Ladies and Gentlemen I have an announcement to make………………………I am a stinky drool face. I would have been like Peter Griffin of Family Guy and said testicles, but I did not want to scare anyone. Any way, thank you for your time, now on with the chapter.

It was about a month after the outsiders were invited to be part of the pride. There had been no squabbles or any problems with Simba being king; in fact I think the lionesses knew that deep inside Zira was wrong all along.

Everyone seemed to be happy; some of the lionesses were getting more fit after living in the horrible conditions of the outlands. Vitani, Kovu's sister now felt she had her place among the pride by being the Queens official consort.

Kovu and Kiara were closer since they first met, often alone together enjoying each others company. They had no plans to have children until they became leaders of the pride and both hoped to have more than one cub.

Simba was getting to know Kovu a lot better, it took Simba a while to really feel safe around Kovu but after a while Simba began to tell jokes around him and he became less tense. After a while they both would usually spend their mornings on top of pride rock, discussing the importances of being a king.

I was probably the only one who did not feel complete. Some days I was happy, enjoying the company of the new lionesses of the pride and then learning about their history. While other days I just felt so alone and often found myself alone near the waterhole or at the old nest where I had raised the chicks. I never received word on whether or not Conga was still alive. I did get info on Dinari once though. He was doing well down in the south, he had made friends with an okapi who was partially blind and was acting as a guide to him.

It was good to know that he was okay; I just wished he was doing it up here with me where I was alone and wanted someone else as company.

It was one afternoon when I was standing at the edge of the waterhole looking at my reflection and wondering if my life was worth living still. Of course I was still advisor but it just was not the same, I felt like I was repeating myself daily and problems seemed to be less frequent out there.

I stared at my reflection in the water, my feathers looked so matted, my eyes so sad and tired looking. It looked like I had not slept in ages, but I slept well all the time, it must have been the sadness in my life. My color did not seem to have the same shine as it did and I felt that I just looked like a total mess.

I looked down at the water, it looked so inviting, so peaceful, and a perfect place to forget your problems. I wanted to see Binti again. I wanted life to be the way it was for those three years we were together, three wonderful years, not long enough for someone who lived alone longer than that. I wanted to feel Binti's warmth beside me as I slept; I wanted to have another family again, one that was just as perfect as it was when the eggs were still forming and me standing on the tallest branch surveying the pride lands.

I took a small step in the water, it was cool from the afternoon rain and I felt a chill run down my spine. Would I really end my life here, in this waterhole where so many memories began? Where I chased Simba as a cub before that fateful day with the hyenas. Where I met Tafari, it made me wonder what happened to that old giraffe, was he still alive or did old age take him? Where I met Binti for the first time, that day felt like only yesterday when I first met her and felt the real feeling of true love.

I sighed and took another step, this time the water was above my legs any moment now I could dive under, loose my life the same way Zira lost hers.

"Hello my little blue friend," said a voice from behind me that startled me so bad that I slipped and landed in the water. I felt a hand grab me and pick me up out of the water. It was Rafiki and he looked at me with a worried expression.

"You were not doing what I think you were doing were you?" he asked in a serious tone.

I shook water out from my ears and looked sadly at Rafiki who instantly got the message.

"You know that does not solve problems, you still have others who love you, I mean I enjoy your company immensely," said Rafiki.

"I'm sorry Rafiki, I just have not been feeling myself lately," I said.

"Oh people get that all the time, it's a normal part of life," said Rafiki who continued to look at me worriedly.

I nodded and remained silent for a moment. "Rafiki, do you ever feel alone?" I asked him.

"Oh sometimes. But that's usually when my meditations are too quiet and the great kings are not responding to me. But I enjoy my lonely life in that tree, besides I know that my time will come in a few years, so loneliness is the least of my worries," he told me.

I sighed; Rafiki was such an easy person to please. "Then if I have been alone most of my life then why do I feel such sorrow even if its been four months, I thought sadness only lasted a month or a little more," I told him.

Rafiki stroked his chin and studied me for a moment until an idea hit him. "You know that painting of yourself in my tree?" he asked me.

"Of course I do, it's a lovely painting I must say but why do you ask?" I asked.

"You know how there seems to be rain falling around you in that painting?" he asked.

"Yes, did you put that there on purpose?" I asked.

"Technically yes if you count doing it during meditation but I have always wondered why there was rain around you but now I know," he said.

"Why then?" I asked.

"Come with me and I will show you," said Rafiki.

I followed the old mandrill to his tree where he led me to the drawing he had done of me when I first arrived. It still looked as new as the day it was made as like all the other drawings that he had done over the years. Rafiki pointed at one of the droplets and began to count them before speaking.

"There are fifteen drops of rain in this painting signaling fifteen sorrows in your life, first is Ahadi's death, next comes Mufasa's death, then comes your grandfather's death, then comes the wasting away of the pride lands, then comes Nadira's death, then comes Tahir's death, then comes your sisters exile, Scar's death, Kopa's death, Zira's exile, Nuru's death, Bahati's death, Tiki's death, Binti's death, and Dinari going away. Fifteen sorrows for a small bird like you, I am actually amazed you have made it this far," he said.

"But what about Conga, you did not mention her and she left me all alone, never sending messengers to tell if she is still alive or not," I said.

"Good question, maybe it means she will return to you or maybe the sorrow she gave you could not find any space to put itself in the painting, so that last droplet spends its time inside of you making you feel the way you do, you take up any more sorrows then your world will come crashing down, I have seen creatures have the same problem as you and they had an extra sorrow that they could not take any longer, you don't want to know what happened to them," said Rafiki.

"Could you please tell me, just so I could know the signs?" I asked as I twiddled with my feathers. I was getting a little nervous now, I was scared and I really did not want to be depressed forever.

"Well Binti's father for instance," said Rafiki.

I looked at him surprised, but Binti's father was abusive and Binti only told me that it was her mother and three children. She never told me anything else about her father.

"I can see you are surprised, Binti only told me because I asked her about her father, you probably never did, did you," Rafiki asked.

"Only about who he was but nothing about her fathers past," I said.

"It's always good to have a shaman around, it's always important to know about your extended family, just don't even tell me about Ban'ai again," said Rafiki.

I looked at Rafiki in a confused way, he only laughed. That monkey was really crazy sometimes.

"Well I asked her about her father and why he may have been so abusive, you see he lost about as many family members as you did before he even found a mate. Her father told her all these stories before her mother died because she said her brothers and sisters just kept asking questions about whether or not he had a brother or something. But any way Binti's father witnesses his father's horrible death, eaten by a python. That was the first death he witnessed and he had not even learned to fly. He witnessed more deaths after that but when his wife died it was the last straw for him, all his sorrows were used up so he vented his anger out on the first thing he saw which was Binti. He was so afraid of loosing her that he made her stay with him even though it did more harm than good," said Rafiki.

"So I could be abusive if all my sorrows are used up?" I asked.

Rafiki nodded. "That's one of the things, the other is wanting to be alone, hating everyone and doing bodily harm to yourself," he said.

"I really don't want any of those things to happen, I just want to feel the comfort of Binti again though, I don't want to spend the last days of my life all alone like this," I said.

"I can be your companion," said Rafiki who gave me the scariest smile he had ever given me. It really made me back away.

"Uh no thanks," I said nervously.

Rafiki made his usual laugh. "I am only joking, you take life too seriously too, you really need to lighten up sometimes, I bet doing the Hakuna Matata thing with Timon and Pumbaa would lighten everything up," said Rafiki.

"Maybe," I said.

"But I will say this, giving up on life does not fix things it only makes others feel bad," said Rafiki.

"I will remember that, I will try to take care of myself and respect my life," I said.

"Very good, now go do that morning report, I know Simba is waiting," said Rafiki who then did his usual act of disappearing out of thin air while I was left standing alone thinking about the words Rafiki told me.

But the words seemed to go in one ear and out the other because I still felt the same sadness as I had before Rafiki talked to me. I did find that the morning report was still a good thing to do for Simba who had a long talk with me about how much he loved me being his advisor. It made me feel better at little or at least wanted me to keep doing my job which I decided to do all day since it kept my mind off the problems I was facing.

A year went by and I began to notice that I was showing signs of age. My feathers no longer held that blue luster and I began to feel a stiffness in my wings, I knew I was getting old when I woke up one morning to find that one of my wings were so sore that it took me forever to actually go out and fly.

It was time for me to retire truthfully, I knew I had to be the longest running advisor in the pride lands surviving three kings, well two seeing as how Simba was still the king of the pride, he would probably out last me one day but I did not want to think about that.

One evening I decided to spend it alone in a nearby tree watching the sunset and thinking that I should start recruiting someone new to take my place. It was a hard thought seeing as how my whole life I spent advising Mufasa, Scar, and Simba.

Mufasa was probably the best king of them all, so kind but so powerful. I remember that thick mane of his blowing in the wind as he surveyed his lands. I remember how stern he became around his brother Scar but was so gentle around Simba. It was such a horrible way for him to go, killed by his own brother who wanted to be king.

Scar, just the thought of his name made me cringe. Such a depressing king. Treating the lands terribly and using hyenas as assassins, how in the world could any one live like that without feeling guilty. I never saw him look guilty save for the time he upset Zira. He usually looked more sad than guilty, but as I thought about him I realized that he was a very mysterious lion who let his dark thoughts cloud his mind.

Luckily Simba saved the day, at first Simba was carefree going by Timon and Pumbaa's morals but Kopa's death taught him that carefree life was not the way to go. It was true that he was a little too protective of Kiara but he did not want to loose another heir and I would not blame him. I was glad though that she was able to make piece between the prides. Kovu probably would have killed Simba if Kiara did not show him the idea of having a little fun.

I could definitely see Kovu as the next king; he had the kindness in him that had been locked away from him for the first years of his life. Of course Kiara was the real ruler of the pride lands but I could not help but think that Kovu would have more responsibility than her, probably because he was male which I have been so used to seeing since I arrived here.

Timon and Pumbaa were of course getting on in age as well. Though for some reason they did not show any signs of age. They still seemed to have the same spunk they had as when I first met them. Sure Timon found his first gray hair a few months ago that caused a good chuckle but he did not look as old as I was and neither did Pumbaa who of course spent the entire day trying to calm Timon down and telling him it was normal to get gray hairs at his age.

Speaking of age if you don't mind me saying so, Rafiki now has an apprentice, a young baboon who has quite a while before he turns into a wise monkey like Rafiki. The other day I decided to watch him train and instead of painting whatever was on his mind, he got paint all over himself and slipped on an open gourd. Poor Rafiki had to spend the rest of the day telling him how great he was going to be even though he was such a klutz at first.

I wanted an apprentice as well, I knew I had to find one soon. I just did not know where to look and how to ask. I guess I would have to find out eventually like I had done throughout most of my life.

Oh dear I nearly forgot about my sister Kalifa. Well she still made trips to see me, getting on in age just as I was; she even told me once that her trips may become less frequent. That was okay with me just as long as she had ways to connect with me I was fine with that. She did give me some bad news a few months ago. Mother died of old age, it came as no shock to me, we both knew her time would come soon, I was sad to hear her go but for some reason I did not cry, not as much as I did for my grandfather, the one who taught me most about life before I went into that great horizon.

What a life, so many adventures. I sighed as the sun was halfway down the horizon now. What else would be in store for me for the rest of my life? Would there be more adventures? Would there be more sorrow? Would I see Simba retire? I guess the future was important to stay for after all.

"Dad?" said a voice behind me.

I perked up and gave a startled look before I turned around. At first I thought I was dreaming as I saw a young hornbill standing next to me, Conga. She was a little bigger from the last time I saw her, her feathers were a little brighter but she still was the same save for a jagged scar that ran across her shoulder. I stood there for a moment; I thought I would never see her again and I was in total shock.

"Dad, I'm so sorry," she said as she launched herself at me and hugged me tightly. I instantly melted at the feeling of being hugged for the first time in the longest time and all the feeling of being mad at her had dissipated.

"It's okay Conga, I'm just glad you're home."

A/N: Yay one more chapter to go and this story is over. Lets all do the Conga! LoL. Ew that sounds so wrong. I hope you all understood what Rafiki was trying to say and everything, if not then I am sorry. Oh Kahllynn drew a pic of Binti for me, you can check it out on her lion king fanart archive profile. Thank you so much Kahllynn I realized that I forgot to say that originally. She also said she might do some scenes as well so I can't wait to see those. Well please review and I will hear from you all later.

Oh yeah and whoever gives me my 300th review will get a Christmas card from me. Just remember to delete most of your things from your mailbox, it doesn't have many bytes but for some reason it keeps coming back to me but hopefully I'll have it figured out by the time the 300th review comes around.

Also I was reading some old chapters because I was bored and I find it funny how I said I would not finish this while I was in the internship, man I must have thought that my life would be revolving around work. I guess I did not know that 40 hours is not that big. Eh oh well. Okay I will shut up now.