By J.M. Allison
The wind whipped against the door to Luna’s enclosure. She sighed and snuggled deeper into her cozy bed of straw.
“Good morning, Luna.” A gangly keeper in khaki pants and a green Zoo polo peered at her through the bars. “It’s a beautiful, brisk day. You’re going to love it.”
Luna shifted her large bulk and closed her eyes. A beautiful day included sunshine, floating in the pool, savoring some chilled seal meat, and basking in the warmth. Her ear twitched as the wind rattled against the outer doors. Nope, she was good right here next to the glorious heat radiating off the heater.
The keeper shuffled about, and the faint scent of salmon and nutritional biscuits drifted to her nose. Not her favorite meal, but her non-picky stomach grumbled a demand for food anyway. She forced her eyes open. The keeper smiled as she brayed out a lazy call.
“Let’s get you outside.” He tugged open a door allowing him access to her enclosure and slipped through.
Luna frowned. If he thought a few salmon slices and biscuits would lure her away from the warmth of this den, he would be sadly disappointed.
The keeper returned and latched the exhibit door then turned to face her. “All right. You ready to enjoy this weather? It’s just like you’d have in the wild.” He disengaged a lock then punched the controls to open the outer doors on Luna’s side of the bars.
A chilly breeze swirled around the room, ruffling Luna’s fur. She shivered then turned her backside toward the door and stretched her face toward the heater vent.
“Now, none of that. You’re built to survive the cold. Low thirties should feel great. We’re the ones who are freezing our backsides off.” He flipped off the overnight heater.
Luna huffed. It wasn’t her fault he’d been born a fatless, hairless creature unable to survive in subzero temperatures.
“Come on, out we go.” The keeper crouched next to her. “I placed an extra special treat for you just outside.”
She looked toward the door and sniffed. The faint scent of seal reached her. Luna studied the keeper.
Her last keeper had told her that once. She’d trotted happily outside, only to have the door slam closed as soon as she exited and discovered the “treat” was only a scent toy, completely inedible. She’d been locked out to freeze in the frigid weather all day. She wouldn’t make that mistake again…
Her stomach rumbled.
She considered the keeper, then sniffed toward the door.
She did love seal. Her mouth watered at the thought of savoring such a tasty treat, and her stomach pleaded for her to go now.
Slowly, she pushed to her feet and meandered to the opening. She poked her head out and glanced around. The chill nipped at her nose as she blinked against the cold, biting breeze. A tray with a few strips of seal meat lay several feet away. She glanced back at the keeper, who stood grinning at her. At least this one wasn’t a liar.
Luna sat down and stared at the tray. Her stomach gave another dissatisfied growl. She stepped her front paws outside. The sun hid behind a cover of clouds and made no promises to appear. She crept toward the tray, careful to keep her back feet inside. She stretched her nose out, but the metal was still beyond her reach.
She lay down, her back feet flopped across the doorway and her body extended out in the direction of the treats, then swiped one front paw at the tray. Just out of reach. If only she had something that would help her extend those last few inches. She huffed and looked around, nothing.
She pushed her body back until she sat in the doorway.
“For the love of…” The keeper stomped about behind her, muttering and cursing. “Just a little further and I could’ve closed the door.”
She scanned the items in her den. Straw. A blanket. Wally. A metal dish. Her eyes went back to Wally—a toy made from a collection of old fire hoses, woven together into the shape of a walrus, almost half her size that she enjoyed playing with in the pool. She’d dragged him inside two days ago. Could the keeper lift Wally on his own? She doubted it. Luna eyed the keeper. She judged the distance to the tray of seal meat. It might just work.
Luna lumbered over to Wally and pounced on him. She sank her teeth into the nylon hoses making up his tail and tugged him toward the door. She turned around and stepped backward through the doorway, dragging Wally behind.
“That’s right. Take Wally outside with you,” encouraged the keeper.
Luna eyed him as he stood next to the door controls. She’d need to time this just right, and Wally’s placement would need to be perfect. Her stomach gave another impatient rumble. She pushed the hunger away as an icy breeze lanced through her white fur. She continued inching backward through the door. Once both her front paws landed on the dirt, she paused, her head and Wally still inside. Slowly, she tugged Wally over the threshold. Tail, then body. Now.
Luna abandoned Wally, leaving his bulk to fill the entryway and lunged for the seal meat. The keeper yelled, but she ignored his words. She snapped up the treat and charged back toward the doorway. Colliding with Wally, she tumbled through the opening as the doors to the outside exhibit clanged closed behind her. Hay flew in every direction as she sprawled in the center of her den, gulping down the last bits of meat to satisfy her greedy stomach.
Luna licked her lips. The keeper huffed and puffed, pacing on the other side of the bars. She grinned, then nuzzled her way under her blanket and curled up. They really should know by now. Polar bears are clever, resourceful creatures; it’s how we survive the cold.
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