Name: Neema (meaning 'born in times of prosperity')

Parents: Ahadi and Uru

Siblings: Mufasa and Taka/Scar

Mate: Tarik

Cubs: Tojo, Kula and Kamaji

Pride of Origin: Pridelands

Personality: Neema is not strong in a physical sense but more in a mental sense. Due to the many unhappy circumstances of her life, Neema has grown to be strong enough to weather any storm thrown her way with grace and dignity. She is very close to her brothers and loves them both despite their flaws (and sometimes this blinds her to the truth, as in Scar's case). She is also fiercely protective of her cubs, especially after her mate's death, and more than willing to lay down her own life in their defense.

History: Neema was the only daughter born to Ahadi and Uru, the middle child of her litter.  

From almost the moment she was born, Neema had to act as peacekeeper between her two brothers. Mufasa and Taka never did quite get along but Neema loved them both and was always ready to swoop in whenever their parents were absent for one reason or the other. Both Mufasa and Taka wanted to be the next ruler and that set them at odds, Neema, however wanted no part in ruling and would have preferred to live a simple existance as just another pride sister.

However, life as a princess of the Pridelands would never be simple, no matter how hard Neema wished.

When she was a teenager, it was decided that a future mate would be needed for Mufasa (as he was the eldest and therefore the future king) and it wasn't long until many prides began sending their daughters in hopes of one of them becoming the future queen. Surprisingly, it was to Neema that Uru turned to help her decide which lioness would best fill her role when she went to the stars. Neema's task was simple, it would be her job to move amongst the various lionesses and learn of them and then return to Uru with a report of who was suitable and who wasn't. As she knew Mufasa better than anyone, she would be a good judge of which lioness would be best to balance his faults and support him where needed.

Neema took her task very seriously and immediately set to work. Some lionesses sneered at her, because she was only a princess and not the future ruler, some spoke pleasently to her and the others then sneered when their backs were turned. All in all, Neema was disappointed with the choices. None of them really seemed fit. The ones who were semi-decent were not good matches and those who weren't were all spoiled brats. Neema was anout to give up when a final lioness turned up with an escourt, the Bahari Pride princess, Sarabi. Neema was very impressed with her and thus returned to Uru singing Sarabi's praises.

It was then decided, Sarabi would be Mufasa's betrothed. Then, in return for Sarabi, Neema was sent to the Bahari Pride to be a betrothed for Sarabi's brother, Tarik. Although she was sad to leave her home and her family behind, Neema knew she must do her duty and so went willingly.

The first few months at the Bahari Pride were a challenge for her, her betrothed and his elder sister, Naanda, seemed to take a instant disliking to her. Whilst Tarik ignored her for the most part, Naanda was vicious and often slandered both her and her homeland for taking her sister away. Despite her mutual dislike of Naanda, Neema refused to rise to her baits. Tarik did eventually change his attitude about her and for that Neema was thankful, grateful that her betrothed would at least give her a chance to get to know him instead of being forced into a marriage with someone who despised her.

Eventually, the Bahari Pride's current king, Wemusa, passed on and it was Tarik and her turn to take the throne and rule. 

By this point in time, Neema came to love Tarik and was happy to be his queen and rule beside him. Naanda was less abrasive than usual with her, thanks to Tarik's insistance, which made life easier for her. She also got along greatly with Tarik's mother, Jahia, and the former queen was a great help in adjusting to her new role. Soon, Neema gave birth to her first cubs: a male named Tojo and a female named Kula.

However, after that, things came crashing down with the arrival of the Jabali Pride.

The Jabali Pride, in one surprise attack, overwhelmed the Bahari Pride and slaughtered many of their people, Jahia among them. Tarik and Naanda rushed to face the enemy head on whilst Neema did her best to round up all the cubs and lead them to safety with her lionesses. However, she lost track of Kula, Diku and Dwala and when she found them again she was met with a gruesome sight: Tarik mortally wounded and close to death. He had saved the girls from the Jabali Pride's king at the cost of his own life.

Only a cluster of the Bahari Pride's lionesses escaped the slaughter, Naanda amongst them, and now they were homeless and vulnerable.Naanda wished to wait until they had all healed from their wounds and launch a surprise attack of their own against the Jabali Pride to reclaim their land. Neema, however, knew this was foolish and they would be better finding safety, and where would be safer than her old home?

Neema was welcomed back with open arms by Mufasa, now King, sympathetic to her lost and the lost of her pridesisters. He opened his lands to them inviting them to stay for as long as they deemed necessary, they would find no more trouble in the Pridelands. It wasn't long after this that Neema gave birth to her third and final cub, Kamaji, Tarik's final parting gift.

However, despite Mufasa's assurances to the contrary, trouble did follow Neema and her pride to the Pridelands. Mufasa was killed and his son, Neema's nephew, Simba was dead alongside him only a few months after their arrival in the Pridelands. Neema mourned her brother almost as much as his mate Sarabi did because Mufasa had been her dearest brother growing up. Now Taka (calling himself Scar) rose to the throne of the Pridelands and it became very apparent very quickly he wasn't fit to rule at all, even before he brought the hyenas with him.

Again, Naanda brought up the idea of leaving for their lands and trying to retake them from the Jabali Pride. Neema knew that they couldn't succeed, not with Diku, Dwala and her own cubs being so young. They would all be slaughtered! Instead, Neema decided it would be best to stay in the Pridelands and hopefully she could talk her brother into seeing sense.

Months passed and there was no change. Despite Neema's best efforts, Scar rebuffed her. She tried with kind words, trying to call on their bond as cubs, but Scar only angrily accused her of favoring Mufasa and that she had never truly cared for him at all. She had been Uru's little stoge and Mufasa's biggest admirer and Scar would have nothing from her. Hurt and disappointed, Neema took this as a sign that her brother was truly lost to her. Then, to add injury to insult, Scar declared that her son Tojo along with another male, Chumvi, should be exiled as they were threats to his reign. He wanted to declare Kamaji a threat too and have the teenagers take the cub with them in exile but Neema turned on her brother then and issued her threat. Take Kamaji from her and, brother or no, she would tear his throat out herself. Tojo she knew could survive and would probably have a better life than the one he currently lead, but Kamaji was just a cub and an innocent. Scar never bothered with Kamaji again.

Finally, after suffering years under her brother's reign when her lost nephew finally returned and wrested the throne from Scar. Simba had returned. Taking this as a sign, Naanda campaigned once again that it was time to retake their home, with Kamaji now a young adult, they had no reasons to stay. Neema had no arguments to the contrary this time, the Pridelands hadn't truly been her home since she was a teenager and so wasn't truly sad to leave the lands once more.

With Kamaji now leading the pride, the Bahari Pride returned and fought a single bloody battle for their homeland and won. Kamaji was soon crowned as king and Neema finally had her chance to relax and hand the reigns over to her son who she'd been secretly training since he was old enough to understand their pride's history.

However, things did not go as smoothly as Neema had hoped her twilight years to go. First, her grandson's flight from the pride after breaking his betrothal to the Kilima Pride's princess, then Naanda's rebellion which resulted only in her death and the exile of her two sons (something Neema advised Kamaji against) and finally the arrival of a ghost in the Bahari lands, her niece, Shani.

By now, Neema had lived far past what any normal lion should have, living long enough to see Adla birth yet more grandchildren. Her final act was to pass along a final secret to Shani, not the one she had come in search for, but one that needed to be told before it was lost forever. Shani wasn't any normal lioness, but a princess of the Pridelands and the only daughter of Mufasa.

Finally, with her life truly spent, Neema rejoined her lost loved ones in the stars to guide her family in spirit.

Relation to TLK: Daughter of Ahadi and Uru, Sister to Mufasa and Taka/Scar, Mother of Tojo and Kula

(A redo of Neema's original profile, mainly because there are a lot of details which need editting and I'm unable to do that on the original and also because of Neema's new design.)