Back at the jungle, as Darwin and I watched the lavender sky turned to dark blue, I sighed with satisfaction.

"Just think, Darwin. By this time tomorrow, with Simba taking his place on the throne, the Pride Lands will go back to the way they were before Scar."

"You think so, huh? Then, how do you explain that?" asked Darwin, who pointed at Nala walking through the jungle angrily.

Confused, I caught up with her, asking. "Nala, what happened? Didn't you and Simba talk it over?"

"Yes, we did!" snapped Nala. "But he's being so...so...unreasonable!"

"What do you mean he's being unreasonable?" I asked.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Nala said, then stormed off.

Realizing Simba said something that drove her off the deep end, I went the opposite direction to look for him.

"Hey, where are you going?" asked Darwin, who caught up with me.

"To find out why Simba's so stubborn to return to the Pride Lands." I answered, pushing some plants aside, revealing a grassy field, where Simba was.

Before I could walk down to him, Darwin stopped me, saying. "Eliza, wait! You hear that?"

We looked up and Rafiki up on a nearby tree, chanting.

Asante sana!
Squash banana!
We we nugu!
Mi mi apana! (2x)

Having to hear Rafiki himself, Simba walked further away from the field to a log over a pond.

As he stared down, a pebble plopped in the water.

Looking up, Simba could see Rafiki in another tree, chanting again while doing some acrobatics.

"Come on, will you cut it out?" he asked.

"Can't cut it out. It'll grow right back!" laughed Rafiki.

"Crazy monkey." Simba said to himself as he walked away, only to see Rafiki catching up to him.

"Will you stop following me?" he asked. "Who are you?"

"The question is: Who...are you?" Rafiki asked back.

Startled by that question, Simba sighed sadly. "I thought I knew. Now I'm not so sure."

"Well, I know who you are." said Rafiki, who pulled on Simba's ear. "Shh. Come here. It's a secret.

Asante sana!
Squash banana!
We we nugu!
Mi mi apana!

"Enough already!" Simba said, growing frustrated already. "What is that supposed to mean, anyway?"

"It means you're a baboon...and I'm not." chuckled Rafiki.

"I think you're a little confused." said Simba as he walked away, only to be stopped by Rafiki, who said. "Wrong! I'm not the one who's confused. You don't even know who you are."

"Oh, and I suppose you know?"

"Sure do. You're Mufasa's boy."

Surprised with what he heard, Simba turned to Rafiki, who said. "Bye!"

Then, he took off, with Simba following him while calling out. "Hey, wait!"

"Come on, Dar." I said as we followed after Simba, who caught up with Rafiki, was in a meditative lotus position on a rock.

"You knew my father?" he asked.

"Correction. I know your father." Rafiki replied in monotone.

"I hate to tell you this," Simba said sadly. "But, he died...a long time ago."

"Nope. Wrong again!" Rafiki said, laughing. "He's alive! And I'll show him to you. You follow old Rafiki. He knows the way. Come on!"

So, Simba followed Rafiki through a brush, which I rushed into.

Upon looking at the brush, Darwin sighed. "Well, at least it's not a thorn patch."

"Come on, come on." Rafiki called to Simba, who called back. "Would you slow down?"

As he struggled to keep up with Rafiki, Simba was unaware Darwin and I were trying to keep up, all while hearing the mandrill's laughing and whooping.

"Stop!" Rafiki said, holding up his hand in front of Simba, whom he shushed, then parted some reeds.

"Look down there." he whispered.

Still unaware that Darwin and I caught up with him, Simba cautiously walked past the reeds to the edge, where he looked into a pool of water.

With a disappointed sigh, he said. "That's not my father. It's just my reflection."

"No." said Rafiki. "Look harder."

As he motioned over the pool, ripples start to form, distorting Simba's reflection and resolving into the face of...Mufasa!

"You see? He lives in you."

As Simba stared, awestruck, the wind started to pick up.

"Whew, is it starting to get chilly out here or is just me?" asked Darwin.

"Shh, Darwin. Look!" I whispered, pointing up at the sky, where, in the air, a huge image of Mufasa was forming from the clouds. He appears to be walking from the stars.

"Simba, you have forgotten me."

"No. How could I?" asked Simba.

"You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me." said Mufasa, whose ghostly image started to gain color and coherence. "Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life."

"How can I go back?" asked Simba. "I'm not who I used to be."

"Remember who you are." informed Mufasa, now bathing in the golden light. "You are my son and the one true king."

Simba stared in awe, fear and sadness as his father's words echoed. "Remember who you are. Remember."

Darwin and I just stared in shock as the image of Mufasa faded away into the night.

As Simba stood there while the wind tossed the grass restlessly, Darwin and I slowly walked up to him.

"Some weather we've been having. Am I right?" Darwin asked, hoping to brighten the mood.

"Yeah." agreed Simba. "Looks like the winds are changing."

"Sometimes, change can be good," I said, giving his mane a storke. "But it's not always easy."

"I know what I have to do, Eliza." said Simba. "But...going back means I'll have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long."

As he spoke, Rafiki whacked him on the head with his staff.

"Ow!" exclaimed Simba.

"What'd you do that for?" asked Darwin.

"It doesn't matter! It's in the past!" laughed Rafiki.

"Yeah, but it still hurts." Simba said, rubbing his head.

"Oh, yes, the past can hurt." agreed Rafiki. "But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or...learn from it."

He swung his staff again, but, this time, Simba ducked.

"Ha, you see! So what are you going to do?"

"First, I'm gonna take your stick!"

That was exactly what Simba did. He grabbed Rafiki's staff and tossed it aside.

"No, no, no, no! That is not a stick!" panicked Rafiki as he rushed to pick up his staff.

"And where do you think you're going now?" asked Darwin, who noticed Simba running off, while calling out. "I'm going back!"

"Good! Go on! Get out of here!" shouted Rafiki, who started to laugh, hoot and holler in triumph, while Darwin and I ran back to the jungle, because we knew Simba was going to need some help.