"I just want to go somewhere nice, and warm, and sunny. Is that too much to ask?"

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Name: Simonetta

Meaning: Heard

Pronunciation: See-mo-net-tah

Gender: Female

Pride: Simba’s (formerly), Night Pride (formerly), Sun Pride (currently)

Rank: Tunnel digger (formerly), Scout (currently)

Siblings: Many other Meerkats.

Appearance: Simonetta is a pale brown meerkat with darker ears, hands and feet, as well as a darker tail tip. She has a brown strip going down her back; her eyes are a yellow green color and she has a small pink nose. Simonetta has short somewhat fuzzy darker brown hair tuft. She has a lighter marking on her lip, and a splotch of lighter fur on her chest. She is of stereotypical meerkat build.

Personality: Simonetta is a very caring and loyal meerkat. She sees only in black and white, and judges animals harshly as a result. She cares deeply for the people she loves; once she builds a connection with someone, it becomes darn near impossible to shake. Due to the way that she was raised, Simonetta craves freedom above all else. While not shying away from responsibilities, Simonetta prefers a life where she can come and go as she pleases. Simonetta enjoys pretty things, including the sunlight and being outside, something that was often forbidden to her growing up for fear of predators. Simonetta hates small, closed in spaces as they make her very anxious.

History: Simonetta was born to the same colony of meerkats that Timon was born into. She lived the majority of her life in the darkness of the tunnels, many of which she had helped build. Simonetta absolutely hated the way of life she was partaking in. No matter how much she pleaded with her parents and siblings to let her go, she was refused. Being among the younger bunch of her siblings meant that she was not getting away from the “family legacy” anytime soon. When her cousin Timon took off, it gave Simonetta hope for a brighter future. She continued on with her life in the hopes that she too would find a good moment to escape. The moment in question never actually came, not in the way that Simonetta had imagined.

When her cousin finally returned, he took the colony to an abandoned jungle. It was there that Simonetta decided that she was leaving to find her own path. Despite the pleading and guilting that she received from her parents and extended family, Simonetta was not going to have it. She left the jungle alongside Timon and the two returned to Timon’s new home: the Pride Lands.

It was in the pride lands that Simonetta was able to find some peace from her old life. She busied herself by exploring around the territory. When the prince and princess of the pride lands were made to stay at pride rock for their safety, Simonetta found herself spending time with the princess Reem. The two became very good friends and when the lockdown was lifted, Simonetta found herself getting into many interesting adventures alongside Kopa and Reem. Simonetta was devastated when Reem was taken away by Rafiki and forbidden visitors. She still spent time with Kopa, but the two weren’t as close as she and Reem were. When Kopa went missing, Simonetta was made to give Reem the bad news. The two helped organize a search party for the prince but Reem fell very ill on her first night back into the pride lands. The only lion who could treat her ailment was a healer from the night pride. Simonetta volunteered to accompany Reem so that the princess would not be alone when she finally awoke.

For the entire time that Reem was recovering, Simonetta would dig her way to various places in search of Kopa. After several weeks of this, the meerkat found the prince wandering about. She informed him of what had happened to his sister and the two made their way back into the night pride’s territory. It was there that Kopa came up with the idea of leaving the pride lands and starting their own pride. Simonetta was ecstatic with the idea, and with Kopa’s help convinced Reem. The three animals left the night pride after Reem was fully recovered and they decided to settle in a desert oasis that was out of the way of most things. The Sun Pride, as they called themselves, would be a welcoming home for anyone who wished to stay. Simonetta took the chance and became a scout for the pride, leading ailing lions back to sun pride lands so that they could be treated by Reem.

Relation to TLK: Timon’s cousin; best friends with the daughter of Simba and Nala; lived in the pride lands.

Original images and background © Disney

Simonetta and Render © me