"I don't know how else to say this without sounding disrespectful, but I cannot believe that you're still alive and with us." Giza said.

"Neither can I." Lenny chuckled deeply.

Lion Queen Mother Giza, the eldest daughter of Zuba Junior, granddaughter of Zuba Senior, and great-granddaughter of Orion, was now 15 years old. Her 10-year-old son David was King of the Sun Lands and had just welcomed his first grandchild from his son, Solomon the crown prince.

Lenny the Elephant, who was already an exceptionally long-lived elephant even in the days of Orion, was still alive. He was already 93 when Orion, then a young lion just entering his prime, assumed the throne and married Sanura, the daughter of King Shaka and Queen Ororo. The following year, Orion and Sanura gave birth to their cubs Zuba, Rabat, Sahara, Ghana, and Taran.

Their reign was cut short when Kaw the rogue lion killed Taran, the youngest child and human hunters killed Orion and Sanura before kidnapping Ghana. Led by the surviving lionesses, Zuba, Rabat, and Sahara fled to the Crown Lands where they grew up under the protection of King Atlas.

Zuba returned to the Sun Lands as a young lion, ready and determined to kill Kaw and reclaim the throne- only to find Kaw had recently died in a crocodile attack. Inventing a grand story about how he waged an epic war to take back the throne from Kaw, Zuba proclaimed himself king and married Zafina, the elder daughter of King Atlas, having two cubs with her- a son named Zuba Junior (whom everyone called Junior) and a daughter named Zambia. Sahara, Zuba's sister, left to join another pride. Only Rabat, the second of the five children of Orion and Sanura, still remained by Zuba's side all the way to the very end. By then, Lenny was already 100 years old, which was 30-40 years longer than the average lifespan of an African Elephant.

Zuba was many things as a king. Most claims he made about himself were immensely exaggerated by his overwhelming ego and his so-called accomplishments actually the work of Queen Zafina and his brother Rabat. But he was one of the few lion kings of the Sun Lands that Lenny knew personally of who made it to old age and died of natural causes typically associated with advanced age. By the time he died, Lenny was 110 years old.

Junior married Libya, the daughter of King Godfrey of the Sky Lands, and went onto have three daughters- Giza, Sahara (named after her great-aunt), and Kala. Lenny remembered how upset Senior was at the fact that his daughter-in-law was unable to give him a male heir and would have given her many a royal tongue lashing if not for an even sharper tongue-lashing from Queen Zafina. Sadly, she predeceased her king by several months before the latter's own passing.

Despite Zuba's ungrateful treatment of him, Rabat stayed with his brother's family the entire time, living to see his nephew assume the throne, and sometimes dispensing advice to the young king when the older lion's counsel was needed. He never raised a family of his own, even though many in the pride would have preferred Rabat as the king over Zuba. The second son of Orion and Sanura outlived both his brother and sister-in-law, later dying of peaceful old age around the time his grand nieces grew up into adult lionesses. Lenny was 115 years old by then.

Giza, the eldest daughter of Junior, assumed the throne and married a rogue lion named Samson with whom she had a son named David. Samson was not interested in raising a family and left, leaving Giza and the pride to raise his son with Junior acting as a father figure to his grandson and groom him to be the next heir.

David went onto marry Bathsheba with whom they had Solomon, whom they named after a past lion king revered for his wisdom. At 10 years old, they were getting on in years and would soon pass the crown to their son and daughter-in-law Ruth, who just had their child and crown prince, Isaiah.

The elephant was now 125 years old, having lived twice the lifespan of a typical member of his kind. His shaking limbs were heavy and his eyes dim. But his memory was as sharp as ever. Orion, Zuba, Junior, Giza, David, Solomon, and Isaiah. Seven generations of lions had come and gone. He was the only one who remembered all of them and could recall them at a moment's notice.

"Death itself seems to have forgotten about me." Lenny said. "I, for sure, did not believe I would live to see Orion's great-granddaughter have a great-grandson."

Giza smiled as she nuzzled and licked Isaiah between her paws as the little baby cub played with his great-grandmother's face. Nearby, David, Bathsheba, Solomon, and Ruth watched the cub with smiling faces full of laughter with Lenny towering over all of them in the background.

Lenny's own family was long gone. His daughter was long dead. His grandsons were also dead. His surviving great-grandsons were now middle-aged and did not know him particularly well. His great-great-grandsons were still calves. Elephants lived much longer than lions did, but they also bred slower and had fewer children.

Six months later, Isaiah, now a child full of curiosity, rode on the back of Lenny as the old elephant took the young crown prince on a tour of the kingdom just as he once did with his father, grandfather, great-grandmother, great-great-grandfather, and great-great-great grandfather.

"So, all those Simbas were fakes, but they all had the Mark of Africa?" Isaiah asked, frowning in curiosity.

"That's right, young prince." Lenny chuckled.

"I don't blame you. If I was you, I'd also get tired of trying to prove or to disprove and would just say the whole thing was made up. I mean, Mufasa's real name was actually Simba. So, he's probably a liar to begin with. He only took the name of the original Mufasa to show off."

"Right."

With the cub atop his leathery back, Lenny strode across the golden fields of the land he had lived in for nearly 80 years.

"Is it true that Lenny isn't your real name?" Isaiah asked.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Dad said that you told him when he was a cub that Lenny isn't actually your real name. He said you told him your real name, but that he couldn't pronounce it. It was so long and hard to pronounce, he gave up."

Lenny laughed deeply.

"Well, is it true?"

"What do you say, my boy?"

"Well, your name does seem kind of informal. I thought it'd be something really grand sounding."

Lenny laughed again. "Smart lad."

"So, is it true? Lenny isn't your real name?"

"If you can pronounce it correctly on the first try, I will give you permission to call me by my real name. But only one chance."

"Okay. I'm ready."

So, Lenny told him.

"Ndlulamithi?"

"And there it went."

"Hey! That was still pretty close."

"I was joking. Yes. You are the first one in decades to have pronounced my real name correctly in one go."

Isaiah scratched his head with a claw in confusion. "I don't get it. Why did you get rid of your old name?"

"I didn't like how it sounded."

"But why the name Lenny?"

"Why not?"

"Who gave you that name?"

"My mother."

"Do you have a family, Mr. Lenny?"

"I still do. My great-grandsons are alive. But they do not live here. My great-great grandsons are also alive and are children. Our species typically lives much longer than yours do. Your kind lives 10-15 years. An average elephant lives 60-70. I am 125 years old. No, I didn't eat some kind of plant of immortality. I just happen to have lived much longer than the average member of my species."

He walked in silence for several minutes.

"Mr. Lenny?" Isaiah phased the question carefully. "How did you become friends with us? Most elephants don't like us lions because we're carnivores."

"I wasn't always a friend of the ruling pride. I wasn't always old. I was just 48 when I first came here. It was not until the reign of King Shaka, your great-great-great-great grandfather, that the lion prides started coming to me to get advice as to how to deal with droughts or finding herbs that cured illnesses. I was the oldest elephant in the land by then. Before that, I didn't concern myself with the affairs of your kind and kept to myself, mostly."

"Why did you stay here after having spent most of your life before that traveling to places?"

"Because I liked it here. Something about this place made me want to stay here forever and call it home."

"Why, though? There are plenty of places in Africa you could've gone to."

"Like I said, something about this place convinced me to stay."

Lenny's voice seemed hushed and tired. His walk was slowing down.

"Are you okay, Mr. Lenny?" Isaiah asked.

"I'm merely tired, child." Lenny reached up with his trunk, grasped, and lowered Isaiah to the ground. "Run along now to your parents."

"Where are you going?"

"I am tired. I need to rest. Please don't follow me. I'd like to be alone."

Lenny lumbered away from the confused Isaiah who watched his great bulky form retreat into the horizon.

The old elephant finally came to the banks of the great river that encircled the kingdom. Slowly, painfully, he knelt down until his belly was touching the ground. He no longer had the strength to stand back up.

He wasn't alone, though. A great black mass surged through the water and onto dry land towards the elephant. But the elephant did not move.

"SO EVEN YOU HAVE FINALLY REACHED THE END OF YOUR MORTAL COIL, OLD TUSKER." The gigantic crocodile boomed.

"Kurdock." Lenny wheezed.

Kurdock the Ancient Crocodile was the only animal in the land that was older even than Lenny. No one knew who he was and where he came from. He was old even in the days that Lenny was but a calf and he would no doubt endure for generations after when the last mammal drew its final breath.

"HOW YOU WARM-BLOODS IMMORTALIZE YOURSELVES WHEN YOU DIE SO QUICKLY. I HAVE LIVED OVER TEN CENTURIES. YOU HAVE LIVED BUT A CENTURY AND A QUARTER. YOU ARE ALL ALIKE. GRAINS OF DUST IN THE SANDS OF TIME."

Lenny's breathing slowed, growing labored.

"HAVE YOU COME TO BEG ME FOR RELEASE?"

Lenny didn't answer.

"I THOUGHT NOT. NEITHER WILL I GIVE IT TO YOU EVEN IF YOU BEGGED ME FOR IT. DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR ALTRUISM. I HAVE REASONS OF MY OWN AND WILL NOT TOUCH YOUR FLESH, NEITHER WILL ANY OF MY BROOD. YOU, OF ALL CREATURES, HAVE EARNED YOUR DEATH."

With that, the gigantic crocodile crept silently back into the water.

Lenny's breathing slowed to a still and finally stopped, his eyes closing as his great heart breathed its last.

The lions of the Sun Lands pride found the old elephant the next morning. No scavengers touched his corpse, yet it was not decomposing. If anything, it seemed to be merging into the earth, for lack of better words. There was no smell of rot.

"Goodbye, old friend." Giza shed a tear.