up mountains! I bet her cub is up there too. I wonder if they’ll come and talk to us?” She took a deep breath and called, “Hello? My name’s Zoe, and this is Meep.”
The tail twitched, then disappeared. Then the mother snow leopard peered slowly out from behind the bush. After a second, her son’s face appeared too. Zoe smiled hopefully, and the cub padded up to the fence. His mum watched suspiciously.
“Welcome to Rescue Zoo,” said Zoe. “We’re so glad you’ve come to live here! What’s your name?”
The cub meowed. “It’s lovely to meet you, Ali,” Zoe said. “And what’s your mum called?”
Ali gave another meow, and Zoe smiled at the big snow leopard. “Hello, Lila,” she called.
Before Zoe could say any more, the mother snow leopard growled softly, calling Ali away. The cub looked disappointed, but leaped back across the rocky ground and lay down next to her. Zoe sighed. “Ali seems nice, but his mum doesn’t trust us yet, Meep,” she said. “At least we’ve said hello. That’s a good start – and we’ll come back tomorrow to try again!”
“Come on, Meep!” said Zoe, rushing down the path. “I’ve promised Great-Uncle Horace I’ll help decorate the zoo staffroom this morning, but I want to go and see Ali again first.”
The snow leopards had been at Rescue Zoo for two days, and Zoe had gone to visit them every chance she got. She hadn’t gone inside their enclosure yet, though. Lila was still very protective of Ali.
When she arrived today, Ali was waiting for her. His eyes sparkled excitedly when he saw Zoe, and he gave a little growl, patting the fence with his paw. “Of course I want to come inside and play with you,” exclaimed Zoe, feeling very excited. “But what about your mum? Did she say it was OK?”
Suddenly, Lila appeared from behind the waterfall and padded over to the fence. She growled solemnly, and Zoe nodded. “I promise we won’t go too far,” she replied. “Meep and I only want to make friends.”
Lila nuzzled Ali with her big, furry head, then disappeared back behind the waterfall. Zoe grabbed her necklace and opened the gate, with Meep on her shoulder. It felt strange to be inside the beautiful enclosure when she’d only seen it from the path!
Ali pounced straight on her boots and she knelt down to play. She gave him a big, furry cuddle, and then he wriggled out of her arms and rolled on to his back so that she could tickle his belly. His white fur was silky soft, and covered in beautiful dark spots and splodges. Like his mum, he had bright blue eyes. Zoe thought he was one of the most gorgeous animals she’d ever met.
Ali purred happily and licked Zoe’s hand with his pink tongue. “It’s lovely to finally play with you too!” giggled Zoe. “Do you like your enclosure? I bet you and your mum have been having lots of fun splashing in the waterfall, and playing hide and seek behind the rocks.”
But Ali suddenly looked very sad, and gave a miserable series of mews. Zoe frowned. “What do you mean, your mum won’t play with you any more?” she asked.
Ali glanced at his mum, who was curled up on a cosy ledge beside the waterfall. She looked fast asleep. His tail drooping sadly, Ali explained that they used to play lots – but now, his mum just wanted to sleep all the time.
Zoe stroked his furry little head. “Poor Ali,” said Zoe. “I expect she’s just tired from the journey. But in case, I’ll ask my mum to come and give her a check up. She’s a doctor especially for animals, and she’ll know if there’s anything the matter.”
Ali purred as she tickled his ears, and Zoe decided she’d speak to her mum that morning. Lucy still hadn’t examined the snow leopards properly, because she’d been giving them time to settle in. But if Lila was poorly, it was important to find out straight away.
“It’s so good that you got here in time for Christmas!” Zoe told the little cub.
Ali cocked his head and meowed curiously, a puzzled look on his face. Zoe and Meep gasped. “Really? You’ve never heard of Christmas?” squeaked Meep.
Ali shook his head, and Meep nearly fell over in surprise. Zoe giggled. “Well, you just wait,” she told the cub. “You’re going to love it!”
“What do you think, Great-Uncle Horace?” asked Zoe, holding up a paper snowflake. “We learned how to make these at school. You just fold up some white paper, cut out tiny pieces carefully with scissors, then open them up flat again and you’ve made a pattern! I think this is my best one so far!”
“You�
�re doing an excellent job there, my dear,” replied Great-Uncle Horace, who was putting up some sparkly lights around the door. “The staffroom is going to look wonderful once we’ve finished decorating. Shall I help you tape the snowflakes to the window?”
“I think I can reach!” said Zoe. “And clever Meep has already got the sticky tape ready,” she added, winking at her little friend.
“Oh no. More mess!” snapped Mr Pinch as he walked in. “If it’s going to be all Christmassy in here too I think I’ll go and sit by myself in my office. You won’t find any decorations there.”
“Come along now, Percy! You have to admit, the zoo looks splendid,” said Great-Uncle Horace.
Mr Pinch frowned. “I have never understood why people get so excited about Christmas,” he said frostily. “All the fuss about presents! The horrid mince pies! The dreadful songs!”
“You must like Christmas carols, though,” said Great-Uncle Horace, sounding shocked. “Everyone likes carols, Percy! What about the wonderful carol concert here at Rescue Zoo, on Christmas Eve?”
“Christmas songs make my ears hurt,” grumbled Mr Pinch in reply. “And mistletoe makes me sneeze. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
He stomped off towards his office. Great-Uncle Horace sighed, and then his face lit up. “I have an idea! I’m going to sneak after him and hang this wreath on his office door,” he whispered, winking at Zoe. “We’ll just have to change his mind about Christmas. Back in a minute!”
As soon as he’d gone, Zoe shook her head. “Meep, can you believe how grumpy Mr Pinch is?”
“He doesn’t even like presents!” chattered Meep in disbelief. “But opening presents is so exciting. I love ripping up the paper and seeing what’s inside!”
“What do you hope Santa brings you this year, Meep?” Zoe asked, scooping her little friend up for a hug. “I wrote and asked for a bracelet with lots of pretty animal charms on it. I even drew a picture of it in my letter!”
“I’d like three bananas, two apples, a bag of peanuts, some nice juicy raisins, a tub of yummy strawberries, lots of sunflower seeds…” said Meep.
Zoe burst out laughing. “Meep, everything you’ve asked for is food!”
“I like food,” Meep told her, very seriously.
The door burst open and Great-Uncle Horace strode back in – followed by Lucy. “I bumped into your mum on the way back from Mr Pinch’s office,” said Great-Uncle Horace. “She says she has some exciting news for us!”
Lucy was beaming. “I wanted to tell you both together. Zoe, after you rang me at the zoo hospital this morning, I went to give the snow leopards a check-up. By the way, I love the names you picked for them! And I’m pleased to say that Lila and Ali are perfectly healthy.”
“That’s excellent news!” said Great-Uncle Horace.
“And there’s more!” said Lucy. “Lila has been sleeping all the time for a reason. She’s pregnant! And she should be giving birth very soon!”
Zoe gasped. “I can’t believe it. Ali’s going to have some little brothers or sisters!” So that was why Lila was so tired all the time!
“And Rescue Zoo will have a whole family of snow leopards!” cried Great-Uncle Horace, throwing his hat into the air. “What a wonderful Christmas surprise!”
While Zoe rushed to the snow leopard enclosure with her mum and Great-Uncle Horace, Meep raced around the zoo spreading the news. Soon the air was filled with excited barks, tweets, roars and grunts of celebration.
Lila was nowhere to be seen, until Zoe caught a glimpse of spotty white fur in the cave. “Look, she’s up there!” she said.
“Well spotted, Zoe! It looks like she’s chosen the cave as her den,” said Great-Uncle Horace, nodding thoughtfully. “Lots of shelter, and it’s warm and dry. That’s where Lila will bring up her new babies for the first few months of their lives.”
“I can’t wait,” said Zoe, grinning. “The new cubs will be so tiny and furry and cute! I love it when babies are born at the zoo.”
“All we can do now is wait,” said Lucy, smiling at Zoe. “How exciting! It’s strange, but the animals seem to understand that something’s happening,” she added. “Have you noticed they’re all really noisy today?”
“Yes, very odd,” said Great-Uncle Horace, and Zoe thought there was a funny twinkle in his eyes. “Now, I think I’d like a mince pie to celebrate the news! Would you like one, Zoe?”
Zoe was about to say yes, but caught sight of a spotty tail poking out from behind a tree. Ali! “I’ll be there in a minute,” she said quickly.
As Great-Uncle Horace and Lucy walked off, Zoe used her necklace to slip inside the enclosure, and dashed over to Ali. “I’ve just heard!” she cried. “You’re going to be a big brother! Aren’t you excited?”
To her surprise, Ali gave a sad little meow, and buried his face in his paws. Zoe couldn’t believe it. “What do you mean, you don’t want to be a big brother?” she asked. “Why not?”
Sniffling, Ali glanced sadly up at the cave where his mum was resting. Zoe reached out to give him a cuddle. “Don’t worry, Ali. Your mum will soon be able to play with you again, and she’s never going to forget about you, even when the new babies come along! She’ll love you just as much.”
Ali shook his little head, and Zoe tried again. “Just think about how fun it’s going to be! You’re really lucky, Ali.”
But it was no use. Ali meowed a glum goodbye and padded behind the waterfall to lie down by himself. Zoe stared after him, her heart sinking. It seemed like everyone was excited about the new cubs – except for their big brother!
As Zoe lay in bed that night, with Meep cuddled by her feet, she couldn’t stop thinking about Ali. How could she make the sad little cub see that having brothers and sisters would be fun, and that his mum wouldn’t forget about him?
At breakfast time, she was very quiet as she nibbled her toast. “Is anything wrong, love?” asked Lucy.
Zoe shook her head. She couldn’t explain why she was worried, because her mum didn’t know she could talk to animals! “I’m going to have another peep at the snow leopards this morning,” she said.
“Good idea, Zoe. Come and tell me straight away if you think the baby might be coming!” said Lucy.
Zoe walked to the snow leopards’ enclosure with Meep cuddled on her shoulder, thinking about what to say to Ali. On the way, she passed the path that led to Higgins Hall, the huge manor house where Great-Uncle Horace lived. It was set on a hill, overlooking the zoo. Most of the grand old rooms had been turned into animal enclosures when Great-Uncle Horace opened the zoo, so the kitchen was jumping with frogs, and thousands of butterflies fluttered around the ballroom! Great-Uncle Horace had just kept the attic for Kiki and himself.
Zoe looked up at the Hall and noticed that a crowd had gathered on the lawn outside. “Meep, let’s go and find out what’s going on up there!” she said.
As they reached the Hall, Zoe spotted lots of cameras and microphones. “They’re reporters, Meep – and it sounds like they’ve come to ask Great-Uncle Horace about Lila giving birth,” she whispered.
Great-Uncle Horace was standing in front of the crowd, answering questions. Zoe smiled as she noticed that he was wearing tinsel around his neck like a scarf. “Oh yes, we’re very excited,” Great-Uncle Horace was saying. “Snow leopards are incredibly rare. Did you know that there are only a few thousand left in the world?”
“Mr Higgins, do you think they might arrive on Christmas Day?” one reporter called out.
Great-Uncle Horace beamed. “Wouldn’t that be splendid? We’ll just have to wait and see!”
Zoe and Meep slipped away quietly, and carried on towards the snow leopards’ enclosure. The path outside it was now open to visitors, but there was a big sign saying OUR NEW BABY SNOW LEOPARDS ARE COMING SOON. PLEASE TRY TO BE QUIET SO THEIR MOTHER CAN REST!
A family was talking in hushed voices. “I can see the mother, asleep in that cave,” whispered a man with red glasses. “But where’s the cub?”
Suddenly, in a blur of black-and-white fur, Ali appeared from a little cranny in the rocks. He dashed up the cliff towards the cave, and pounced on his sleeping mum with a playful meow. Lila’s eyes flew open and she growled in surprise. Ali patted her head with his paws, purring hopefully.
“He wants to play!” Zoe whispered to Meep.
But Lila grunted and rolled over, closing her eyes again. The cub kept jumping on her until Lila snarled at him crossly.
“Oh dear, looks like he’s in trouble with his mum!” chuckled the man.
Sulkily, Ali padded out of the cave, his tail low. He sat by himself next to the stream, a little scowl on his face. The family wandered off, chatting about which animal to see next, and Zoe and Meep slipped inside the enclosure and rushed over to Ali.
“You know your mum needs to rest before the babies arrive,” said Zoe, crouching down next to him. “That was a bit naughty of you.”
Ali growled crossly. “I know you don’t want any brothers or sisters,” Zoe replied softly, “but I bet you’d change your mind if you met some of the other families at Rescue Zoo. Chi Chi and Mei Mei are pandas, and they’re twin sisters. They’re always having fun together. They love playing tricks – especially on Mr Pinch! Then there’s Otto and Benedict, the baby otters. They’re brothers and best friends!”
Ali meowed curiously. “No, I don’t have any brothers or sisters,” Zoe explained. “I wish I did! I’m really lucky, though, because I have Meep to be my best friend!”
