The Making of Storm

A day when the air itself seemed charged with unease and we feared the warnings of catastrophe would soon become our lived experience. Before 7.00 am, the lightning that had jolted us awake hours earlier made good its threat. A fire had ignited in the depths of the Cobaw Forest, barely kilometres from our boundary. Columns of smoke climbed into the sky, a stark reminder of how quickly everything can change. Mercifully, the wind remained calm, which allowed the CFA and air wing to respond swiftly and the fire was brought under control, then extinguished.

Though relief came, it was fleeting, as across the state more fires flared and the already hungry Longwood fire continued to burn.

And then, as life so often does, another storm arrived.

This one came in the form of a speckly-faced kid goat with a badly dislocated shoulder. News of her surrender reached us just as reports came through of another fire igniting barely a kilometre away. However, dangerous winds made access to the sanctuary impossible. Volunteers had already been stood down and so it was simply too unsafe for the wee one to be brought here. And with all we were already carrying, we simply couldn’t give her the care she so desperately needed.

Then we remembered our promise: “We’ll find a way.”

And we did.

Little Storm was taken directly to the Romsey Vet Clinic and our deepest gratitude to the team who made space for her on such an overwhelming day. One look told the story her body had been carrying for far too long—the injury was old and the limb necrotic. And so, to save her life, it had to be removed.

Immediately.

When Storm arrived later that evening, she was quiet and shell-shocked, a fragile shadow of who she might have been. Pain had shaped most of her short life. But day by day, kindness and veterinary care have reshaped it and someone remarkable has begun to unfurl. At first, Storm began to hop, then skip, then parkour with all the joy and fervour of a happy kid goat and all on her three strong legs—her indomitable spirit shining through.

She looks for cuddles and yearns for connection. Watching her race about, head down and heels high, you must look twice to even notice she is missing a limb. Though, on the balance of it all, this little lady is missing none of the good things in life.

And it is in moments like these, watching Storm choose life, that hope takes hold.

Even when the world feels aflame, Storm reminds us there is still space for gentleness in the world. Still room to find a way. And sometimes, it is the smallest beings who remind us how.