June 4, 2025, 3:28 p.m.. Kimchi the red panda has escaped the zoo. The morning had been quiet, peaceful. Zoo keepers went around tending to their morning duties, feeding animals and cleaning up enclosures. They felt at ease and relaxed, a feeling that was uncommon to experience in a zoo full of rowdy animals. Which is why when a loud crash echoes through the zoo and breaks the peace, the chaos that follows it could only be expected. All nearby zoo keepers rush to the scene, only to see the red panda enclosure wall broken open by a fallen tree. Left behind is a large gaping hole, and no Kimchi to be seen.

As the zoo rushes around in a panic at the news of their beloved missing red panda, Kimchi, the object of their panic, was already strolling about in the big city, walking through the streets without a worry. Never before had he seen such big buildings, he was completely awe struck at the sight.

“Wooooaaahhh…” Kimchi gasped, basically having stars in his eyes as he spins around in the middle of a street. 

He’s brought out of his thoughts of excitement as a loud noise blaring in his ears. Shooting up onto his hind legs, Kimchi turns his head around to see a big metal of doom--the name he found out from his goat friend Reginald at the zoo--just a foot away from him. He hurries off of the street in a rush and stumbles into a sweet smelling building.

Feeling much less fear than he should be, Kimchi eagerly scampers through the building towards the sweet smell, and comes face to face with rows upon rows of salty, buttery popcorn, surrounded by the biggest chocolate bars ever. Some of the workers yell at him when they see him, but he doesn’t leave before taking a bite of the popcorn, something he swore to himself he would come back to have more of.

After that, he makes his way into a big, open park, where he tries to take a drink of water from the pond, but gets attacked by a goose before he can do so. The goose wins. Kimchi runs away in fear.

His pride took a blow from losing the fight, so he marches his way into a convenience store and successfully steals the closest item to the entrance before fleeing the scene. Fortunately for him, there was a nice bench nearby where he sits down and tears open the snack he stole. It must've been his lucky day, because it was the sweetest, softest thing he ever had, and tasted like what he imagined clouds to taste like.

Having caused quite a bit of chaos in a short amount of time, Kimchi decides to take a break and just walk down the streets. As he walks, passersby gawk at him. Some stare in concern, wondering what a red panda was doing out of a zoo and how he got here. Others stare in awe, snapping a picture to send to their friend later. Kimchi revels in the attention, proudly prancing through the street with a smug smile on his face.

“Boy oh boy, people love how adorable I am!” He thinks to himself, rubbing against the closest human and earning an excited squeal from them. This, of course, only fuels Kimchi's ego, and he is about to go rub against another person when a loud, annoyed voice cuts through the air.

“KIMCHIIIIII!!! YOU COME HERE RIGHT NOW.”

Kimchi knew that voice well. His personal zoo keeper, Vanessa. Freezing in his place, Kimchi slowly turns his head around to look at Vanessa, having no time to react before she sweeps him up into her arms.

“You are in so much trouble, mister. I hope you spent your time out here well.” She shakes her head at Kimchi in disappointment, holding his flailing body over her shoulder as she turns around and walks in the direction of the zoo.

Unable to escape her grasp, Kimchi resigns to his fate of going back to the zoo, slumping his body over his shoulder with a sigh.

June 4, 2025, 6:45 p.m.. Kimchi is brought back to the zoo safely.

I can hear Cliff call out to me, my ears ringing causing his voice to sound farther away than it actually is. Is this it? Is this the end? Suddenly, one voice turns into two, two into three and it all sounds too familiar. 

Moonlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting streams over a group of sugar gliders. The air was thick with the scent of ripe fruits and small squeaks until the pack leader, Cliff, suddenly entered in a hurry. 

“Oi mates! There's snakes below us. Let's get to a new tree, stay calm.” Cliff explained. His tone remained shallow but I could still hear the anxious waver in his voice. He's the leader, he has to stay firm, strong for us. 

The pack leader ushered everyone out of the branches, my heart pounding in my chest as I spread my arms, trying to use my membrane to fly. This was my first real flight and I could feel my paws begin to sweat. I tried to keep up with the rest, accidentally bumping into a few branches which caused the others to roll their eyes. 

“Hurry up, Mickey.” A pack member sneered, “We don't have time to wait for you.”

“I’m trying!” I tried to explain, only to be cut off by a few others snickering.

“Could he be any slower?” One other started, my face flushing with embarrassment as laughter rippled through the pack. There was a steep drop below. This was my chance to prove them wrong. 

“Lets see what ya got there then, crawler.” He taunted, looking over his shoulder since I'd been pushed all the way to the back. I swallowed dryly, wearily nodding my head. I took a deep breath, I can do this. With that, I leap. For a second, the wind had caught my tiny body, swerving me along with the wind. My wings trembled as I attempt to regain control, but then -

WHOOSH.

I had lost control. 

Panic surged through me as I spiraled downward, the branches brushing against me in a blur. I used everything within me to claw at the empty space but there was nothing to grab onto. Everyone had already moved ahead, my small voice muttering out, “No… wait.” But no one turned back. The sight of the snakes circling around the bottom of the tree gets closer, my breath shallow and cold. When I'd finally lost hope, I was suddenly brought back into the air, my paws instinctively grabbing onto whatever had just saved me. It was Cliff, the pack leader.

“I couldn't do it,” I admit, ashamed. “I… I tried but I fell”

“I know, but they shouldn't have left you behind like that. Besides, falling is a part of learning. No one flies perfectly on their first attempt,” Cliff explains, resting me on a tree branch where the rest of the pack now is. 

“Not even you?” I ask timidly. 

“Not even me.” He reassures. 

I let that sink in. Maybe… Maybe I’m not a lost cause. Cliff guides me back to the rest of the pack, my body aching but something inside of me burns even brighter now. I made it.