As they made their way through the zoo to the meerkat cage, they noticed all the animals were sleeping soundly. They arrived at the meerkat cage and noticed it was empty. The meerkats were probably asleep in their burrows. The twins put their faces up against the glass, trying to find something that could have caused Allie's transformation.

  "I may be able to help" A voice came from behind them.

  They jumped at the sound and turned around to see a male lion staring at them, real close to the cage.

  "Great, it's the lion from earlier" CJ stated.

  "Don't be afraid, children" The lion said.

  They jumped again and hugged each other.

  "Did it just talk?!" Allie screamed.

  "I am in your situation" The lion said, looking at Allie.

  "You mean..." Allie began, letting go of CJ.

  "Yes, exactly, my name's Damien," The lion told them, "If you could let me out, I can take you to the person who did this"

  "What about the other lions?" CJ asked.

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  "Fast asleep, don't worry" Damien replied.

  CJ found a hairpin on the ground near the lion's cage and picked it up, picking the lock on the cage, opening the door as Damien stepped out and then shutting it quickly.

  "This way" Damien said as he led the twins down a path.

  On their walk, the twins introduced themselves and explained the situation to Damien. But there was one thing Allie was dying to know.

  "How did you end up in the zoo?" She asked Damien.

  "Much like you," Damien explained, "I was a visitor, somehow I turned into a lion, I know how now, I didn't then. Other visitors started sceaming and running away from me. I had no idea why until The Big Zookeeper caught me and threw me in with the other lions"

  "I bet you thought they were going to eat you" CJ said.

  "I did, yes," Damien replied, "When they didn't and started treating me like family, I realised what had happened"

  "Are all the animals in the zoo people like us?" Allie asked.

  "No, just two, Percival and I" Damien answered.

  "Percival?" Allie queried.

  "A penguin," Damien explained, "He was the first. A sort of test, if you will, for The Big Zookeeper. They were always working together, even when he was human"

  "So, this Big Zookeeper guy, he's the one that did this to my sister, yeah?" CJ asked the majestic lion.

  "Yes. He places plaques in certain places near the cages, which, once touched, turn people into that animal" Damien said.

  "That's why you were watching us today!" Allie recalled.

  "Yes," Damien smiled, "I saw him place the plaque under the sign last night. I wasn't watching you, as your friend thought, but merely the plaque"

  "Ex-friend," Allie corrected him, "She broke it off with me after this"

  "I'm sorry to hear," Damien told her, "That must be terrible"

  "Not as terrible as being a life-size meerkat" Allie giggled.

  Just then as the three newfound friends were laughing, they tripped over something and were knocked out cold.