Name: Tafari
Gender: Male (lion)
Age: Eighteen months

Pride: None
Rank: None
Mate: None
Cubs: None

Appearance: Tafari appears to have a darker coat than usual, though not black, its a dark brown, perhaps the color one might consider chocolate to be. Although underlying this pigmentation is a tawny color beneath it. His coat when on a regular diet has a healthy sheen to it, but as of late it looks less glossy and duller than when he's not half starved. One may still be able to identify upon closer inspection rosette's that might still remain upon his pelt. The dark color of his fur creates the allusion of glowing green eyes when dusk has set in. While his mane has not yet begun to actually grow, it is evident that there is no doubt it will be the color of ebony. The dark coloration of his long stocky body allows him better camoflauge at night, the darker it is the better.

Tafari is no small mammal weighing in at nearly fournhundred and seventy seven pounds, standing fourty-eight inches high at the shoulder. Still his size is impressive at least to some with a length of ninty inches exluding his tail which is an additional thirty-nine inches. He's quite a muscular specimen despite being at times half starved.

Personality: Tafari while his eyes might mislead the unfortunate into beliving him to be a gentle soul he is far from being that. He manners are though perhaps quite unpredictable, depending upon those who're presented before him or those that he by chance might run into. He seems to have a grudge against the world and though he might not always outwardly show it he can be quite nasty in his language. His temper has a short fuse and those who anger him are subject to his wrath though it might not turn into a fight, he glares and might even contemplate revenge. He's no easy lion to get along with and even worse if one should chose to cross him. He might not be a coward, but he is quite the strategist, because he'll weight out his chances and then decide whether to start a fight or simply back away.

Tafari while quite a dark character has a soft spot for cubs, which he despises anyone knowing. If anyone should say anything within his hearing they will be subject to his glaring or ignorence if they had once been on speaking terms. Once he dislikes someone he certainly holds a grudge for an uncertain ammount of time, which could last until either one dies. No one knows why he favors cubs as companion's above all others, but to make note of it is to get on his bad side, which evidently there is much of, unless of course they're a cub. One might even think that he has a nuturing nature that is more befitted to the lioness.

Overall if one has been Tafari's friend since they were a cub, usually he keeps them as their friend and if they have a problem they simply need to come to him. He consoles his friends as well as advises them with the questions they bring to him. Tafari will try to help them in any way that he can. However if any should betray him his fury mounts quickly and bursts into flames worse than his temper would if it were someone he did not know very well. It is then that his dark nature emerges for he is not adverse to annhilating one of his own should it prove that they've betrayed him and the end result is that they either must get far away or he will kill them either to leave them to scavangers or feast upon the carcus himself. Only later will he feel remorse about his actions, depending upon how long he knew them and how close their friendship might have become.

History: Tafari was born on a rainy afternoon when the sun had begun to set. His mother, Sauda was a nomadic female having left her pride when a sickness spread causing many to fall including the Maliki, Kato, her brother. When Kato died that was when she left, leaving behind everyone and everything she had ever known. Sauda while she was not as dark as Tafari in either personality or coloration she was of a deeper, darker brown than many tawny females among the pride she had once been a member of.

Sauda had just come into sexual maturity when she left the pride and was near death herself, for depression had set in, missing gravely the others she had left behind, many already dead, but still many who were alive but unwell. Few others had been as healthy as she herself still. Guilt had also seemed to swallow her up, because she had left without trying to do anything she could to help, even though it wouldn't have been possible. For days on end she would just lay in a tree or somewhere underneath the shade of some tree or other plant. Most of the time she would ignore her thirst, however one day she got up, thirstier than she had ever believed herself to be. Once she arose she slowly crept to a nearby waterhole, where a herd of zebra's grazed. They didn't appear to be to worried about her, although a couple of them kept their eyes peeled while she drank from the pool of refreshing liquid. It was then she noitced not only her reflection in the water, but her brothers. There were none left of their bloodline besides her, at least that she knew of since there could have been others who'd left the pride or had been in a previous pride. However the revelation that she might be the last gave her something to think about and have hope for the future. Perhaps if she were to have a brood of cubs to carry on the bloodline, then she would, for the sake of her parents and her brother Kato.

Turning around once she'd taken her fill of water, her gaze ran over the zebra's. Spotting a baby that had wandered a little to far away from its mother she hunched down on the ground, and spotting the moment sped towards the young zebra. However, because she'd allowed herself to starve she was unable to snatch the young before the others noticed and galloped to surround the young. Sauda knew when she was beat. What if she were unable to catch anything in order to become stronger and find a mate to have that brood she'd thought of earlier. Laying down at the side of the waterhole she closed her eyes for a nap.

The next thing she knew as she was jostled out of her nap, by someone's muzzle nudging her she let out a feirce growl and tried swatting them. However she missed, but had awoken. Before her was a golden-brown lion with a dark russet mane. He offered her food that he'd recently caught, an elderly zebra that provided more meat than the young zebra she'd intended to catch earlier, but had been unsuccessful. Her tail swayed and she after a few moments pause accepted the gesture and ate along side him. It was a short courtship and after the full gestration period Sauda found a place beneath a pile of rocks to give birth to her young. To her three were born, two males and a female. She named one Tafari after his father Tefari, his brother became known as Ekundayo and his sister Nakato after Sauda's brother.

When Tafari and his siblings were nearly a year old they were able to bring down small prey on their own. However this mattered not to them as much as being together did. Sauda and Tefari often talked of making their family an official pride. However it was not to be, for poachers were on the loose. Tefari was and Ekundayo were caught by them, though it is unknown if the poachers killed them or if the government caught them and might have relocated them or sent them to the zoo. As for Sauda she was overcome with grief and believed that it was punishment for leaving the others behind. She and Nakato left in search of Sauda's first home and her brothers pride. Tafari has not seen either one since as he did not remain in the territory he was born to.

Tafari then became a nomadic lion and has traveled several miles away from what was once his home. The emotional scars he carries could be the key to his personality. Since then he has been on his own, though if he sees a lone cub or one in trouble that could nearly become bird bait he helps them, although he's not always quick enough.

As of late he has this one cub named Kilala following him. Though he adores cubs this one sometimes gets on his nerves, he doesn't get what she wants and if he did well whose to say how he'd react.