Miki watched the devil doing laps. Did he ever stop for a break? Maybe the laps eased the pain of boredom. How long had he been here? Did he remember how it felt to be free?

Another devil appeared from beneath the pile of logs, and the first devil stopped and hissed. The two faced each other, hunching and snarling. Now that the second devil had arrived, the first devil’s behaviour was more normal. Miki was relieved. Creatures weren’t meant to be isolated. These devils didn’t have a choice about being held captive, so she wanted them to be comfortable and contented, at least. It would be wonderful if they could be returned to the wild, but the disease was so prevalent that perhaps they could never be completely free. And maybe complete freedom wasn’t possible! She thought of her eagles, riding the updrafts above the forest. They were the freest creatures she knew, and yet in some ways they were captive too—tied to their nest tree and their young. People considered themselves free but they were also restricted by rules and commitments, the shackles of ambition. Maybe that was okay so long as you could exercise your free will. The devils couldn’t do this, but they were unable to fix their problems without the assistance of humans, so captivity seemed like the only solution. She smiled at the irony of humans trying to save devils, when the humans were the cause of their decline.

‘How about we see your devils now?’ Dale suggested.

Miki tried to conceal her anxiety as he led the way to another pen. ‘Here we are,’ he said, leaning over the fence. ‘This is your female. She’s doing well. Come and see.’

Miki advanced slowly and peered in. There was her devil, stretched belly-down on the grass, busily gnawing the bloodied rib cage of a dead animal. Her coat was thick and glossy—better than it had been at the tip. And when she squinted up at them, blinking in the light, Miki felt a surge of relief. The devil’s face wasn’t blank, and she didn’t seem frightened.

‘I have some good news,’ Dale said. ‘Her tests were clear and she’s nearly finished quarantine, so we’ll pair her up with a mate soon.’

‘When will she have babies?’ Miki asked.

‘Once we put her in with the male it might take a few weeks. The young are tiny when they’re born—little kidney beans that have to climb into her pouch. They won’t emerge for a few months.’

‘Would it be okay if I go in with her?’

‘Sure. I’ll open the gate.’