Lynx Story- 1: Mating

Part One: Mating

Night was falling, and when the young, female lynx woke up, the moon was already high in the sky; the crickets were singing their newly composed symphony. The female lynx stomach growled, so she crept out of her crowded den to hunt.

Blending with the shadows, the female lynx padded to a nearby grassland to hunt for unaware snowshoe hares sleeping in their burrows.

Suddenly, she tripped over something hard. Glancing down, the female realized she had tripped over the leg bone of a dead deer that was half buried by earth.

Looking up, the female lynx opened her mouth and tasted the air. If anyone was hiding nearby, they were hidden well.

Just as she was about to take a big, hungry bite, the bush behind her rustled. The female lynx froze. Then, out stepped a fierce-looking male lynx with wet fur. He had rolled in wet leaves to cover his scent. The male lynx started growling a warning growl but stopped when he discovered that the female looked as strong as he was-purrfect for a mate. The female padded tentatively up to him and nuzzled his side. The male lynx didn’t growl or push her away. Instead, he started purring! The two spent the next couple of minutes nuzzling, purring, and even grooming each other! Soon, the female lynx would have kittens.

Soon afterward, the male lynx helped the female find a place to build a new den since her old one was already too crowded. They quickly decided on a abandoned den under a rocky ledge. The den was well hidden by tall grass. Then, the female started preparing for the arrival of her babies. First, the female lynx gathered moss and cattail fluff for her bedding. Then, she collected dry grass and combed off her fur to line her bedding. Finally, the female picked the burrs out of her nest and settled down for a long nap. After a night of excitement, the female could barely keep her eyes open. Thinking of her soon-coming babies, she slowly drifted to sleep...