Could Rowan reposition himself?
Would he begin placing the injured foot down?
Could he stand with weight distributed more evenly?
Would he take several controlled steps?
The first time he put the injured foot firmly against the bedding, he kept it there only briefly.
Then his weight shifted back toward the healthy side.
A few days later, he tried again.
The pattern gradually changed.
Rowan stopped carrying the leg as consistently.
He began placing the foot during short movements.
Then he started bearing more weight through it.
Walking remained uneven for a while.
His healthy hind leg did most of the work, particularly when he needed to push himself upward.
But the recovering leg was no longer simply being protected.
It was participating.
That was when rehabilitation entered a more difficult phase.
Healing tissue is only part of recovery.
Rowan needed strength.
He needed coordination.
He needed to trust the limb again.
And eventually, that leg would have to do much more than support him on a flat floor.
Raccoons climb.
They scramble over irregular surfaces.
They stand on their hind legs.
They push upward.
They descend.
They reach.
They shift their body weight quickly.
A leg that works well enough for a few steps across bedding may still fail when asked to control the body on a branch.
So as Rowan's condition allowed, his environment began changing.
The first structures were low.
Very low.
There was no reason to make the consequences of a mistake greater than necessary.
Rowan approached one of the logs almost immediately.
His front paws went up first.
Then the healthy hind leg pushed.
The recovering leg followed.
It was slower.
Less confident.
But it followed.