Name meaning:

Swahili for "intelligence", "intellect", "cleverness", "ingenuity", "reason", "wit", "resourcefulness", "inventiveness", "sagacious", "sense".

Age:

Cub - Adult

Family/ relations:

Kiara: Mother
Kovu: Father
Simba, Chumvi: Grandfathers
Nala, Zira: Grandmothers
Khari: Brother
Njozi: Sister
Kucha, Kizuul, Kito: Cousins
Najma: Daughter (stillborn)
Waridi, Neema: Nieces
Kopa, Chaka, Tanabi, Nuka: Uncles
Vitani, Shani: Aunts
Mheetu: Great-uncle
Taka (Scar): Great-great uncle
Waridi, Neema: Nieces
Miba, Makuu, Moyo: Great-nephews
Mufasa, Sarabi, Sarafina, Ahadi, Uru, Mohatu, Zuri: Ancestors

Affiliations:

Pridelands

Story:

Akili is Kovu and Kiara's daughter. During her early cubhood years, Akili was close to her brother Khari, and the two of them would spend hours playing together on the savannah. Akili was a mischievous tomboy, often spending her time harassing the lionesses and ruining their hunts on many occasions, with the result of getting a firm telling off. With Chaka, Shani, Tanabi, Khatiti, Enzi, Kucha, Kizuul and Nia, there was no shortage of cubhood friends. Those were happy days.

As time passed, Kovu and Simba began to spend more time with Khari, educating him on the duties of a good, caring king, a role he was expected to undertake in adulthood after the previous king had passed away. In the meantime Akili was educated by Kiara and the lionesses. At first Akili never had a problem with these lessons, however she often wondered why she was never allowed to accompany the males on their regular outings on the savannah while the lionesses stayed at Pride Rock. As she grew, more secrets of the lion's traditions began to reveal themselves. Akili discovered that it was her destiny to leave the Pridelands to wed Khatiti's brother Enzi, and assume her role as Queen of the Makazi Pride.

This left Akili confused, and so she asked her mother why she should leave her home while Khari was allowed to assume his royal duties in the place of his birth. As a result she was lectured on the lionesses' importance to hunt in a pride while the males were needed to protect the kingdom and sire new heirs. This was interpreted by Akili as daughters of the king and queen were not as important or as desired as the sons, and the lionesses were only needed to feed the males and be mothers to their offspring. From this point, Akili grew jealous, even resentful of her brother, and she became antisocial, refusing to play with the other cubs and preferring to stay hidden in the caves of Pride Rock. Her teasing of Khari, always light-hearted at first, soon turned into spiteful comments. She even begun to allow malevolent thoughts to seep into her mind. Her parents were worried of course. But all attempts to help her were fruitless, their kind words of love ignored, and Akili grew worse, lashing out if anyone approached. Eventually the other cubs apart from her brother stopped trying altogether.

It was during these times when Akili began having odd dreams of a strange, wiry lioness, who in some ways resembled Akili. Despite never seeing the lioness before, Akili felt a link towards this lioness, having the feeling she was related to her somehow. When the apparation spoke to her, Akili was shocked, but she did something even her own family could not get her to do. She allowed the apparation to reach her, and she listened.

Akili later learned that this lioness was none other than her late grandmother, Zira. The dreams Akili had were of Zira’s death- although the truth was twisted. Akili saw Zira clinging to a cliff edge, the rushing waters of the river below, and two dark, imposing shapes of two lions watching over her from above while Zira pleaded for help. Akili was disgusted and terrified to see the two lions were none other than Kovu and Simba, pure hatred and malice emanating from their very forms. These were not dreams. These were more like nightmares.

Zira explained to Akili that it was she who was the original queen of the Pridelands, and her beloved Taka was her mate and the king. However one of the lionesses, a traitor, brought with her with a strange rogue lion who challenged Taka for leadership of the pride. Taka was overthrown and slaughtered by the lion and the treacherous lionesses who refused to come to his aid, before driving away all those who dared try to oppose him to the barren Outlands. Among them was Zira and her three helpless young cubs. Those cubs who were not lucky enough to escape from Simba's wrath were killed without mercy.

In the Outlands, the outcast pride slowly began to starve and in their desperation had no choice but to steal food from the Pridelands, with a risk of severe punishment if they were caught. They were shunned by the Prideland lions, their former pridesisters, and cruelly dubbed "The Outsiders". Akili was shocked to learn that the so-called traitor was her grandmother Nala, and the usurper himself was her grandfather Simba.

Akili was then led to believe that Zira's own son Kovu betrayed his family, murdering his own brother Nuka in cold blood in order to prove himself worthy to join Simba's pride, and his cowardly sister Vitani had joined him. Zira told Akili that the Pridelanders had no right to lead her to believe that a pride should only be ruled by males. Zira also reminded Akili that she single handedly ruled a male-less pride in harsh conditions when they were forcibly removed from the Pridelands by Simba after he killed Taka, although she did not mention "Taka"s brutal reputation nor his alternative name of Scar. Zira also failed to tell her granddaughter the true reasons for her banishment. Akili never knew that Kopa even existed as Simba and Nala never spoke of him.

Zira continued to visit "her precious grandchild" over the course of several months, and Akili, being just a cub, told no one. Brainwashed by Zira, Akili now feared and hated her family tremendously and shut herself off from the pride even more, believing that if she put a foot wrong, they would kill her too. No one, not Kiara, Kovu, Simba or even Khari or the mandrill shaman Rashidi could help.

Akili welcomed adolescence, for it meant independence was just on the horizon. She still relied on the pride for hunting lessons, for she knew that she would never survive on her own without them. Simba and Nala had since passed on, much to Akili's relief, and Kovu was King. Akili had since accepted her destiny and looked forward to leaving the Pridelands to be with Enzi. The more time she spent with him, the happier she felt, knowing freedom was near. Zira’s spirit continued to show up once in a while, running by her side when chasing after prey and influencing her ferocity when she dragged her hapless victim to the ground. Akili had become a gifted huntress it seemed, although it was often commented that her eyes appeared to change from green to red whenever she went for the throat. Zira never spoke to Akili during her adolescence. It was always as if she was waiting for something. Waiting for Akili to grow stronger…

Time passed, Akili and Khari reached adulthood. However on the day before Akili was due to leave the pride with her bethrothed, tragedy struck. Enzi was suddenly struck down with a mystery illness, and in the end it proved fatal. In the grief-ridden days that followed Akili turned to her cousin Kucha. Unfortunately, Kucha was no longer sweet and innocent as he had been as a cub. He was an awkward, rebellious young adult with selfish tendencies, and he took advantage of Akili who was vulnerable and in need of care. Of course Kucha ditched her when he realised Akili was pregnant and began to hound other young lionesses of the pride. Akili eventually bore a female cub, Najma, but sadly she was unable to carry her to full term and the cub was stillborn. In addition to this Kucha's erratic, disgraceful behaviour led him to be banished from the pride by Khari.

The combined events of her sweetheart's death, the loss of her cub and Kucha's abandonment threw Akili into the depths of despair. Zira had finally found her chance. Her malicious spirit finally grabbed hold of her granddaughter’s fractured mind- Zira and Akili had become One. Zira was truly living on in Akili- and she would stop at nothing to get her revenge on her treacherous son!

From then on, Akili’s eyes became a blood red instead of their normal green. Her voice changed too- only Kovu and Vitani recognized it as being eerily like their cruel, wicked mother. But she was dead, wasn’t she…?

Eventually Akili was forcefully banished from the pride by Khari after she attacked and almost killed Kovu. Kovu then understood that his daughter was not herself, and probably had not been for a long, long time.

Akili left the Pridelands and began to roam the savannah a nomad, hounded and feared by other creatures for the black shadow which hung over her constantly. On her travels, Zira accompanied her every step of the way, when not in control of her mind, brainwashing her in the same way as she had done when she was a cub. The death of Enzi and Najma were not by natural causes, no. They were killed. Killed by Kovu and Khari, supported by the rest of the pride. Akili even had false memories of feeding and caring for a healthy Najma, before finding the cub dead in a pool of blood. She wanted her family to pay. Pay for all the misery and death they had caused. She wanted the Pridelands for herself, and above all, she wanted justice for Zira.

Of all the animals on the African plains, only the hyenas seemed to like her, and they were attracted to her like moths to a flame. Akili would hunt for herself and allow the hyenas to take whatever scraps were left. They became her friends- they were the only company she had aside from Zira and the only ones who seemed to understand her. Different hyena clans joined her, and one in particular were the remnants of Shenzi's clan. It was these hyenas who told Akili of their exile by Simba, therefore giving Akili even more reason to seek revenge on the cruel Pridelands lions.

Bribing them with food, Akili returned to the Pridelands with the hyenas in tow. Akili knew full well that the hyenas were the lion's natural enemy, and were formidable opponents in battle. They were powerfully built for their size and their jaws were designed for crushing bone. Akili intended to use her hyena army to attack the Pridelanders and take the throne for herself... and to put Zira's restless spirit.

The battle that followed was long and vicious, and many lives were lost on both sides, including those of Khatiti, Kiara and Kovu. The hyenas were eventually driven back, but Akili refused to retreat. Blinded by her hatred for Khari from the many lies told to her over the years, Akili allowed Zira to take over her, doubling her strength. Her eyes blazing red, she attacked Khari, reaching for his throat with her jaws. But then something happened. The Great Kings were finally able to intervene through Khari, lending their energy to him. The prince knocked Akili to the ground with one fell swipe of his mighty paw.

While Akili lay there, badly injured, Zira’s malicious spirit was ripped from her dying body by the Great Kings, and promptly destroyed. Almost at once, Akili’s eyes returned green and her voice, although hoarse and quiet, had become her own once more. Akili could finally see things clearly for what they were. She couldn't believe what she had done, what she had become.

Akili died from her injuries, but she was at peace for she knew her family had forgiven her for her actions were never her own. Even Khari, whose mate and parents had been torn apart by hyenas, blamed himself, but continued to carry on living for his cubs Neema and Waridi, and for the sake of the kingdom.

Many years passed and Akili's spirit appeared for the last time when Khari, dying from old age, was ready to join her in the spirit realm of Great Kings.

Description:

Akili is very outlander-like in anatomy (looking very much much like Zira). The only thing she has inherited from her mother's side is her Pridelander-nose and light fur.

Personality:

As a cub Akili was a cheeky, mischevious tomboy. Upon becoming jealous of her brother her mind weakened, and Zira's spirit became attracted to her by the cub's stark similarities to herself. After this Akili's personality became corrupted into hatred and fear.