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Luke sat in his miserable little cage staring longingly at his mother's and father's cages, nearly twenty feet away. His mother was young, only four, yet age lines had already appeared on her face. Her name was Kara. When Luke was three months old, his mother had told him about the lush green jungle she used to live in. Luke's father, Charzen and Kara had lived in a pride together there, until a group of humans had captured everyone in the pride and caged them up. Then, everyday, humans came to stare at them. The animals had figured out this was a zoo. Panthers, leopards, tigers, and lived next to them. Every night, cloaked by the darkness, the animals tried to escape. They slammed their selves into the bars of the cages and tried to chew through the bars, but it never worked. Not until one warm July night.
Luke stuck his claw into a hole in the bars of the cage. It was shaped weirdly, like a human head with an upside down cone, one of the cones that they put ice in. Tyler twisted it around and to his surprise, the hole made a clicking sound and the door of the cage swung open. "I did it!" Luke cried. He quietly walked over to his mother and father's cages, then told them how to open the doors. Their doors swung open and the three went around teaching the animals how to open their cages. Once everyone was out, they all quietly headed towards the patch of wilderness they saw. "Animals on the loose!" Out of nowhere, a group of humans appeared, brandishing guns. The animals broke into a run, and it was then that the loud 'bangs' sounded.
Flashes of light burst out, leaving behind wounded animals. Kara and Charzen flanked Luke as they ran. Another bang and flash of light. This time, it was Kara who fell. And Charzen right after.
"Mom! Dad!" Luke shrieked. "Keep going...." Kara gasped. "You can make it son," Charzen sputtered. Luke took one last look at their faces, pleading him to go. He closed his eyes and ran.
Luke reached the wilderness. The tall, gnarled trees blocked out any light which was how Luke wanted it. He was a fairly large lion for only being a year and eleven months, and he didn't want any unwanted pursuers catching up to him. "My mother and my father are dead," Luke whispered. He collapsed, suddenly exhausted. And he slept. For a long time.
Luke was finally two years old. He was an adult. And he was ready to start his own pride. He didn't know much about this, as all he knew about real prides was from his father's stories. He lurked in the shadows of the forest, looking for stray lionesses. He spotted one. Her fur was a shimmery orange. Her back and face were draped in onyx markings. She was beautiful. She glanced at him. "Would you like to join my pride?" Luke asked. The lioness grinned and nodded. "My name is Rowan. Yours?" Luke hesitated, then remembering the name of his grandfather, he decided on a new name for himself. "My name.......my name is Nekoto Akoro."
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