Part 5  
   
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	"I'm. . .Gentoe." He finally managed say. Not taking any chances he stayed shrouded in darkness, not sure if this stranger of his kind is friendly or not. In fact he never had seen another Darjeet apart from his family. He always thought they were it, just them. Despite his imminencecuriosity of this encounter, he rather wished he was alone, to head back out into the hallway and think of what to do next in his escape plan, and yet, he wanted to know more about him. Juggling between the two, he was starting to slide back to the door when the old Darjeet finally spoke.   
	  
	  
	"Wait a minute. . . aren't you the first born?" Oscar seemed surprise by the name. He tried to remember where he had last heard about him. It's been small talk before, but he recalled that this egg the caretakers had taken was naturally laid by their kind, and not by the Gerinsi Water Dragons. Later rumors had it that the mother who laid him named him Gentoe.   
	  
	  
	"Great Dragon's it is you isn't it?" Oscar seemed sure now. His head cocked, trying to see what he could from his shadowed shape.

	"How Mieka and Moko doing. I haven't heard from them in years."

Now Gentoe seemed shocked. His head peer up to replied.

	  
	"You know my parents?" He said as he taken a couple of steps closer. If he knows who his parents were, he should be a friend, but still he kept his distance for now.  
	  
	  
	"More than just know them. I remember them both as pups as yourself one time long ago. They used to live with us in fact, until they were taken away."

	"The caretakers?" Gentoe asked on who would do such an evil deed. It wasn't really hard to guess who though.  
	  
	"Yes. It actually hasn't been that long ago, but I remember they wanted their own family, but the caretakers just wanted us to not think such follies. Than one day, they just came in and taken the par, and I haven't seen them since. All I know from then on out is gossip here and there." He said, with content for the losses.  
	  
	  
	"Are my parents from your pack?" Gentoe now was standing straight, his face shown with interest, limited by the small amount of light around them.

	"Yes, I'm the pack leader here. My family behind me are all sleeping, but I been having trouble getting sleep myself these days, especially with this storm tonight. I never heard rain falling down as hard as before."  
	  
	  
	"Rain, is that what this racket called?" Gentoe had gain another piece of forbidden knowledge, if this was so called. He didn't even known the noise from above had a name, or what cause it. His face light up like a school child when after a wonderful lesson was taught with full understanding of the subject.

	"Oh my. . . you know so little. Tell me young Gentoe, where is your family?"   
	  
	"I. . . ran away." He said with sorrowful guilt, as he started his story.

	  
	"They escape too, but I lost them. I'm trying to find a way to the outside. I don't suppose you know a way?" Gentoe asked. Knowing this other of his species, of whom he knows nothing about but with far more knowledge from age could help him. He needed to be on good terms with him. He decided to come out of the shadows and stood next to the cage. It was than he could get a better look of the old Darjeet as could he, but Gentoe seem to not understand what he was seeing. He was just as big as Moko was, but his face was winkle slightly around the mouth and brow. His skin also had winkles   
around the joints, and his back dorsa and tadpole tail fin had spots of them with gaps and holes, from long term wear and repair. He was old, much older than Moko.  
	  
	  
	"Hum. . . that was quite a risk you partaken yourself in. In all my years no one ever thought about escaping to the outside. What had made you so desperate to do such a risky and dangerous thing?" Oscar bended his head down. His face was leveled with Gentoe's now, but his eyes shown angered and content for once. It wasn't that he was upset, but more rather worry for the pup. He listens intently, as Gentoe continue his tale.  
	  
	  
	"Technically I wasn't the first. My brother found a way out of the gate before. I just implied his method and got out that way." 

"True, but you still got out of your room. They do lock all of our doors every night. I had family done this before, but they never got past the doors like you had. This is a revelation I believe." Oscar inhales deeply, as another gust of wind and rainfall slammed into the building. It sounded stronger now. After it lessens again within a few minutes, Oscar continued.    
	  
	  
	"Tell me, how many are within you family. We never had known how many of us are out there, because they never would say." 

"Their's Mieka and Moko, my parent's. Mink and Link who are my brothers and than their Kisely, who is my sister.'  
	  
"So their 6 of you living together in your own room. Interesting, I never knew."

"How many are in your pack?" Gentoe replied the question. Oscar smile before responding.

"There are about 30 of us in here."

Gentoe gasped.  
	  
	"Really, 30?" He never known that there was so many Darjeets around outside of his family, let alone another pack living amongst them, inside the same building no less. And they never even known each other existed; well perhaps his parents did. After all they used to live with this pack.  
	  
	  
	"There is the other clan too. I think they have 10 in their family, but mine apparently the largest here. You can't believe how busy I always am making sure my pack stays in order."

	"I can't imagine. I'm always having trouble with just my brothers, let along living with 30 others." 

Oscar gave a slight deep laugh.   
	  
	  
	"I also had brothers to live with. It was a pain, but it was also part of life. At the end, we gotten along, and we became good friends."

	"If only I can see that to be true." Gentoe said sadly.

	"You ran away because of your brother's?" Oscar asked, returning back to the story.

	"Not just because of them. The Caretakers also had hurt me. I couldn't trust anyone no more, so I decided to leave." Gentoe said. His head dip from the shame he brought to himself.  
	  
	  
	"Now now. . . don't go getting yourself all worked up. I understand what had happen to you. This place is strange and unnatural even to me. Even after living here for over 22 years, I still don't know this entire build layout; let alone what this outside looks like. They said I only have about another 10 years at most to lived due to my age, and yet they still ignore my requests. Maybe because the outdoor's are dangerous. That's what I manage to impetrate so far. They fear for our safety, that's why they take care of us in such extreme."  
	  
	  
	"But this isn't living." Gentoe snapped, although he didn't want to be rude to his new found mentor. He was angry again by the felling of restraint to his kind.

	"I know, but what can we do?" Oscar asked. Gentoe didn"t have to think on his response to that.  
	  
"We can keep fighting for our right. We have it to know about our world, our universe. I want to know how these oceans would fell around my body, how this rain would pelt against my skin as it does the roof. I want to know where these fish live so we can feed our selves, and not wait day to day for time set meals. I want to know these things. I don't want to spend the rest of my life here encaged, I want to be free!"   
	  
	  
	Even Gentoe was shocked by his little speech. Oscar studied him for a little, turn his head both ways as he wonders what to replied. Just before Gentoe became impatience and continue speaking, Oscar said.  
	  
	  
	"I was like you at your age, rebellious and determined. I even escape the cell and room once before just as you had now."

Gentoe gasped again.  
	  
	  
	"But I thought. . ."

"That was a long time ago though. I guess I did what I did because of Mishwi."

	"Who?" Gentoe asked.  
	  
"Mishwi was the only Darjeet that had ever been outside. Actually he lived out there, taken care by some boy Human who's is in some group called the Knights of the Alliance. I was more interested about the world though then the Knights, but he was told not to say anything, and he did kept his silence all the times he came over to visit. He did teach us other things though; skills that are very useful, despite were not supposed to learned them either, but it was the small hint's he gave out that made me longing to escape."  
	  
	  
	"Others puplings had already figured out the cage locks so I knew how to open it, but I got out to the room like you did, about your age too I supposed if I recalled correctly. I never found a way out despite I search the entire building. I was caught soon after. Despite I was the oldest here; they all were very upset by my actions. They disciplined me, quite painfully I may add, to make me never do such a thing ever again." He sighed from recalling that miserable day. Gentoe head also dipped.   
	  
	  
	"I never knew." Genote could only say. His eagerness seemed vanished now, dissipating as tiny thoughts started to say in his mind he wasn't going to get out after all. He didn't, so how can he?  
	  
	  
	"I never had given up the attempt though. Not even now."

Gentoe raised his head, his hopes raised again. But Oscar wasn't facing him no more. His head turned around, as he was peering back into the darkness behind him.

	"Why are you up at this hour? It's still early morning and you need your sleep." Gentoe tensed up. Another unfamiliar Darjeet crept up behind Oscar, who'd seemed more surprise than scared. The pup came over, still wobbling from just waking up.   
	  
	  
	"Who are you?" She asks curiously, her eyes still adjusting. Her voice was soft, and high pitch. She sounded sweet and lovely, and her face was quite cute. Gentoe wouldn't know what to call it now, but his cheeks redden as they started to fell warmer.

	"Gentoe, this is Seaka." Oscar said to him, as Gentoe couldn't seem to know what to say back.  
	  
"Hi Gentoe, It's nice to meet a new face around here. Where are you from?" She asked kindly. Her smile was like the warmth of his mother body, when he was just a hatchling and needed to stay next to her in nesting. Gentoe had to snap out of his dazed before replying.

	"I’m. . .um. . .well." He could only mutter.  
	  
"He's from the other part of the building, living with another group like ours, but he escaped and trying to find a way outside."

Gentoe couldn't believe he would just sputter out everything they just talked about like that, even to a pup as young as himself. Little Seaka however stood there neatly, taking in all the new information, and wondered what it meant. At the end she just sat there on her hunches, almost like the words just went out one ear fin to the next.  
	  
	  
	"Ah. . . what a grand adventure you had found. How does it look like out there?" She asked.

"Like the rest before. Not much to see sadly. Well till I can get outside of course."  
	  
"But no one ever did such a thing. You said that a few days ago yourself didn't you Grandpa?"

"Yes I did Seaka, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to say that I may have stretched the truth."

"I wanna see the outside too. Can't I go with him. . .please?" She said as cutely as it was possible.  
	  
"No, sorry too dangerous. Even I don't know what's out there in its entirety. Better go get back to sleep Seaka. Tomorrow going to be a busy day for us."

	"But Grandpa." She frowned. Genote felt massively depress by her sadness, but he also knows it was just a ploy, as did Oscar.  
	  
"Sorry, that's the rules around here, but tell you what. You go right back to sleep, and in the near future, I will make sure we all get to see what outside looks like."  
	  
	  
	"I promise." She said quickly. Seeming satisfied, she given one last look to Genote, more baffle than before but just as cute, and then she ran off back to the darkness as she laid next to the other's.   
	  
	  
	"She will be pretending to sleep now, but I guess that doesn't matter anymore." Oscar finally said as now it was just them two again. But Gentoe didn't seem to understand what just had happened.  
	  
	  
	"Why did you just promise her that? You said it yourself they will never allow such a thing."

"And they won't, unless change is forced on them. Gentoe. . ." He inhales down another batch of air, exhaling before continuing.

"We'd been encaged here for too long now. It's time for us to know. You right about that, and it's going to be you and your family that will start it."  
	  
	  
	"But I’m not starting anything, I'm just running away." Gentoe seemed unsure about that now.

"That's exactly why it will happen." Oscar finally moved to his left. Gentoe follow him into the darkness toward the end of the cage. Another light turned on between them. Part of it laminated the wall, and on that wall, a map.  
	  
	  
	"Here." Oscar pointed to the northeast corner of the building.  
	  
"Just past the main hallways and off to the side, one of the late night janitors used that door for his breaks. He always forgets to lock it afterwards."  
	  
	  
	"But how you know that?" Gentoe asked.  
	  
"Because I had escaped before. What my clan knows about what's out there is from those experiences. Now listen carefully."

	Gentoe paid closed attention.   
	  
"I don't know everything that is out there, but I did hear that the storm which is hitting us right now was referred to as a hurricane. Not sure what it is exactly, but it's a much stronger storm then the normal ones. The winds will push you hard, and the ocean won't be easy to swim through. You got to be diligent and careful out there."

	Gentoe nodded.  
	  
"Also another thing, I heard there are these things called predators. I also don't know much, but they eat meat like we do to fish. I presume they will be larger than us, and that they would rather eat us if given the chance. Stay away from anything that looks's strange and monstrous.  
	  
	  
	Gentoe nodded again, although his throat was now in a knot.

"Lastly, you need to get back to you family and get them to go with you."

	Gentoe eyes blinked.  
	  
"I can't do that. They will catch me and haul me back home." He complained.

	"You can't survive on your own out there, not yet. Your parent's are well schooled to knowing how to take care of you, and trained to defend themselves. They should know what to do. If you go out there by yourself, you will most likely die."

Gentoe gulped from the realization.  
	  
	  
	"Other than that, good luck. Time running short now. It will be only a few hours before some of the first caretakers to arrive today. You will need to go as far as you can before they find out ya'll escape and come searching."

	  
	"I understand, but my parent's. . ."  
	  
"Go Gentoe, while the storm stays this quite. Hurry now before it's too late." 

"But we could use you help out there. They don't know what to expect." Gentoe said. They really could use someone as knowledgeable as him, and he does know how to get out of his cage.  
	  
	  
	"I cannot. I have to play my part here too, and I am their pack leader. The pack needs me more than you and beside." Oscar looked back into the darkness. Little Seaka had one eye open, trying to listen in. One look by Oscar made her closed it again.

	"I got to make sure they understand that our world is going to be changing very soon. Now off you go, and please be careful."Gentoe hesitated for a moment. He wanted to explain about his mistrusting of his family to his fullest. He wanted to say he changed his mind, and would rather just go home and face his parents rather than being eaten by some. . .monster. There were many doubts in his mind at that moment, but with one last look, Gentoe turned and ran out back through the door he came through. Now after having seen a map layout of the building, he believes he knew where he was going, and could now look for other maps to set him along the right path if he gets lost. He ran, knowing time was running short. But as he did, his mood brighten, his stress vanquish. He was now going to be able to escape after all. He was going to be free!  
	  
	  
	As Oscar saw him leave, he again sighed and headed back to his pack and family\`.

"I guess it time to wake them up." He said as he got to work.