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"We CAN find a way out," A large, dark brown lion spoke, circling his small pride of five lionesses and three young cubs, "There's no need to fret."
"What about the safety of our cubs?" A white lioness asked. She had four cubs, but three had been lost last time they tried to escape.
The male lion gazed at her, "This plan will ensure the safety of our cubs."
There was a moment of silence before another lioness asked, "And what's your grand plan, leader?"
The male lion smiled, "Simple. We push that big boulder by the west side of the fence to the fence and jump on it. Then, we jump over the fence. But absolutely NO victory roars this time."
"It just may work," The lioness with one cub murmured.
The lionesses set to work, pushing the boulder with the male, then one by one jumping over the fence. Once they were all over the fence, the male quietly growled, "Now follow me to the boat. It is called the S.S. Buster, whatever that means. It is going to Africa, where we can roam free."
He led them through a forested area, then through a field, and finally, as the sun was rising, they reached the boat.
"Now everybody on, before the humans get here!" He helped the lionesses with cubs on first, then the other lionesses, and as the ship began pulling away, he took a wild, risky leap onto the ship. He scrabbled at the deck and eventually got up on it.
The ship life was horrible, living on rainwater, rats, and the occasional fish, the lions losing pound after pound, along with hope.
"We'll never make it!" One lioness wailed.
Rocky ate very little, making sure that cubs were fed first, then the leader, then mothers, then everyone else. One lioness died on the way there, but when they reached the shore, they had a huge celebration, hunting and feasting for two entire days, before sleeping for the rest of the week.
One day, another male lion was spotted on the horizon. Knowing his pride and him were weak, the other male fled. Rocky didn't, though. She wasn't a coward.
"Hello," The male started, "My name is Starstrukk. Pleasant night, is it not?"
One of Rocky's cubs attacked the tail of Starstrukk. Although Rocky scolded it and apologized, Starstrukk chuckled.
"You have no pride, it seems," He said, smelling the air around and scanning the land around them, "Good thing, too. This is my territory, and this is the part which I rarely come to, for humans and their guns killed one of my lionesses here. My lionesses saw you hunting, I believe, so I came out here to warn you. Have you a place to go?"
Rocky sighed, "I'm afraid not. I am Rocky," She said, drawing her cubs into her with her tail, "And these are my cubs. We come from a place called California, where we were in captivity, and escaped here. Now I do not know where to go."
"Would you like to join my pride?" Starstrukk asked, as a dark brown cub pounced on his paws, "And you, too," He smiled.
"That would be wonderful!" Rocky purred, feeling relieved.
"Very well then," Starstrukk said, puffing his chest out, "Welcome to the Teenage Dreams Pride, Rocky. Where any dream is possible."
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