Dakarai

Dakarai
Name Meaning	Happiness
Gender	Male
Species	Lion
Age	Adolescent
Birth Pride	Kopje Valley
Current Pride	(none)
Aliases	Dak
Current Status	Rogue
Health	Fit

APPEARANCE

A golden pelt envelops a frame of lean muscle on a young lion who seems to have sprouted a bit overnight. Dakarai's frame has grown impressively, even for a lion his age; hovering on the new horizon of adolescence. The blood of past Kopje lions and their girth have been passed through the generations well.

Still, he has some growing left to do. Cub fat still resides and his face betrays his youth with large amber eyes with flecks of green that glitter with an undying crave for knowledge and unsatiated curiosity, and dark animosity at times. The color of his chest and torso is a lighter hue than the majority of his fur, and all four of his large paws are dark brown, as if dipped in thick mud. Upon his head and now running down the nape of his neck is the black tuft of his mane, which still sticks up at random intervals for that familiar spiked appearance, though has grown long enough that a few of the strands have finally begun to fall downward, hanging just before his eyes.

HISTORY

Dakarai’s past lacks the carefree days of cubbish freedoms and joys where his largest problem should have been squabbles with his siblings. His is a more subtle past, laced with darker memories of silent brooding alone, plagued with unfamiliar feelings of anger, confusion, spite, and hurt. The young are stripped of their youth in unchecked situations such as these, causing them to grow up to be shadowed and twisted versions of their true selves. Thus is the case with Dakarai, who finds himself withdrawing more and more from those around him.
Born the sole son of the ill-fated pair of Mwaliko and Kiini, son of King Mzohari, his life began simple enough. The youngster idolized his father as most boys do. Always eager to do what he could to be as similar to him as possible. Though as the bond between his parents, a love that was the cause of his birth, deteriorated, the youngster became more aware of the subtle differences in the pair’s interactions between one another. Finding the both of them together became near impossible, and neither seemed willing to relieve the boy’s worries by answering the question of “what’s wrong?”

Eventually, the two mates parted and quickly settled happily with new mates, leaving Dakarai torn and enraged. The idealized image that he held for his father shattered, and his mother was thoroughly ignored when in the presence of her new desire, a pridal lion by the name of Kori. Confused and heartbroken, his temper was a fuse quickly ignited. Soon, he became a bully, quick to spit words of acid and using his girth to push others around. His reputation within the pride wilted and through it all the troubled youth seemed careless, having found the only outlet which caused him to feel better. If only briefly.
Gradually, he did find another means of coping: His great grandmother. Talks with the elderly lioness seemed to somewhat soothe the beast within, and as he aged, he less desired pushing his weight around, and seemed aggravated with the name he’d made for himself. Now was a time to turn a new leaf, and he tried to reconcile. Less often were foul words heard from him, and he got along well with family and pridemates, namely his cousins Kunjufu’bisi and Mwali. New friends were made, and he made amends with his mother, though his relationship with his father still remained sour. Yet despite his efforts, grudges are still held, both by him and others towards him, and few seem willing to admit that his change of heart is sincere.
Which doesn’t seem to be going over well with Dakarai, whose cold expression has only grown steadily colder the older that he’s gotten.

A trip to the volcano for the training of the pride's adolescents seems to have been disastrous for young Dakarai. Though taking to combat lessons well, his relationship with the other youngsters of the pride was further strained. Seemingly shunned by even his grandfather, Dakarai found peace away from the pride where he met a rogue lioness named Mja. A strange…and vengeful understanding grew between the two of them, and with a pact made between lioness and young lion, the decision was made to leave with her. Kunjufu'bisi's arrival near the volcano's outside slope was an unplanned surprise in Dakarai's plans, but his presense was not unwelcomed. And so with his cousin in tow, the two males have ventured away from the pride with no goodbye for adventures beyond. The return of at least one of them is questionable, and with the guidance his newfound mentor, a return to the Kopje may be the less than desireable choice for all.

IMMEDIATE FAMILY

Name	Sex	Species	Relation	Rank
Mwaliko	Female	Lioness	Mother	Huntress
Kiini	Male	Lion	Father	Guard

SIBLINGS

Name	Sex	Species	Relation	Related Through
Johari	Female	Adolescent Lioness	Sister	Littermate
Lutalo	Female	Adolescent Lioness	Sister	Littermate
Hali	Female	Adolescent Lioness	Sister	Littermate

EXTENDED FAMILY

Name	Sex	Species	Relation	Related Through
Mzohari	Male	Lion	Grandfather	Kiini's Father
Balana	Female	Lioness	Great-Grandmother	Mzohari's Mother

FUN FACTS

He's learned a new word! "Idiot". Thanks for that, Gadi!
Pulling apart bugs is a favorite pasttime when bored.
He seems to not get along well at all with the strangely white young lion, Badiliko, and goes out of his way to bully him.
Meanwhile, he seems very faithful to his cousins and will do everything within his cubbish means to keep them protected.
After stumbling through the jungle and finding an old training place, he's spent most of his time there, avoiding others.
He likes fireflies.

"Oh…crud." - Dakarai, cub