son.

"But I also want you to know, mother, that I really do miss you and I love you."

"I love you, too, my dear son." Zira responded, now letting her emotions get the better of her in this heartfelt time. "I also miss you a lot and I wish the best for you both as your lives in the stars continue to bring you eternal happiness."

"All will be well with us forevermore." Scar replied, he and his son beginning to fade away in the clouds. "And remember, we will always be there to guide you when you need it most. Good luck, Zira, my beloved."

"Goodbye, mother." Nuka said sadly as his image dissipated. 

"Goodbye, my beloved mate and son. I will always love you."

And that said, both faces of their spirits faded away in the clouds, which then got smaller and smaller as they disappeared completely in a couple of minutes. Zira remained watching this until they could no longer be seen and there was nothing left in the sky except the stars and no surrounding sounds further echoed around the grasslands.

Zira was now alone once again. She knew now where she needed to go, but she also had to wait until the early morning when the sun would appear on the horizon and know that the right direction to travel would be slightly east of it. In the meantime, she started walking again to go and find somewhere to sleep for the night in this open land. As she was walking, she could not help but think about what just happened and who she saw once again, and to her it was both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. Because of this, she did something that she had barely done in her life before aside from the time of the death of her mate: She shed tears. 

Thank you again, Scar, my beloved mate, and my dear son, Nuka. She spoke in her mind in between sobs, knowing that this would be heard by their spirits. Your guidance and presence will and has helped me. Thank you for allowing me to see you one last time.

This moment became one of the very rare times in her life that Zira's soft side had been brought out.

*

That same evening, back in the Tropical Paradise, the clear night sky provided the beautiful sight of the billions of stars, and this sight would be perfect for two of this land's inhabitants who had made this place their home a long time ago and had finally returned for a temporary period.

Timon and Pumbaa were lying on their backs in the grass gazing up at the stars, relaxing and reflecting on the good times but also on their first day back at their original home; where they had spent the day swinging in the vines, swimming and floating in the river, and searching for and digging up grubs wherever they could be found to get a feed. They were now very 'healthy tired' from all the eating and physical activity and were resting it off.

"Ah, Pumbaa." Timon sighed with happy satisfaction. "What a day. It is so great to be back home and enjoying the good ol' times."

"Yeah, Timon." Pumbaa replied, likewise pleased. "It feels so much better to get a new fresh start after being away for so long. That makes the homecoming even more special."

"Not wrong there, pally. It also feels strange to be able to do it all over again through being out of rhythm from living in the Pride Lands."

"True, but we have never forgotten how do it. I believe that it was important for us to remember considering that it was a turning point in our lives after we were outcast. This place brought out the best in us."

"And then Simba came along and further improved our reputation; making us into both parents and brothers." Timon added, remembering well what Simba did for them as well as what they did for him in times of need.

"Yes, both this place and Simba were the development stages in our lives." Pumbaa also put in, who then sadly thought of his adopted 'boy'. "And what a great joy it was having him in that time period. I just really wish that he could have come back here with us. Being here was just as important a time in his life as it was for ours, and that is why I believe it would be vital for him to relive it again. But by the three of us doing it together would make the memories all the more great."

"Woah! Well analysed, buddy." Timon exclaimed, amazed at Pumbaa's attention to detail. "And yes, I wish that Simba could be here, but at least we can feel proud of what we did for him and satisfied that he found happiness, especially after the trauma from losing his father."

"True, buddy." Pumbaa agreed.

"So, anyway, from our experience, how would you compare our two homes?" Timon asked, curious as to how his friend truly felt about them.

"Well, in my honest opinion," Pumbaa began. "the Pride Lands is very open with great landscape views; and I love the sight of the early morning sun on the horizon. From the edge of Pride Rock it looks even better. And to get a good swim in the waterholes and rivers with the atmosphere of the surrounding open savannah makes the chillout vibe all the more enjoyable. Plus no shortage of grubs, that's for sure. But compared to here, it doesn't quite have the extreme adventure facilities, if you will. In the jungle, we can swing in the vines and ride the river rapids as well as take a fun fall down the waterfalls. We are a little more surrounded by nature here and we can use anything around us to our recreational advantage. Plus there is no need to be so cautious because there is no predation here and so we do not have to worry about being eaten."

"I agree with ya, buddy boy." Timon responded. "Hence this place bringing the best out of our Hakuna Matata. We had more fun here and never had to worry about defending ourselves or helping others to defend their land; not to say that it wasn't important for us to help our friends in need. It's just that here we could thrive more efficiently."

"And I remember that when we came to Pride Lands, we had to change our motto because we had to forget about living in the past. As they say, time passes, things change. Therefore, because of the fact that there was more danger in the open grasslands, I remember you mentioning that 'when the going gets tough, the tough get going'."

"Yeah, I said that when we were at war, and it was the right time to say it as well. But it was easier said than done because of the vast numbers of predators against us and the unlikelihood of our survival."

"But we did hang in there, and, luckily enough, we came through unscathed." Pumbaa proudly added, remembering the toughness of the battle against the two prides and how he and his meerkat friend escaped certain death.

Timon thought back to that moment and he presented an amusing smile when he remembered how they 'scared' the Outsider lionesses away with a little improvisation.

"Yes, that was when you turned your back on them in fear and I then jumped onto your backside and used your tail as a gun to threaten them." The meerkat then said with his wisecracking attitude and making a little fun on his friend's flatulence. "I bet that you were 'fully loaded' and ready to 'blow them away', right?"

Pumbaa felt a little embarrassed about his digestive problems being brought up once again, but he still showed himself to be a good sport about it and chuckled lightly.

"Well, I was certainly nervous enough; as you would be if you are about to be killed; so maybe it was just about to come." The warthog then replied. "But they seemed to run out just in the nick of time. I could only imagine their reaction if it did happen. But you were also in close range, so you would have had to clear out fast."

"Oh, I would have!" Timon laughed. "Don't you worry about that, buddy."

They both laughed in amusement before continuing on with the main subject.

"So anyways, Timon, we did have a different motto for each home for good purpose because of the environments we were living in, but life in both locations was still great either way. Don't you agree?"

"Whole heartedly." Timon assured. "There was plenty that our homes offered us and we were never short of fun. I especially loved spending time with Kiara because, again, it reminded me of the old times here with Simba."

"I loved it, too." Pumbaa replied, remembering the innocence and unique personality of the Lion King's daughter. "She really was a sweetheart as a cub. I think you couldn't help but fall for her highly spiritual side."

"Yeah, Pumbaa." Timon agreed, who felt likewise strong about Kiara. "But all in all...," He then concluded. "...from all that we have been through - both the fun times and the tough times - our lives have been one amazing journey, if I may say so. Our stories didn't have the happiest of beginnings when we both became outcasts, but things changed when we found each other and formed the Hakuna Matata lifestyle. Since that time we never looked back and lived the good life, including sharing a family bond with Simba and his pride. And through all of that, I want to say that I am very proud to have stuck with you all this time, my bestest pal." He turned his head and looked at his friend as he said this.

"I am likewise proud, little buddy." Pumbaa replied with emotion and flattery at his friend's heartwarming statement, who also turned his head to focus his eyes on the meerkat. "As you once said, 'friends stick together to the end'. So no matter where we will be or what

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