The Birthday Present

The Birthday Present is a comic inspired by The Lion King.

Plot
At the start of the comic, Mufasa asks his son, Simba, whose birthday is it today to which Simba replies Rafiki's. Zazu, Nala, and a lioness congratulate Rafiki on his birthday as well. Simba walks toward Rafiki saying if he had known it was Rafiki's birthday, he would have given him a gift. But, Rafiki tells the young cub that birthdays are not so important as he had so many. However, Simba tells Rafiki that he must want something, but, Rafiki asks Simba for a small request. The mandrill tells Simba that he loves fresh, ripe Gallabo fruit, but the fruits grow on old trees to which he is unable to climb up the trees to retrieve them. So, Rafiki asks Simba if he could do it, and the young cub goes on his search to first find a Gallabo tree.

After a long search, Simba finds a tree with a Gallabo fruit, and assumes it is the one. On the other hand, the fruit is hanging high on the branch of the tree, to which Simba doubts he'll get. However, Simba finds some fruits on the ground near the tree, and presses his paw on the fruit, which squirts fruit juice to his paw. Quickly, Simba realizes those fruits are rotten, and badly wants to find a Gallabo fruit for Rafiki until he hears a cry for help.

Simba hears the cry, and finds a rhino stuck in the mud. The rhino cries for Simba to help him, but Simba tells the rhino to hold still. Simba finds a large tree branch, and tells the rhino to pull himself up. The rhino does this, and is rescued from the mud. The rhino thanks the cub for saving him, and asks if he can repay him. Simba requests his help to bring the Gallabo fruit down from the tree. Simba climbs up the tree, and tries to get the fruit, but it falls of the tree, but the rhino catches it with his horn. Simba jumps on the rhino's back, and run off to give Rafiki his present. Rafiki is amazed that Simba got the fruit for him, and tells him that it is the best birthday he ever had!

Trivia

 * This comic, along with the comics, The Talking Tree and The Journey, contradict with The Lion King, as in this comic, Simba, as a cub, interacts with Rafiki. In the movie, Simba, by the time he is an adult, seemed to have never met Rafiki at any point during the time in the Pride Lands before his father's death.