Behati

"Are you here for healing or are you here to give me lip?"

Name Meaning: "Blessed" in African

Gender: Female

Status: Alive

Pride of Residence: Night Pride {called Usiku Pride in my AUs!}

Parents: Nala and Tojo

Siblings: Jahi {brother}, Kiara {half-sister}, Kion {half-brother}

Other Family: Mheetu {uncle}, Sarafina {grandmother}, Nirmala {adoptive mother}

Love Interest: None {as of now}

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Personality: Behati is a calm, collected lioness with a sharp tongue and witty sense of humor. Saying what is on her mind comes with ease and she never shies away from being honest about how she feels. Being trained as a healer for her pride has helped her develop a deep empathy for lions or other animals in need. She is warmly enthusiastic and is ready to give support and encouragement to others. Behati is very creative and has attempted to find new ways to safely treat any of her patients. She is a pleaser to boot and enjoys sharing her own experiences as well as hearing that of others.

Personality Type: ENFP

History:

Behati was born to the short union of Tojo and Nala. During Scar's reign, and before Tojo's eventual exile, Nala and Tojo had began harboring feelings for one another as Nala found comfort in the fact that Tojo resembled her "deceased" best friend, Simba. After a particularly smitten night, Nala regretted allowing herself to be vulnerable to her own grief; she felt like she used Tojo for her own gain to fill the void that Simba left. The two mutually ended what spontaneous relationship they had, and soon after, Tojo was sent into exile with the rest of the males that were Simba and Nala's age.

When Nala set off at the behest of the rest of her pride in an attempt to seek help, she didn't realize then that her night with Tojo resulted in something more. After her discovery of Simba and quickly reconnecting with him after so long, she began to notice signs that she was indeed pregnant. Horrified, she kept it to herself and continued to spend her time with Simba.

Some time had passed since she had successfully returned the ghost prince Simba to the Pridelands and aided in the defeat of king Scar, and with that, Nala gave birth to twins while Simba was on morning patrol. She quickly called for Sarabi, of whom made haste to get to the new mother, and cried to her that these were not Simba's cubs. When Sarabi looked confused, this prompted Nala to confess- they were Tojo's. Sarabi understood that Nala did not wish to make Simba believe they were his when they were not, and suggested the cubs be sent to their ally, the Night Pride. Sarabi assured the cubs would have a good life and be raised by a wonderful family. While Nala hesitated, she eventually gave them up and they were discreetly removed from her care. Nala would go on to tell Simba that their cubs were too weak and had unforunately passed away shortly after their birth. {In this AU, this event is what prompts Simba's overprotective, helicopter-parent behavior towards Kiara.}

Behati and her twin brother, Jahi, were delivered to the Night Pride where they were raised under the watchful eye of Nirmala. Behati was always a curious cub and always wished to have her paws in something. When it was available, she adored the dye that was made using fruit. Nirmala always took note of what Behati enjoyed and used it to hone her skills as she grew older. With Nirmala as their sole parent, the two cubs blossomed into wonderful and useful members of the pride. Behati became a healer, a job she was much enthusiastic about, while Jahi became a sworn protector of the Tree of Life until his departure from the Night Pride.

With Behati being a secondary healer to the pride, she is often seen wearing dye on her fur; Nirmala enjoyed her daughter messing around with it so much that it was incorporated into her training as a healer. Behati can also be seen with a shaman stick similar to Rafiki's, though not always. Much like her brother, she, too, departs from the Night Pride, but only when she's travelling. While Nirmala is bound to the Night Pride, Behati attempts to extend her services to outside prides as well as other animals that will allow her to help them.

Relation to TLK: Daughter of Nala and Tojo {semi-canon character}; granddaughter to Sarafina; adoptive daughter to Nirmala.

Fun Facts:

• As it stands currently, Behati has NOT met her half-siblings in the Pridelands, and has no idea who her real mother and father is. She is aware she is from the Pridelands and is adopted, but has no real desire to know where she came from. Nirmala is her mother, and that's all that matters to her.
• Behati was devastated when Jahi ultimately decided that he wanted to leave their home. Unlike his sister, he wished to know where he came from and why he and his sister were sent there. He didn't feel like he knew who he truly was, while she felt like she truly belonged.

Behati began sprouting a mane during her preteen years. It came as a shock to most of everyone, especially Behati, who absolutely hated it. It drastically affected her self-image, though Nirmala helped guide her through this and ease her anxiety about not feeling as much of a lioness as the others. 

Behati was designed by Claire Cooper! I've owned her since 2017, she deserved a proper ref <3