Salim sighed deeply and curled up tightly. The hard ground beneath him left no doubt that this was not going to be a particularly pleasant stay.

Only a few moons ago, he had been chosen by his ancestors to finally seek out a territory of his own and perhaps raise a family there. He had been full of zest for action, even though he knew that such a search would be long and arduous and would cost him a lot of time and nerves. And yet he had left home full of confidence, because every lynx once set out on its journey to spread the species and bring new kittens into the world. Every lynx, whether lynx or lynxess, dreamed of having its own territory.

And now he was here. Stuck in a den that had been built in another den of the Baldskins.

"And you? What's your name?" Alicia, who was still shaking the ceiling above him, caught his attention.

He cleared his throat briefly as his voice dried up from his barely positive thoughts. "Salim. My name is Salim."

Alicia seemed to repeat his name a few more times before she began to speak aloud again. "When did you get caught?"

"Hare hunting," he replied curtly. He didn't feel like talking. He had to think, because there was no way he was going to wait here for several moons until he could see daylight again.

"It was my first trip outdoors”, began Alicia. "We had just arrived at the river and Mom wanted to teach us how to catch fish. And then a wasp stung me. Such a stupid creature. Then I just fell asleep, funny isn't it? Swish and I was asleep. I woke up here again later." The lynxess let out a disappointed breath. "I would have loved to learn how to catch fish. And then rabbits. How nice a hare hunt would be!"

Salim nodded slowly and his heart clenched in deep shock. "You've been here since you were a kitten?"

"Yes. I came here two moons ago. At least I think so. Telling time causes quite a bit of trouble here." Silence slowly returned to the upper box. "How nice a rabbit hunt would be," the lynxess murmured with a sigh until it finally fell silent.

The lynx, on the other hand, had been stirred up by his neighbor's ominous story. Alicia had been trapped here for several moons, had not even caught her first prey. And now she sat here and waited. Waiting for the day when the bare skins would take her. Salim did not trust these creatures. They had already put him to sleep once with a wasp sting, but he hadn't woken up in a cage like this then. But that was a long time ago.

Salim closed his eyes hopelessly. He would not be escaping here any time soon. He imagined how he would perish miserably here. Never seeing daylight again, feeling the wind in his fur and smelling the grass under his paws. He imagined the taste of the hare he had so unexpectedly given life to. Or had to give it. His mouth watered, but perhaps he would never be able to eat anything like it again.

He would never be able to smell the scent of the wild again. Never again.

~

Salim opened his eyes frantically and lifted his head. It was dark around him, but he could hear the sound of the rain and smelled the cold air filling his lungs. Just a dream. It had all been just a dream of his past.

He looked down at the three kittens snuggled close to him, their breath stirring his fur. He smiled slightly and gave a quick lick to the kitten he had initially left with his mother.

Its fur was so much like Alicia's, he would never have forgiven him if it too had to die. But it was here. And it was alive.

Salim closed his eyes again, but sleep would not pull him back into its clutches. He was still too preoccupied with his not-so-distant past, which came back to him even if he didn't want to let it.

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~

A soft ray of light that fell through the bars into his tiny cave made Salim look up. Astonished, the lynx rose and slowly trotted to the closed entrance. He didn't know if he wanted to see what had caused the light, but curiosity got the better of him and he decided to look despite everything.

Carefully and quietly, he pressed himself against his cage and was amazed to see that part of the wall of the Baldskin cave had been opened up. Now he could see that the other lynxes he had heard earlier were also in boxes like his. Some had resigned themselves to their fate and curled up in the furthest corner of their prison, while others, like him, were standing by the bars and enjoying the light.

"You see, Salim?" came the soft voice over him that he knew only too well. "Now they're bringing the light."

Tensely, Salim watched as one of the Baldskins entered the cave. It was holding another cage in its hands, probably containing a sleeping lynx. At least, that was what the smell emanating from it gave away, which was almost masked by the scent of the Baldskin. It made a few sounds that didn't actually echo as loudly in Salim's ears as they normally did. These creatures could also make such a loud noise that no one's eardrums would burst, who knew!

The Baldskin placed the cage on one of the piled-up lynx prisons and then strode through the rows, staring unabashedly at the lynxes and scrutinizing them intently as if he were looking for something. His face showed a broad snarl, but it was not nearly as graceful as it would have looked on a real predator.

Salim backed away when the male reached his box and stared directly into his eyes. The lynx began to growl softly and his neck fur bristled involuntarily under the unpleasant gaze. Salim swallowed, would he take him with him now? Even if he wanted to get out of here, the path through the Baldskins couldn't be a very pleasant one. He never wanted to be taken along by this one. The lynx squinted his eyes and prayed that the Baldskin would move on. Not him. He preferred to stay here in the dark and wait for rescue.

When the lynx opened his eyes again, he was no longer staring into the creature's wide-open eyes. He rose cautiously, even though he was still not quite sure whether the Baldskin had actually disappeared. He returned to the closed entrance of his box and, pressing himself close to the wall so as not to attract attention, watched what was happening.

The Baldskin with the not particularly nice snarl looked at other lynxes, checked their colors and listened to the sounds they made. And then he finally seemed to have made up his mind.

It let out a roar that made Salim's ears ring even a few heartbeats after it had stopped. In response to the deafening call, two more Baldskins entered the cave. The first pointed to three of the boxes and gesticulated wildly with his paws before the other two finally understood and lifted the cages.

"Salim, do you see that? Now it's the lynxes' turn," Alicia's voice rang out from above, as if he needed a further explanation of what was happening.

The Baldskins lifted the crates with their combined strength and then carried the lynxes out of the room.

"Wish us luck," said one of the lynxesses, who was now being carried away. Away, to freedom or to death. And Salim was betting on the latter. He didn't trust Baldskins to do any good, he had seen them do bad things too often. Why would they capture them first only to release them again? No, his mind was clearly against the drive for peace.

"I hope we meet again!" one of the lynxes called after the three of them before the entrance closed and darkness took over the room again.