Name: Imejaa

Meaning: Flawed

Personalitly: The sweetest cub you'll ever meet, she's too nice for her own good which makes her an easy victim for manipulation. She'll jump through hoops to try and please those around her even at the cost of her own health. She has abandonment issues which doesn't help her much and makes her go even further for others even when she knows she shouldn't. Imejaa is easily hurt by words and will become a weeping mess if you so much as insult her pelt color let alone anything else. She does try to be an optimist in everything she does though. Even with how she can be she's a sweet and loving cub who will the most loyal friend if you decide to befriend her.

Parents: Zuri & Baliyo

Siblings: Possibly but Imejaa doesn't know.

Relationship with Zuri: To be frank there isn't much of one, Zuri was rather cold to Imejaa for as long as the cub could remember. She did everything in her power to be a good daughter for her mother but it never got her anywhere. Sure her friends Queen Kiara and TIifu we're nice to her and helped her when they could but it wasn't the same. Though there relationship was not to last as when Kion came for a visit Zuri demanded Kion take her to her useless father, it infuriated Kion but he did as he was told upon returning taking Imejaa with him and leaving the poor girl heartbroken.

Relationship with Baliyo: Upon meeting him Imejaa was understandably nervous to get close to him in fear he'd treat her poorly when no one was looking, much like her mother had but upon meeting him it was a different story. Baliyo was just like her and he was able to do all sorts of things without help giving Imejaa some hope that her life wasn't as bad as her mother made it out to be. Within a short time Imejaa grew extremely close to her father and the two grew a rather tight bond. Imejaa loved helping her father on his rounds and helping other animals when she could. She was appreciated at the tree of life and by all her family there.

Relationship with Rani: Even though they didn't have a lot of time, Rani was extremely sweet to Imejaa and introduced her to all the animals she was closest too even helping Imejaa make her first friend. All in all she loves Queen Rani.

Relationship with Surak: Imejaa wouldn't be the first or last to admit that Surak was intimidating to say the least and quiet which only made him much more intimidating to Imejaa. However much like the rest of her family he was kind and understanding and very patient with the little cub.

Relationship with Nirmala: Surprise surprise, Imejaa grew a connection with Nirmala and it was hard not too. She spoke in a way Imejaa didn't always understand but it was always warming and comforting. She saw Nirmala as more of a mother she knew she'd never get so while Baliyo and Surak we're busy and Rani and Kion we're rulling, she'd spend most of her time with Nirmala which the lioness was completely fine with.

Crush: ? (Unknown as of yet but open to one in the future)

Friends: Makini, Nirmala, Surak, Beshte (Still needs some cub friends but not sure which cubs I'm putting in this verse yet)

History: Imejaa was created in hopes of Zuri becoming a part of the royal family. Anything to be royalty after all, so while her chances with Kion have all but died she tried to go after the queen's brother Baliyo. It worked at first, the two had ended up having all sorts of fun not that Zuri cared one way or another as she was aiming for something a bit more permanent. She'd fallen pregnant not too long after and would brag about how her cub would be the most beautiful and perfect of cubs and they'd be betrothed one day to the future king or queen's cub. Baliyo explained that he didn't care about that and just wanted their cub to be healthy. While he would have loved to stay in the pride lands with Zuri during her time he did have to go and take care of his home. He invited Zuri to come back with him but she disagreed sighting her pregnancy would be too risky as an excuse but in reality she didn't care for the tree of life or the way the pride ran compared to the pride lands. It was far too welcoming for her liking, after a *sad* goodbye with Baliyo he headed home with his uncle, sister and Kion.

After some time Zuri gave birth to a little girl. Zuri noticed her outlander like nose and scoffed a little. That was the one thing she didn't care for but if it was the only thing she could learn to live with it. Unfortunately for Zuri that was not all this little cub inherited from her father. The second she started trying to walk Zuri noticed right away she walked too similar to Baliyo and with a quickness of a cheetah, she took her to Rafiiki demanding an explanation. Rafiki confirmed she'd indeed be bow legged like Baliyo which angered Zuri and this is where the problems really started for the cub, to whom she had given the name Imejaa. Flawed, for that is how Zuri saw her as nothing more then a flawed child with very little of her attributes and looks passed on. She'd never end up a future queen not with her looks. No one would take her seriously. Kiara told her that her cub was perfect and she should be happy that she was healthy and she pretended, agreed Kiara was right and she was just so *scared* for her daughter. It was all an act of course, and as time went on many soon saw that act play out.

What happened with Baliyo, you might ask. Well Zuri paid one of those scavenger birds a little extra to tell him the cub didn't make it and that she couldn't see him anymore. That it was too hard and that if he came, she'd refuse to see him. She assumed it worked as Baliyo never came and her horrid secret could at least be kept hidden for a little while. As Imejaa grew she was loved by a lot of the pridelanders all but Zuri herself which didn't escape the little cub. She did everything for her mother to get her attention but was always scorned for doing something wrong. She brought her a mouse, Zuri would complain that so and so caught a rabbit. She'd bring her mother flowers, Zuri would complain that it could have had a bee in it and her daughter was trying to hurt her. She tried offering goin for a mud bath with her to relax and Zuri would scoff and say it wasn't for cubs to only find her later wallowing in the mud with Tiifu.

No matter what Imejaa did it never pleased her mother, even on hunting lessons with Kiara, her cubs as well as Tiifu and her cubs, Zuri would never show claiming she had other things to do. Meanwhile Imejaa would have to watch the other cubs mothers fawn and praise them for their work. I suppose you're wondering why Imejaa wasn't friends with them. Zuri wouldn't allow that either. She'd put it in her daughter's head that she'd just make their lives harder with her disability. They'd never make it anywhere with someone like her dragging them down and Imejaa believed her mother. Her mother wouldn't lie to her, the only reason she agreed to let Kiara take her on hunting lessons was so Zuri wouldn't look bad in front of her royal queen. It had all come to a close though, one fateful day.

Kion came for a visit, Zuri did her best to hide her daughter but Kiara wouldn't allow it this time and to say the least Kion was shocked and had revealed that Zuri sent a messenger telling Baliyo and the rest of the pride that the cub had died. Many we're angered and disgusted by Zuri's behavior and Zuri of course didn't blame herself. No of course not, why would she when it wasn't her fault that Baliyo's genes made her cub look this way and walk this way. It was then she lashed out everything blaming Imejaa and Baliyo for it. That it wasn't her fault her cub was so disfigured. She had a dream and not only did Baliyo's genes ruin everything but so did Imejaa. Those words broke the cub in a way she'd never felt. Sure her mother called out everything she did wrong but this, this was worse. For it sealed the fate that no matter what Imejaa did her mother would never love her. Kion enraged told Zuri off and Zuri merely offered Imejaa up if Kion wanted her to see her father so badly then so be it. She wanted no more of this in her words *waste of space dragging her down.*

With that Kion took Imejaa back to the Night Pride and back to the tree of life. He did his best to console the young cub's worries. Told her that her father would love her but Imejaa was far too afraid to believe it no matter how nice Kion was to her. It was only when she arrived at the tree of life did she see things we're different. There we're creatures she had never seen and all sorts of different lions not as many back at Pride Rock but quite a few. It was she met her dad who to Imejaa surprise cried when he met her, after hearing Zuri tell him about her death he had failed to believe he'd ever meet her and it was the first time Imejaa felt real parental love. It was so foreign to her, to the point where it made her break down to her father. It was both bittersweet and heartwarming as her new life began in the tree of life.
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Fun facts:

- Imejaa wants to be a healer like Nirmala. Helping out animals and making all sorts of new friends sounded far more exciting to her then fighting ever did.
- Makini is one of Imejaa's first and closest friends. She loves the little Baboon's company and even if she can sometimes hardly get a word in, she loves the time she gets to spend with her.
- Imejaa hardly visits Pride Rock, since her mother's harsh words. She misses Tiifu and Kiara but otherwise there was no point.
- Imejaa actually enjoys Beshte's company. He's sweet for such a big hippo.
- Despite her mother's words, Imejaa still has hope for a future or at least some kind of connection with her but right now that's yet to be seen.
- She's rather close with Nirmala and sees her as a second mother figure or at least the closest thing to a mother figure she imagines.
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Will add more with time.

Relation to TLK: Daughter of Baliyo and Zuri
Art and character was designed by my lovely friend Roifore.