Name: Erevu (meaning 'crafty' in Swahili)

Age: Adult

Breed: African Lion

Gender: Male

Parents: Unknown and deceased

Siblings: None, only child

Crush: None

Mate: Nadhari (c) Mixed Cats

Cubs: None

Likes: Peace and quiet, walking just to do something, hunting, and Nadhari

Dislikes: fighting but will if needed, being alone, although since his parents died he’s grown used to it

Personality: Kind, gentle and intelligent and knows how to keep out of trouble

History: Erevu was born to two rogues who vowed that they would do anything to protect him. He had no siblings, but he never minded. He loved his parents and they him. They traveled together, his father keeping his small family safe from any rogue who meant harm. His mother made sure she and her mate and cub had food to eat and was careful while hunting although she often returned with a few scars but nothing serious.

Erevu lived well with his parents until his father left to keep lookout for malicious rogues and never returned. Worried, Erevu’s mother went to search for her mate, taking the eight month old cub with her so he wouldn’t be alone. She was shocked when she found the slain body of her mate and did her best to shield her young son from the sight. Shedding silent tears she took Erevu and left while saying a silent goodbye to her beloved mate. When they were somewhere else, settling down in an empty cave, she told her son that his father was dead. That night the two sobbed and though he didn’t know it at the time his mother made a silent vow to keep her son safe and provide for him the way her mate had for them by keeping watch for malicious rogues and the way she herself had for hunting food for them.

Over the next few years it was just Erevu and his mother, the two having formed a strong bond. When his mane first started growing his mother started teaching him how to hunt and fight. Erevu showed great skill and talent, much to the delight of her mother. Erevu also proved himself an excellent hunter and helped her bring down large prey that would feed them for a good while. His mother would often watch her son with a pained stare, knowing that her mate did not live to see the good, strong and handsome young lion his son had become. She made sure to talk about her mate to Erevu so he would always remember the kind of lion he was.

Erevu was four years old when he realized his mother was dying of old age. She was eight years old and rogue life had not been kind to her. Erevu had been prepared. He had seen that she was quick to walk slow and was growing tired more and more, which left him to hunt for them, not that he minded. He felt that taking care of her meant that he was paying her back for the years she took care of him, especially after his father died. One night the two went to sleep in another empty cave and when Erevu woke he laid his head on his mother’s side to check for signs of breathing. She wasn’t. She had passed in her sleep. Erevu silently grieved, much like his mother had done when his father died. He gently laid her body on his back and took her to a secluded place not far from their shelter where he laid her to rest so she could become the grass.

Alone, but willing to face whatever lay ahead for him he traveled. He got into a few fights and tried to avoid anymore. He took care of himself. He hunted; he drank from any waterholes that were present. Sometimes he slept in the open, other times he stayed in caves that were uninhabited. But he was surviving and to him that’s what mattered. It wasn’t long until, in his travels, he came upon a lush green land. A kingdom, no doubt, and Erevu knew that a land so plentiful was already taken. Not that he was looking for a kingdom. If he wanted one he would hope for one that wasn’t taken. One of the things his father taught him was to never kill in order to steal. But he was weary, tired and in need of food. The rain season was on the way and he felt if he could poach some prey from these lands and take it back to a good-sized shelter that lingered not too far from where he stood he would be all right and travel again when he had his strength fully back. He had just enough to hunt and sleep.

While he was hunting zebra, standing over male adult, sinking his teeth into his throat, lightning struck, causing a fire. He stared ahead, seeing a dark brown red lioness who was hunting the same prey. He sniffed the air, smelling smoke. Knowing he’d be foolish to run after the lioness he roared as loudly as he could which caused the lioness to stop and turn to him. She snarled, roared at him and spoke in a loud voice, telling him “to leave the Pridelands, that he was a rogue, poaching.”

But Erevu called out in a loud voice, saying, “Did you not see the flash of lightning? Do you not smell the smoke?” She sniffed, her eyes widening again, this time in fear. He spoke again. “Come with me. I have food and shelter.” Very quickly the lioness considered his words then nodded in acceptance. Erevu’s eyes noticed the zebras he – and the lioness – had been chasing beginning to flee. There was a fire. He grabbed one of his dead meal’s legs, slipped his body under it and jerked his head. “Come, we must leave.”

The lioness followed him and as they ran the two didn’t speak. When they arrived in the safety of Erevu’s shelter outside the lands, Erevu gasping for breath, his heart pounding shrugged the carcass from his body. Immediately the lioness started to question him and he answered truthfully and honestly. He learned who she was and why she had been hostile towards him when he called to her. She was a Princess of the kingdom he had poached the zebra from. She was the sister of King Kgosi. Her name was Nadhari. He offered her to share his meal, she accepted and the two ate in silence. He slept outside after offering his cave. Nadhari had never heard of a rogue like him. He took those words as a compliment.

The next morning they both woke up and Nadhari invited him to come to the Pridelands so her brother, after she told him what happened, could thank him. He was hesitant but she insisted. He followed her and met the royal family. It didn’t turn out the way he’d half expected, which was to be accused of setting the fire and luring the Princess away to do harm. Instead the King and his family embraced him. In time he and Nadhari fell in love and asked her to be his mate. She gladly accepted and with the King’s permission they were declared mates.

Relation to TLK: Mate to Nadhari who is the daughter of Kovu and Kiara