Carrying a grudge

In response to the prompt on Weekend Wordsmith on April 25 2008.

Eli knew it was time to talk to Leo. She would not have been able to do so if her mom was around. Both families have been carrying grudges for years ever since Eli's grandfather was killed by Leo's grandfather. Those were different times, when they had more power, freedom and land. Now times had changed and they were dependent on others. She hated getting orders and acting upon them. She had observed Leo too had humbled in the last couple of years. Time has a way of leveling power, anger and hatred. He seemed to be longing for freedom, just like her. After the show, she went to him and they acted quickly, broke the bars and ran away to the nearby wilderness, which held their lives, their freedom. News flashed quickly into CNN and other news media that Eli the elephant and Leo the lion were missing from the Royal Circus. The media cautioned people to take necessary precautions to protect themselves. Little did they know that Eli and Leo had run away from them to the nearest jungle, far away from human habitat, never to return back.