Name: Hiari (meaning 'free will')

Parents: Malka and Baka

Siblings: Salehe and Diallo (half-brother)

Mate: None

Cubs: None

Pride of Origin: Kilima

Personality: Hiari is a bit of a dreamer, she believes in happy endings and fairy tales, expecting the world to be the same. She is naive but also a very fast learner when sge puts her mind to it. When reality does hit her, she sometimes can't handle it and becomes a bit of a wreck. She leans on her twin brother Salehe when this happens and trusts him with everything.

History: Hiari was the firstborn cub of Malka and Baka, princess of the Kilima Pride. She was very close to her twin brother Salehe but was always distant with her elder half-brother Diallo (not to the extent of her mother but she was always hesitant to play with him). 

When Hiari was old enough, she was betrothed to a prince in the Bahari Pride. Hiari herself couldn't wait for the day she would meet her future mate and would always dream about the life she would have in the Bahari Pride as well as the cubs she would have with her handsome prince.

However, things were not to be.

Obi broke off their betrothal to chase after another female and this sent Hiari into a depression. She just couldn't understand why Obi had done that. Was it something she had done? All the fairy tale dreams she had came crashing down around her and she couldn't handle it. Hiari fell into a deep depression that no one, not even Salehe, could seem to break her out of.

Hiari secluded herself after that, staying in the den and refusing to come out, even to greet Salehe's new betrothed Aida. Despite her mother and brother's frostiness to their new family member, Hiari was apathetic. She didn't care. The fact that Aida was Obi's sister was the only reason she took notice at all. 

Then Aida began to visit Hiari in the den. She didn't think much of it at first, probably just the other lioness escaping the harsh gazes of those who were less than pleased with her family...but she kept coming. Hiari tried to politely ask her to leave but she was met with silence, she tried questioning her on why she was there and again was met with silence. It was only later when she asked Salehe why Aida refused to answer her questions did she learn that the Bahari Pride's princess couldn't speak at all and no one knew why.

So now, safe in the knowledge that Aida would never breathe a word about what happened in the den, Hiari began to pour her heart out to her silent companion. She told her of everything, her dreams and dashed hopes,  even a little about her family and what would make Salehe happy. All she got was silence and a compassionate look, Aida didn't even mind when Hiari cried into her fur like a cub. Somehow, talking to the silent lioness slowly began to make her feel better. 

Relation to TLK: Daughter of Malka