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>Caring is what saved the wolves.
“No need… to do anything?” Clover stares at her mostly-eaten pretzel. “No need… to do <span class="mu-i">anything</span>?!”
There was something wrong with that phrase. Something deeply wrong.
Clover stands, staring fiercely at the girl. The girl continues staring at her coffee, avoiding eye contact. “In 1927, the last wolf pack was eliminated in Yellowstone National Park. There were a few lone wolves still scattered about, but not enough for a pack. Not enough to be WOLVES.”
“...Okay.” The girl takes a sip of her coffee.
“Park managers had labelled them dangerous predators. Ranchers and farmers didn’t want to deal with the hassle of protecting their livestock. Hunters wanted more elk and deer to hunt. For all of them, their lives were more convenient without worrying about wolves.” Clover’s eyes harden. “By the end of the 20th century, wolves were nearly eradicated from forty-eight states. And why?” She slams her hands onto the table. “Because the average human ‘didn’t care’!”
The girl sits there silently.
“It’s alright! Two wolves die every second and no one seems to mind! No need to do anything!” Clover spins and points at the girl passionately. “You know what happened, Scarfy? Someone did do something! They CARED!” The wolf-girl paces back and forth. “Aldo Leopold! Adolph Murie! Diane Boyd! No one asked them to do anything. Howl, most people told them it wasn’t worth their time. They cared anyway! And now?” Clover stops, turning to face the girl once more. “On January 4th, 2021, gray wolves were delisted from the endangered species list in all forty-eight main states! Just like the one right before you, wolves… are back!”
The wolf-girl paused for dramatic effect, her tail electronically wagging proudly. The scarfed girl looks up at her with a forced smile, as a few random onlookers in the café, eyes drawn by the slight commotion, give a few claps of appreciation.
The tail wagging slows. Clover continues with a downcast gaze. “I… don't understand human emotions. I wouldn't know what to do with them if I tried. But…” She looks up, determined. “If ‘not caring’ is a human thing, then it’s a good thing I’m not one.”
