Oak stood atop a great rock ledge that towered above the camp that his pride lived in. His large, dusty mane billowed in the wind, his long whiskers twitching on his broad muzzle, which was streaked with gray and silver hairs. A ferocious roar echoed through the savanna, and the crowd of lions parted to reveal a large, young male standing there, staring coldly at Oak with piercing yellow eyes. “Storm.” Oak growled under his breath. He leaped down from the ledge, landing in front of Storm, his paws stirring up a cloud of dust “Hello, Father.” Storm sneered, his tail flicking menacingly. “What do you want, Storm?” Oak snarled, tilting his head down a bit to stare into his cub’s eyes. He’s large for his age, Oak thought, with a small growl. “Are you going deaf with your old age, Father? I said I would like to challenge you for the position of leader. Our pride needs young leaders, not old elders like you.” Oak pounced on Storm, snarling. The two wrestled, clawing and growling at each other. Storm pinned Oak down, his claws a paw-length from his throat. “Well done, Son.” Oak wheezed. He saw his cub’s eyes spark with pleasure as he heard the rare praise from his Father. “OAK!” A lioness from the crowd screeched. “Shh, Dawn. Don’t be a fool.” Another said, trying to calm her down. “But-” Dawn cried. Her protests died down as the other lionesses spoke quietly to her. Storm looked at the lioness with pity. “I’m sorry Mother. But it’s about time Father’s reign came to its end.” Oak sighed. His cub was right. Storm’s claws raked Oak’s throat, jumping back and Oak let out a roar of pain. “I’m sorry, Father.” He said, but triumph glittered in his eyes. Dawn pushed past the other lions and began snarling at Storm. “You dare kill your Father? The one who helped raise you? I am ashamed of you! I don’t…” Her angry cries died out as Oak’s life force began to fade. He watched the world disappear before his eyes with sadness. His last breath escaped his body, and the world went black.
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