Rafiki smiled as he gathered herbs from his garden, the sun shining down on him. It was a beautiful day, with the sky being a beautiful shade of blue, without a single cloud blocking it. These were the kinds of days that Rafiki enjoyed the most- the quiet, peaceful days, where the Pride Lands were at harmony, everyone was happy, and he was able to relax and do what he enjoyed. These were the days that the grey mandrill wished happened every day.

"Ugh! Forget it!" a shouting voice interrupted his thoughts. "Let's just leave things as they are today! If there are any problems that need urgent attention, come find me!"

'Now I remember why I enjoy them so much,' he reminded himself, letting out a sigh, 'because I almost never get them, doing what I do.' He gathered up his herbs and walked around his tree, in the direction he heard the voice come from. Eventually, he noticed a certain red maned lion cub walking past- Kion had clearly had a rough day, as he was clearly irritated, given the scowl on his face and his tensed posture. Deciding he had nothing better to do, Rafiki chose to see what was wrong. "Hello! Kion!" he called out, prompting the leader of the Lion Guard to look in his direction.

"Oh," he sighed, "hey, Rafiki."

"Forgive me, but you seem rather angry. Come, tell an old man your troubles!"

"I'd rather be by myself right now, Rafiki, but thanks anyway."

"Oh, nonsense!" He put down his herbs, and walked over to the riled-up cub. "There has never been an issue that can't be solved by speaking to someone you trust." He smirked. "You do, of course, trust me, don't you, Kion?"

"Well, yeah! It's just…" He took a moment to think of another argument, then conceded. He knew the crazy older male wouldn't let it rest. "It's just been a really tough day."

"I see. Come inside for a moment, so we can talk about it." He led the cub into his tree, bringing the herbs with him. Once they were placed among his possessions, he sat down with Kion. "Now, go ahead."

"Well, we had started on patrol like any other day, before we had to help the zebras, who had gotten panicked over a couple of bugs. After we dealt with that, though, the baboons were causing mischief for the galagos, and then we had to deal with a hyena attack. It just started to pile up- one thing after another after another- and I just snapped! I had to leave."

"I see!" Rafiki scratched his chin. "Now, this is interesting! Typically, you have been okay at dealing with stress and anger, so it is surprising to see you so irate! But, I suppose every great lion can only handle so much at once, and in a position like yours- the leader of the Lion Guard- it is important to find a release for this stress."

"Yeah, because if I use the Roar of the Elders out of rage, I'll lose it." He suddenly leapt to his feet. "But, now I have all this anger and I don't know how to release it!"

Rafiki took a moment to consider what Kion had said, before an idea came to his head. He quickly got to his feet. "Tell me, Kion, have you considered using art as a relaxation technique?"

"Art?" Rafiki nodded, which just left Kion confused. "Well, no, but I don't really know what kind of art I could be good at."

"That is the beauty of it! You don't have to be good at it, because it is about releasing all of your negative energy. Even if it is terrible to look at, just laugh at it! Stay here a second." Kion obliged as Rafiki walked over to the next room in the tree. He could hear a couple of things cluttering, which made him lift his ears up, intrigued at what the mandrill was up to. He didn't have to wait long, however, as Rafiki soon returned. He put down a piece of wood in front of Kion- it was flat, and somewhat big- with a number of pots of different coloured paints, and one with water in it. "I often paint when I get anxious, or aggressive, and it works miracles. I guarantee you will feel yourself calm down in no time."

"Really?! I thought you only painted for the murals!" Kion stated in genuine surprise.

"Oh, no, no, no! I have painted portraits as well, but I keep my relaxation paintings to myself, because the point is, that it is about me trying to find myself." He crouched down. "Now, think of something that makes you feel at ease, and use the paints to create that image on the wooden canvas."

"Okay."

So, Kion took a moment to think of something, and once he knew what he wanted to paint, he slowly began to paint. He took his time while creating the piece, using the time to also connect his spirit and his body. He became more aware of his breathing and his beating heart, as well as the air around him and the ground underneath his paws. As he added more and more details to the painting, he could feel his muscles relax, and his mind become at ease. Over the twenty minutes he spent painting, he became a lot more relaxed, and even happy as he added the final touches. When he was done, he washed away the last of the paint in the water bowl, and sighed.

'He was right,' he admitted to himself, 'that helped a lot.' He took a moment to look at the painting, and released a mild gasp. 'Woah! That doesn't look that bad!'

"By the looks of things, you must be done!" Rafiki commented as he re-entered the room, having left to give Kion his space. "How do you feel?"

"I feel a lot better," he replied with a smile, "thanks for showing me this, Rafiki!"

"It is not a problem, Kion! Any time you feel the need to relax, just return! The wood comes from trees that complete their journey through the circle of life, so I have no difficulty finding a canvas, and the paint comes from fruits and herbs!"

"Kion!" A voice shouted. Kion looked towards the entrance when he realised who was calling his name.

"I'm in here, Fuli!" he called out. Within a moment, the green-eyed cheetah entered the tree, sighing as she saw Kion was okay. "Sorry for running off like that, Fuli. I just needed some time to cool down."

"It's fine, but still! I was kind of worried about you!"

"Don't worry, I'm fine." He then turned to Rafiki. "I better go back to the others."

"Of course, Kion! And if you, or any of your friends, need to relax, they can come here anytime!"

"Thanks, Rafiki!"

With that, the two cubs left. Rafiki smiled, satisfied with what he had accomplished. As he began to head back to what he had been doing before, he realised that Kion had left the painting on the floor. He walked over, and as he saw what Kion had painted, his smile grew and he began to laugh.

"This is perfect!" he exclaimed between his laughs. "And I think I know two people who would agree!"

Up at Pride Rock, Simba and Nala were sat together, looking over the Pride Lands. The king and Queen were both at ease, with no royal duties, and their kids both gone.

"It's good to have time for just the two of us, don't you think?" Nala asked, her blue eyes meeting his amber ones.

"Indeed," he replied, both of them smiling. "It's been unusually quiet today!"

"Yoo-hoo!" they heard Rafiki shout as he began to clamber up Pride Rock.

"You really know how to jinx a good thing, don't you, Simba?" she laughed as they got to their feet. As Rafiki approached them, she noticed the piece of wood in his arms. "Why, hello, Rafiki! What brings you here today, and what is that you have there?"

"Hello, your highness! I come bearing a gift for you!"

"Oh, how nice!" Simba remarked. "What is it?" Rafiki placed down the painting in front of them, and once the royal pair saw what it was, they looked at each other, bewildered. The painting was a rather accurate painting of Fuli. "Forgive me for seeming rude here, but I think there is a mistake here. This is a painting of Fuli… or am I missing something here?"

Rafiki chuckled at Simba's response. "The thing is, both are correct. Yes, this is of Fuli, but I did not bring this because of who it is of, but because of who it is by."

The king and Queen looked at each other questioningly, both still confused, but it eventually seemed to click with Nala what Rafiki meant. "Are you saying that Kion painted this?"

"Yes! She has it!" He laughed wildly. "Now, I must go, so I shall speak with you soon."

He left Pride Rock, laughing all the way. Nala just shook her head in amusement, while Simba was still confused. She rolled her eyes at her husband, and sighed.

"He means that Kion painted it," she explained.

"I heard that, but I don't understand," he told her, "did she ask him to paint her portrait?"

"No, Simba," she laughed, picking up the painting and placing it in the cave. "What I believe he meant is that Kion would want to keep this. I must admit, though, that Kion is a good painter." In her head, however, she added 'and I'm sure that Fuli would agree.'

THE END