Name: Taji (meaning 'crown')

Parents: Rubanza and Taabu

Siblings: Chioke and Raisa

Mate: None (Betrothed to Kioni)

Cubs: None

Pride of Origin: Nyasi

History: Taji was the elder cub of Rubanza and Taabu's second litter, older than his twin by only a few minutes. Taabu had given birth to them not long after the rogue-born cub, Inaya, was born and quickly orphaned so the cub was placed at Taabu's side to nurse alongside her own cubs and from this a strong friendship was born among the three cubs.

Despite being as close as family, Rubanza told Taji and Raisa, when they were old enough to truly understand, that Inaya was not really a part of the Nyasi Pride at all and instead was in danger if her true origins were ever discovered. Taji, like his sister, vowed to keep the truth a secret and to never reveal what could one day lead to their best friend's death should King Makwetu ever discover her.

Taji, unlike Raisa and Inaya, was not as fond of playing games and instead was fiercely intelligent. He still played with the two, often, but his true passions lay elsewhere. Sensing this, Taabu took her youngest son and began teaching him some of what she knew, the way of the mind could be useful should he ever be betrothed and sent off to be a General himself in another part of the Nyasi Pride. Taji took to these lessons eagerly and soaked is mother's words up like a sponge. Whilst this meant that he wasn't out scaling rocks with Inaya and Raisa or patrolling the lands with Rubanza and Chioke, Taji was more than happy in the company of his mother and the other lionesses. A future General who knew their ways could be invaluable.

Rubanza seemed to have a similar idea too and betrothed Taji at an early age to a young lioness named Kioni. He had high hopes for both his sons and Taabu was eager to see her work with her younger son pay off as much as Rubanza's training of Chioke would. Taji was nervous at the thought, he had never really been that popular with the ladies of his own pride, always outshone by Chioke, so the thought of having to marry some lioness he had never even met was a daunting one. 

Still, at least he had someone who he knew that Chioke couldn't steal away from him, intentional or not. Kioni would be his and there was nothing that could get in the way of that.

When Taji was a young adult, fate intervened when Chioke's betrothed, Princess Hiari of the Kilima Pride, disappeared on her way to her new home. Rubanza called his youngest two cubs and Inaya to him and tasked them with finding their brother's lost bride. Despite knowing that Inaya had more than a passing interest in Chioke, all three agreed and set off for the mountainous pass which connected the two lands.

Once in the mountains, the trio quickly split off from each other when it became clear that there was no evidence to be found in the pass that Hiari and her escourt would have taken. They agreed to meet up again after three days searching and then head back to Rubanza with either with some evidence of where Hiari was or empty-handed. It was agreed that Taji would take the eastern side of the mountain, Raisa the west and Inaya would stay in the pass in case they missed something.

After three days, Taji returned with no sign of any clues as to Hiari's whereabouts, Inaya too had little success and Raisa didn't show up at all. After waiting for their companion, the two set off to the western side of the mountain to find her. Perhaps she had just gotten lost on her way back. 

Instead, the two were greeted with the gruesome sight of Raisa's cold body, neck snapped and the signs of struggle on her. Taji and Inaya were heartbroken, their sister and best friend was taken from them. Both agreed that they had to get her body back home. Obviously someone had tried to have her silenced and succeeded.

The pride's grief couldn't be matched, first Hiari's disappearance and now Raisa's death, but no one was more inconsolable than Rubanza. He blamed himself and knew hat he should have sent more than just his cubs and Inaya. Taji tried to console him by saying that Raisa may have told them, in death, what really happened to Hiari, that she had been kidnapped and Raisa had been silenced to keep her from being discovered. Rubanza saw the truth in his son's words and knew there was only one thing he could do, go to Makwetu and hope the king would aid him in bringing his daughter's killers to justice.

Relation to TLK: Best friend of Scar's daughter

Head image (c) ImvulaAdopts
Body image (c) SilverBreeze