#mheetu

🐾 Sarabi and Sarafina’s families moved to the Pridelands from the mountains and were betrothed to Mufasa and Scar respectively. All of the romantic relationships depicted here are brief affairs between friends or strangers, which is a common phenomenon between pride lions and nomadic lions.

Ajuza - Sarafina’s mother. Old and wise, but often paranoid. The only one alive who remembers when Mohatu ruled the Pridelands.

Zuberi - A strong old rogue and a friend to the mountain kingdom.

Kali - Sarafina’s big brother, killed in the war against Kiro’s white lions when he was only a teen.

Nakato - Sarafina’s big sister. Was never the same after her twin’s death.

Sarafina - An energetic and scatterbrained lioness. Once Scar was her best friend and betrothed, but they had a falling out as Scar became increasingly irresponsible and bitter. Mufasa pulled some strings and had her betroth her eldest daughter to his son Simba.

Yai - A mildmannered but tough lion with an overbite, he is a descendant of Kiros and was orphaned earlier than he can remember. Sarafina kept her friendship and relations with him a secret to escape her family’s ire. He was tragically killed when the older Pridelanders mistook him for Kiros and attacked.

Nala - The lioness, the myth, the legend.

Mitu - Nala’s little brother. Kindhearted with his mother’s ditziness. His white fur unsettled the pride’s older lions at first.

Hama - Mitu left the Pridelands during Scar’s reign and was briefly involved with this rogue. A few months later after he had returned, Hama dropped a newborn cub off at the Pridelands. “She’s your problem now.”

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Name: Kimbia Name Meaning: To run (Swahili) Gender: Male Allegiance: Jadi's Pridelands (formerly), Outlands Rank: Swiftest of the Lion Guard Mate: Sarafina (marriage), Sema (affair) Daughter: Nala Sons: Tojo, Mheetu This is Nala's father, Sarafina's mate as chosen by Queen Shari. Neither lion was thrilled about the match, but they were sympathetic to each other's displeasure about it, and they did their best to make it easier on each other and were good friends. Kimbia's heart belonged to Sema, a huntress with no particularly powerful fighting skills, which left her out of Shari's favor as she only wanted strong soldiers for her war against the Pridelands.

I see him as a fairly laid-back guy, pretty easy-going, quiet sometimes. I tried to make sure you could see both Nala and Tojo in his design, Nala gets her darker more saturated fur from him and eye/chin/nose shape, while Tojo gets most of his coloration. He has similar swept-back hair to his grandson Kion and a sort of gold pelt and reddish mane similar to (though much darker than) his, since their similarities were highlighted in that one cave painting.

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Name: Sema Name Meaning: Say (Swahili) Gender: Female Allegiance: Jadi's Pridelands (formerly), Outlands (formerly), Pridelands Rank: Hunter Mate: Kimbia (affair) Son: Tojo Sema is Tojo's mother, Kimbia's secret true mate (though not secret from Sarafina, Kimbia never lied to her, and Sarafina was fine with him keeping his relationship with Sema as he hadn't had a choice about being married to her). She's quiet and insecure due to years of being sneered at by Shari and her supporters. Kimbia was her biggest supporter, and after his death, she's lost for a time to her grief and fear, until the need to look after Tojo pulls her back out of it. Sarafina is a great help in looking after Tojo while Sema is struggling, and the two lionesses become good friends.

Tojo gets his yellower shades from his mom, and thinner face shape than his broad-faced dad. I love how kind of unique she turned out, she's a pretty girl.

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Name: Shari (formerly Sharifu) Name Meaning: Anger, evil (Swahili) (Shari); honor, noble (Swahili) (Sharifu) Gender: Female Allegiance: Jadi's Pridelands (formerly), Outlands Rank: Queen Mate: Jadi Daughters: Dunia, Zira (Ziara) This is Zira's mother, queen of the Outlands. Weird that I started with a fresh slate but in some ways worked my way back to some of the elements of her old design, mainly the duller coat - that's where Nuka gets his ashy coat from. Since Zira gets most of her looks from her dad, Shari moreso has features that can be found in her grandson and great-grandkids - Nuka's ashy coat and eyerim shape, Vitani's chin, nose bridge, and ears, and a shorter muzzle and paler shade of Kovu's green eyes.

The scar something she demanded one of her followers inflict on her after her mate Jadi's death, to honor and reflect him, though she got it on the other eye so as not to be confused with a true Mark of Exile - she's no exile, she's a wrongly outcast queen who will paint the Pridelands red to get back what is rightfully hers.

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Name: Dunia Name Meaning: World, earth (Swahili) Gender: Female Allegiance: Jadi's Pridelands (formerly), Outlands (formerly), Pridelands Rank: Hunter (formerly Princess of the Outlands) Mother: Shari (Sharifu)

Father: Jadi

Sister: Zira (Ziara)

Mate: Tumbili Daughters: Tama, Anza, Kumbatia (Kuuma), Vumbi (Vunja) Dunia is the firstborn daughter of King Jadi and Queen Shari, and therefore their heir. She bears the brunt of her mother's expectations to take back over the Pridelands one day, but she hates what her mother has become and doesn't want to hurt anyone. Surprisingly, her best source of comfort is her mate Tumbili, a mate she hadn't chosen for herself (it had been arranged/forced by her mother), but a mate so kind and supportive and encouraging that she truly falls in love with him. When her mother dies and the chance to leave the violent life of the Outlands behind suddenly presents itself, the pair take it and never look back.

She has a slightly more saturated version of her mother's ashy coat and her green eyes. You might be able to guess who else she's closely related to through her design. ^^

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Name: Tumbili Name Meaning: Monkeyish (Swahili) Gender: Male Allegiance: Jadi's Pridelands (formerly), Outlands (formerly), Pridelands Rank: Hunter (formerly Keenest of Sight of the Outlands Lion Guard) Mate: Dunia Daughters: Tama, Anza, Kumbatia (Kuuma), Vumbi (Vunja) Despite growing up in the tense atmosphere of a Pridelands wracked by civil war, then moving to the Outlands and living under Shari's harsh rule, Tumbili is a playful soul. He loves to prank and joke and tease, always in good humor. He loved Dunia even before they were married, but he never told her until after she confessed her own feelings, as he never wanted to make her feel pressured in a marriage that had already not been her choice. He just offered supported and friendship and goofy jokes to make her laugh and forget her troubles for a time.