Name: Arif (meaning 'knowledgeable' in Swahili)

Age: Adult

Breed: African Lion

Gender: Male

Parents: Kovu and Kiara

Siblings: Baraka (c) me

Crush: Saada (c) me

Mate: He’s had two. His first was Akase (c) me, and the second, his real love, is Saada (c) me

Cubs: He had three with Akase, and two with Saada, all five are (c) me

Likes: His family, the pride, Saada, his brother-in-law Mabaki (c) me, his childhood friends, stargazing with his family and his job as shaman of the Pridelands

Dislikes: fighting, arguing, seeing the ones he loves hurt emotionally or physically, those who disrespect his brother the king

Personality: Is quiet but enjoys talking when he or someone has something to say, kind and gentle. When he was a cub he and his brother obeyed their parents after hearing how they got into trouble as cubs, not to mention his grandparents, Simba and Nala. Hoped for a family but if it never happened he would still do his job. Willing to protect his children from any danger and loves his current wife, Saada more than his first mate Akase for a number of reasons and is pleased that, through his marriage to Saada, his family is at peace. He is even more thrilled when his brother King Baraka marries the blind lioness Etana.

History: The second born son of Prince Kovu and Princess Kiara, the Regents of the Pridelands. Brother to Baraka, mate to Akase and father to their cubs. Arif, whose name means knowledgeable, was born with a gift of being open minded and interested in the Pridelands history. He loves listening to the stories of the past. As he grows, he goes to Rafiki for advice and more history of the past. Being so amazed by it, he wishes to become a shaman, something Rafiki and his parents are surprised over but Rafiki is honored to train him. Being more learned in his knowledge Arif is given the honor of officiating his brother's soon to be coronation ceremony. After a month, he meets Akase, a lioness from a kingdom in the east, who has a special message for the rulers of the kingdom. He takes her to his parents and spends the day with her, getting to know her and her background. As he, his brother and parents go to Akase’s current home for reconciliation with the ruler of the land, Arif finds himself falling in love with Akase, who he is surprised to learn, loves him too, despite their just meeting. With permission from the Eastlands new king, Akase leaves the kingdom and goes to the Pridelands becoming Arif's mate and the new princess. Knowing his brother has no mate or cubs Arif lets him keep in mind of his firstborn son, to become the heir to the throne but also wishes for his brother's happiness. He hopes his brother doesn't go through life without having love or cubs of his own. In time his life changes when he receives a message from the spirits who are concerned for the mate less Pridelander king. He is ordered to keep the message to himself, which frustrates Akase who continues to bother him about his strange behavior. The arrival of the blind lioness and her father changes things for the whole pride but when Arif confides in his childhood friend Saada, his mate becomes frustrated and abandons him and their children. Talks between the two end in fights and during this time Arif is finding himself in love with Saada because of her support of him and caring for his children. One day Akase is found dead from a snake bite which saddens the elder prince and his cubs, but also relieves them of an uncertain future. When Baraka confesses his feelings for the blind lioness Etana, he confesses his to Saada. The two couples marry in one ceremony where Saada is named the new princess and Baraka’s mate as the long awaited queen of the Pridelands. Like his brother, Arif, through the tragedy and hardship of his marriage to Akase, he realizes, through his relationship and marriage to Saada that love should be seen and felt with the heart.

Relation to TLK: Kovu and Kiara's son.

Headshot, Cub Pic and Body Pic (c) Me