Name: Hiari (meaning 'free will')

Pride: Pridelands (birth)/ Mountain Pride (current)

Parents: Mohatu and Kamaria

Siblings: Ahadi

Mate: Zareb

Cubs: Onani and Kosey

Distinguishing Features: orange-tan skin, brown nose, hazel eyes, coloured paws and thighs, eye patches, red tail tuft

Personality: Hyper, bright and cheerful, Hiari is the epitome of positive attitude. Always ready to try new things and go on new adventures, she has a can-do attitude that rivals almost everyone's. She is extremely outspoken, and isn't afraid to speak what's on her mind. She lacks a lot in patience, unlike her mother. As she grows, she sheds the hyper activeness, but retains her positive attitude. Unlike her mother, she is an idealist, but believes that true reality can be found in the midway path of idealism and realism.

Likes: plying, family, friends, hunting, relaxing, love

Dislikes: fighting, Hali, rivalry

History:

Hiari was born along with her younger twin brother Ahadi to the king and queen of the Pridelands. She didn't know it at first, but being the oldest gave her the right to be Mohatu's natural heir. But her father wasn't taking any chances. Learning from his own childhood of ridicule and a family torn apart, he didn't announce his heir yet.

When she and Ahadi were healthy young cubs, almost into their adolescence, Mohatu started testing them. He didn't want the decision of his heir to be based on birthright, but on capability. Surprisingly, he found both of them extremely capable to rule the lands. Hiari was confused as to why her father was asking such strange questions and making her do so many weird things like settling disputes and such.

One day, she saw her father and mother on the summit, and hid, despite Ahadi's constant protests. She overheard her father telling her mother was facing problems selecting heir since both of them were capable. That was when Hiari realized what was going on for so long. Her father had simply been testing her! So, she and Ahadi snuck away, drowning out their mother's voice. Unluckily for her, if she had been hearing, she would have heard something extremely important.

A few months later, when she was a teen, she got the news that she had been betrothed to the Prince of the Mountain Pride. Angry at the decision, since she believed she was capable enough to find love on her own, she confronted her parents. Her mother assured her to wait and see what would happen. This followed her and her mother setting out for the Mountain Pride.

When they arrived, her eyes set on a handsome brown-grey lion that was resting on a rock. He lifted his head, and their eyes met. Instantly, she knew he was the one. She knew that she was in love with this lion, whoever he was. She would have gone and met him, but her mother stopped her, telling her to be patient. Grumbling, she followed her mother inside the king’s den.

When they met the king, he seemed extremely happy to see her, so happy that she felt kind of sorry that whoever his son was, she wouldn’t ever love him, not like the way her mother loved her father. But to her surprise, she found that the lion she had seen outside was the king’s son. Her mother laughed at the irony, and was happy for her. When she had finished saying goodbye, the lion, who she learnt was Zareb, came up to her.

Seeming a bit amused at her answers to his questions, but revealed that he had felt the spark as well. Hiari lived a good life at the Mountain Pride, frequently visiting her family in the Pridelands. Her family was also living a good life. She also found that Ahadi had decided to choose his own mate, and was currently chasing after this rogue, Uru, who surprisingly looked a lot like her father.

When Zareb stepped up to the throne, she had already been pregnant with cubs. She soon gave birth to two cubs, Onani and Kosey. With a lot of consent, Zareb chose Onani to succeed him, not because he was the eldest, but because he showed the fair judgment that a king possessed. Kosey didn’t seem very fazed by this, revealing that the royal life wasn’t for him, and he had planned on leaving the pride anyway. Onani convinced him to stay and be a part of the pride.

Kosey agreed, saying that there was no place like home. Before long, Onani chose a lioness named Halla as his queen, mostly because she was his friend since he was a cub and had been extremely supportive and he had grown to love her. Kosey also ended up finding a lioness named Keisha, a rogue who had been wandering the pride’s borders.

Unexpectedly, Halla found that she could not carry a cub as she was infertile. Luckily though, Kosey and Keisha had been expecting a cub, and Onani declared that his nephew would be the next king, no matter what. Before long, Keisha gave birth to a cub that looked a lot like Onani, though was different as well. Kosey gave his mother the chance to name his cub before she passed away. She gladly complied. The last words she uttered were his name, “Malka”.

Relation to TLK: Daughter of Mohatu, sister of Ahadi, aunt of Mufasa and Scar and grandmother of Malka and Simba