Gord awoke to a most delightful sight that morning as he peered out from inside his little cave.  It was snowing, beautiful fluffy flakes gently making their way down from the sky.  A thin layer already covered the ground, and more was coming down.  Exactly the kind of thing a polar bear wanted to see.

He quickly arose and went out, looking up with a smile as the snow fell on his face.  Gord reached out with his front paw and playfully swatted at the flakes as they went by.  For a moment he was home again, his real home, playing in the snow by the lakeside as his mother stood nearby.  Then a voice interrupted his memory.

“I suppose you’re enjoying this.”

Gord looked down to see his friend Cherie the thrasher, shivering.

“Why, Cherie.  I am a polar bear, after all.  Snow is part of me.”

“Well it certainly isn’t part of me.  Give me summer anytime, even the sticky hot days.”

Gord smiled again.  “Why, we must get you out of this, then.”  With that, he bent down and with his nose plowed a path to his cave so Cherie could walk there without stepping in snow.

Once she was inside, Gord stuck his head in the entryway and said, “I know it’s not much warmer in here than outside.  But at least you won’t have snow falling on you.”

Cherie smiled.  “Thank you, silly bear.”

“Why, you’re quite welcome.  I’ll be back in a bit.”  With that Gord turned around to romp in the snow, watching it fly out from beneath his paws as he smiled and laughed.  He did so for a minute, and then looked across the walkway at the aviary, where he saw Penny the eagle and Scott the falcon giving him a look half amused and half… well, almost sad.

“Now, you two.  Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.

Penny sighed as Scott answered, “You are a strange one, lad.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Why?” replied Scott.  “Look at you, man!  Cavorting about as if you were running around your home and you didn’t have a care in the world.”

“This is my home, Scott.”

“No, lad.  This isn’t your home.  It’s where you’ve been put.  Your home…. your real home… isn’t here.  It’s up by that lake you mention.”  Scott sighed as he added, “This zoo isn’t any of our homes, really.”

“Especially today,” Penny said in a sad voice.  “So far from where we used to be.  And those we used to be with.”

Gord paused and looked down, obviously in thought.  After a moment he looked back up and smiled, then quickly turned around and went into his tiny cave.  A few minutes later, Scott heard the cage door at the back of her part of the aviary open, with a startled looking Cherie being half-pushed through it.  The door closed, and then a minute later opened again, with a fully startled Penny being fully pushed through followed by the face of a smiling Gord.

Scott quickly flew down to join the other two birds, all three of whom looked quizzically at Gord.  Gord smiled again in reply, then softly said, “Why, you are right, Scott.  None of us are really home.  But as long as we’re here, this will be our home.  Together.  We will be each other’s family.”

The three birds stood there, not really knowing what to say.  Then with a smile Penny laughed, “As long as you’re not expecting to be tucked in at night, Gord!”  The four laughed together, their laughter for a moment making the day all right.  Then each returned to their place, and Gord resumed romping in the snow as the three birds chuckled at the antics of this silly bear.