Poor Zazu was still a little disheartened by how he was retired, but he was slowly starting to accept it more and more as every hour goes on in his life. He was just perching on a branch within a dead tree not too far from Pride Rock.
"Zazu?" said a voice.
"Sire?" Zazu recognized that voice anywhere. "I did not expect to see you here." he looked down to see Simba coming to greet him.
"I was just looking for you and seeing how you're doing." said Simba.
"Oh, just dandy, sire." Zazu sighed. "Trying to figure out what to do with my life since I am retired."
"Ah, Zazu." the king gave him a sympathetic look. "I know it's hard, but you'll feel better one of these days. I know it."
"Yes, I know." the hornbill remembered those words. "So how's your search for a new Majordomo coming along, eh?"
Simba had a rather awkward and uncomfortable look on his face like he was embarrassed. "Ehhhh, you know. Still searching."
"Oh just wonderful." said Zazu sarcastically. "I knew something like this will happen eventually. Why am I not surprised that this is going to fail miserably?"
"Stop it, Zazu." Simba sang with his eyes narrowed. "You don't have to worry about it."
Zazu fluttered down to the ground, in front of the benevolent king. "Sure, pretend there's nothing wrong: la-dee-da!"
"We will find the candidate, Zazu. It just takes a little time. Me and Nala isn't need to keep looking for him... or her.
"Look, Sire. I would like to know a good retirement spot at least."
"You don't have to live too far from here Zazu. I know very well that you're not a migratory bird."
"Absolutely sir."
"Like I said, you can always go out and live close to Timon and Pumbaa if you want."
"And live a noisy, rough life right next door to a couple of miscreants? No sir! You know how those two can be. Nothing but a bunch of freeloaders."
"Well, I don't know about freeloaders." Simba admitted, but they can be lazy."
"Heh, I concur with you fully. So, why not get Khemu the vulture to help. He is very old and very humble."
"We were considering it." the king admitted, "But he said he wasn't interested in the job. It's a shame, he was a good friend of my father, but we have to respect his wishes."
"Oh, that Khemu. That sounds just like him alright. He can be the most stubborn bird of prey in all of Africa."
"No argument. But he is a good guy nonetheless."
"I know that as much as any animal living out here in the Pride Lands."
"Like I said before: me and Nala just need to keep looking harder for the perfect candidate."
"Look, Sire." the hornbill sighed. "Will I still be remembered in the Pride Lands after I die? I'm worried I might turn into obscurity over time when it happens to me."
"Come on." said Simba. "You'll be remembered in history for all the accomplishments you have done for me and my father over the years of your service. I know it."
"Will you... have something to honor my legacy when... my time comes?"
"Of course I will, Zazu. Anything for a good friend that always stood by me."
"Thank you so much, your majesty."
Simba smiled warmly at his former employee and replied: "You're welcome, Zazu. Just be careful out here."
"I always am."
"Yeah, what am saying?" Simba smirked. "And don't worry about the Pride Lands if something goes wrong. It's nothing for you to he concerned about anymore."
"I got it."
Rafiki was still all the more curious about the human race and how they lived their lives that many animals wouldn't really live in at all.
"Our home is a interesting place." aaid Persephone. "It's like a jungle, but a concrete jungle. Every human for himself."
"That's right." Joel pointed. "You probably wouldn't be able to handle it without us. Probably too noisy for you to handle, Rafiki.
"Well I should be the one to judge that," Rafiki pointed. "But considering how loud your rifle is, Joel. I can take your word for it."
"Good."
"So do you think you all might come back one day after you settle back home?"
"Absolutely." said Joel. "As long as I'm a researcher. Anything's possible."
"But we still need to plan on when we can come back here and catch up on what we missed at home." said Tara.
"And we don't know when exactly we will come back. Long trips like this require planning."
"I can definitely see that." Rafiki said.
"So where do you live, Rafiki?"
"My humble home would be a large and wide baobab out there in the Pride Lands called the Tree of Life. It's the biggest tree in these lands, and jusy look for the wind if you ever want to find it."
"The wind?" said Chris
"How will the wind help?" asked Tara
"You will know when you see the gusts blowing away, my dear Tara. Trust withing nature and the Circle of Life. I know you might doubt this at first, but it will show you the way."
"Well I can take your word." said Chris
"I don't know." Tara noted. "I mean, if it's the biggest tree out here, then it can't be hard to miss, right?"
"A valid point, my dear."
The next morning came and Simba awoken from his sleep first to go and check on Zazu and see how he's doing. The hornbill decided to perch on the usual branch he would perch on for old time's sake.
Little did he know that Zazu wasn't on his favorite branch. No. For a moment it looked like he was missing
"Zazu?" said Simba, looking around. "Are you there?" He then noticed the tail feathers from the former majordomo from the tall grass. There he was, looking asleep with his eyes closed and wings on flat on the ground and his head looking at the sky. "Oh, there you are." Simba chuckled.
Suddenly, he frowned when a sudden thought occurred to him. most birds don't sleep on the ground when they are flying birds.
"Zazu?" he said with a frown. "Are you alright?"
He gently rocked him back and forth but Zazu's head just tilted the other way. At last, Simba realized that the bird's time had come for him and ue could hardly believe it. Sure he knew it would come someday but now?... it seemed to soon for Zazu to push up daisies.
A few moments after being shocked beyond belief, Simba began to sob and cry at his own friends' passing like this. Yes. It would look like a terrible loss.
"Oh Zazu." Simba said with his throat filled up and his eyes closed. "I'll miss you."
