A/N: This is it, guys.

Epilogue – Five Forever

The next day, Malka and Kula left to return to their pride, though not before a long and teary goodbye, and promises to visit and stay in touch. The rest of us took up our old positions in the Pridelands, a strange new harmony created between us. It was a new kind of harmony: a harmony that could claim that once, it had been shattered. But now, it was rebuilt, and more glorious than ever. A harmony of five lions who had made mistakes, had broken hearts, but mended them and put the past behind them, but not without allowing it to color a new, brighter future.

Time went on, and Tama announced she was pregnant again, but this time definitely with Chumvi's cub. To our surprise, she gave birth to two—a girl and a boy. The girl looked a little like Vitani, but with bright brown eyes this time, and the little boy appeared as a lighter version of Kovu. It was as though the Great Kings were giving them another chance, this time a chance to raise their cubs together.

I saw the entire thing, watched those two cubs come into the world. I'll be their uncle, and Chumvi and Tama couldn't be happier about that.

They weren't the only ones who experienced new life. A month or so before Tama gave birth, Kiara announced that she was pregnant with hers and Kovu's first cub. Nala, too, announced she and Simba were expecting again not too long after Kiara discovered she was carrying. Basically, new life had decided to flood into the Pridelands, and right in time for an upcoming spring.

As for me, Vitani is still my only child, if you can even call her that, since neither of us knew until she was an adult. Once in a while, I may feel bad about this, that I still haven't found anyone. But then I look at the future of the Pridelands, proud to see the growth that's come to this pride, and then I realize that maybe it's not such a bad thing I'm not raising cubs of my own. After all, with all these new arrivals coming, I'll have more than enough to look after already!

The important thing is, though, that we're all back together. Once upon a time, I thought that Chumvi and I would never see eye to eye again. There was a time that I feared that I'd lost every single lion I'd ever called a friend. There was a time when the joys of cubhood were swept away by a terrible and cold adolescence and adulthood that threatened to destroy us all.

But that's passed, now.

Sure, we still have some problems. Chumvi and I might never be able to patch the rift I created when I spent that night with Tama after Scar's death. And there are some things we've said to each other that will never be forgotten. But sometimes it doesn't matter what you've said in the past. It matters what you let that do to you.

Rafiki once told me that I should open my ears so I would hear the truth. I think I understand what he meant now. The truth is that friendship means more to me than I ever thought it would. And we might be different, and maybe we've done things we're not proud of, but sometimes true friendships are built when you stick all your broken parts together in order to make something more than yourself.

Or when you stick five broken lions together, and suddenly, you've made something that will last forever.

The End

A/N: Well, guys, that's all. I have to say, I'm sad it's through. This story was really an adventure for me to write, start to finish, and sharing it with all of you has been such a privilege. I want to personally thank all of those who favorited, followed, and reviewed-your support and amazingly kind words have been such a joy and an encouragement. You guys rock.

Once more, I'd like to thank my betareader, Ex Nihilo Ad Omnia, for all your hard work and insight into this story. Couldn't have done it without you.

This is where I'd typically tell you to look forward to another fanfiction from me soon. Honestly, though, this time I can't say that. I don't want to say that this will be my last story on this site, but I honestly don't know. Maybe some day I'll come back and have something else to share, but my life is moving on, and I'm ready to move on, too. Thank you all again for your incredible support. Maybe the next time you'll read my work, it'll be from an actual book.

'Til we meet again, amazing readers.