Salim carefully placed one paw in front of the other so as not to make a sound as he crept forward. His nose twitched tensely, and his thoughts buzzed like a wasp with a single sentence: don't attract attention now. Behind him, he could hear his two siblings stepping restlessly from one paw to the other and could almost feel their excited breathing on his tail. But then he turned his attention back to the animal lying in front of him. It was still alive, but Salim was already picturing his success. It would work today, he was sure of it. He could hear the scent of the mouse pulsating deep inside him, almost felt it enveloping him and would not let go until he found it in his stomach.

His body melted into the leaves and needles on the ground, into the undergrowth that nestled gently into his pads, until even the sounds, which could hardly have been quieter, matched the grass. At least that's what it sounded like to Salim, and he hoped the mouse would think the same about his art of sneaking up on it. After all, he only had one attempt. Just one, which he had to plan and execute carefully, even if he only had a few seconds.

Salim checked the air once more and fixed his gaze intently on the mouse that was gnawing on a seed just a few fox bodies away from him. Its brown fur seemed to be just as well camouflaged as that of the stalking death, but it was hardly covered in black spots, as would have been the case with a lynx.

Salim crept closer and closer until his nose almost touched the animal's fur, but suddenly the mouse lifted its head. Its pink nose twitched nervously, and its black beady eyes scanned the area until they caught on Salim's head. Its fine little voice rang out briefly before the mouse quickly decided to flee. Salim, on the other hand, gave a disappointed snort and straightened up. He heard his siblings gasp with excitement. Salim's legs finally came to life and he dashed after the creature.

~

The last time this had happened to him was as a cub. Salim panted hard and skidded briefly as he came to a halt in the damp leaves on the ground. Hardly ever had a mouse escaped from him, the last time felt like several hundred moons ago. And now it had happened to him again. A mouse that had escaped from a lynx. He swiveled his head in every conceivable direction to keep an eye out for possible observers. Hopefully no one had seen this mishap. He would have liked to sink into the ground on the spot or shrink to the size of a mouse. If his siblings or mother had seen this. As an experienced lynx and hunter, he had allowed a prey animal barely larger than a beetle to escape. How this could have happened to him, he didn't know.

If the animal hadn't suddenly raised its head and run straight to its den, and if he hadn't appeared to be sleeping standing up, it wouldn't have escaped.

Salim sighed deeply and used one of his claws to loosen the earth around the tiny hole into which his prey had dived. He would not see it again. Somewhat disappointed, the lynx stood up and looked around one last time. Apparently, no lynx had entered his territory that could have seen him. Salim didn't know whether he would have let it escape alive. Although maybe he wouldn't kill his fellow lynx after all, even if his reputation was going down the drain.

He stood up and shook his head. No more of his doom and gloom. The mouse had escaped, even if he was ashamed that he hadn't been more careful. Even if he had jumped earlier, it was now in this hole and probably laughing up its sleeve.

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Salim left as quickly as possible. His reproaches would not fill his belly any more than mourning that mouse. Perhaps the horde of deer had returned to his territory, and he could catch one of them? One of those juicy deer would certainly save him from his shame. If he caught it, after all, he hadn't even been able to catch a tiny little mouse.

Salim's ears twitched as he sharpened his brush again after walking a little way. He could clearly hear the rustling of the wind, which grew stronger with every branch, twig and leaf, listened to the sounds of the clouds, which felt driven to fly faster by this roaring breeze, and he could hear the distant roar of the steam path.

Salim quickly blocked out all the unimportant noises and sounds that were forcing their way into his ears until he could finally hear what he was looking for. The wind had died down and instead there was now the gentle patter of small feet on the forest floor, the flapping of a few birds' wings not far from him and the chattering of a squirrel. Salim took a deep breath to process the scents and then caught sight of a bird, a magpie if he could make it out correctly. That would be his next target, he decided immediately, and ducked low into the grass. This time he would not let his prey escape. Not this time.

Once again, he placed paw after paw on the ground and crept closer and closer to his prey. It still didn't seem to suspect that a lynx was close by and was trying to kill it. Fortunately, the magpie was crouching on the ground and hammering a few holes in the earth. It looked as if it was on the prowl just like Salim, with the slight difference that the magpie was now being hunted. The bird was hopping back and forth, eyeing the ground beneath it intently and repeatedly pecking at the worm that Salim could now recognize. It pulled and tugged at the animal so intently that it was easy for the lynx to sneak up on the magpie without being noticed.

Only a few more paw steps would have been enough, but the magpie tugged with all its might at the earthworm, which was almost completely submerged, and flapped its wings vigorously. And then Salim realized that he would have to acknowledge his second lost prey if he didn't act now. He tensed his legs and pushed himself off the ground. Leaves whirled up as the lynx left its position and took flight. The magpie flapped its wings in panic and let out a sound that Salim interpreted as a cry of terror. It tried to escape its hunter with wild punches and kicks, but it was too late for it.

When Salim reached the ground again, the bird's still slightly twitching body hung between his claws. Blood trickled from its throat and dripped down between its feathers onto the ground, blending with the black and white tones of its plumage to create a beautiful display of color.

But Salim had not killed the bird for such a wondrous spectacle. He was hungry and his belly emphasized this all the more when it made a soft noise. Salim immediately plucked the feathers from the bird's skin and then sank his teeth into the flesh. He closed his eyes briefly. What a taste. It must have been a very young and juicy magpie.

He gleefully tore one piece after another from the body and licked his mouth at the end. The failure to catch the mouse still bothered him, but at least the magpie had not escaped. It was only a small consolation, but his stomach was much fuller with a bird than with a tiny thing like a mouse.

And the earthworm, which had now crawled back into its beloved earth, would certainly thank him too.

But the lynx hadn't eaten much meat yet and he set off in high spirits to catch some more delicacies.