Name: Kanye

Meaning: Freedom

Age: Varies

Gender: Male

Pride: Utendaji Pride

Mother: Kula

Father: Malka

Siblings: None

Mate: None for now

Cubs: None for now

Friends: Wekesa and the rest of the Utendaji Pride

Likes: His friends, talking about his past and his looks

Dislikes: Being disliked, hurting others and being bullied

Pelt: Brown

Eyes: Dark red

Mane/tail: Red

Distinguishing Features: 2 large tufts of hair on his head, ear tufts and a multi-coloured mane

Personality: Kind, caring and generous, but can be deceitful, arrogant and harsh

Relation to the Lion King: Son of Malka and Kula

Kanye was born in the Mountain Pride. He loved it there, but always felt he should belong somewhere else. He had no other siblings to play with, but plenty of cubs his age and he became very good friends with a few of them.

He stood out from the crowd with his darkened fur because most of the Mountain Pride had light or golden fur, like his father. Kanye and Kula stood out, but they didn’t care. When he was very little, Kaye once asked Kula how she first came to the Pride and how it felt. She replied that she met Malka once when she was exploring. Kula liked exploring, especially as a teen. She was very inquisitive and decided to approach Malka. They had secret meetings and then Kula decided to live with Malka in his Pride, where he was future King. It felt odd and Kula had lots of dark looks from the other lionesses, but her bubbly nature and fun personality soon meant that everyone welcomed her, just as they welcomed Kanye.

As a teen, Kanye was told he would be getting the throne. Malka had been injured in a fight and he felt unable to protect his people any longer. Knowing his future lay elsewhere, Kanye refused the position. Everyone turned on him, calling him a coward and a traitor to his family and his Pride. He couldn’t take it anymore and ran away.

As a rogue, Kanye met up with two other young male lions and they had great fun together. They would take it in turns hunting and keeping guard and had really smooth organisation of rotas.

One day, they were approached by a cheetah who wished to join their group. Kanye’s companions laughed in his face and told him to get lost. Kanye felt sorry for the cheetah. He knew how he hated being picked on and the look of hurt on his face made Kanye feel guilty. He didn’t want to travel in a group where they can be as mean as that!

Kanye decided to follow the cheetah in secret, before finally revealing his presence. He learnt that his name was Wekesa and they became very good friends.

Soon, they found the Utendaji Pride and they both felt this was where they belonged. Kanye especially liked it because no one knew his history and he could tell his story from his own point of view. They understood him and his feelings, so they never pushed him to be leader. Instead, he felt he was doing his bit by protecting the others and keeping the lookout for new arrivals.

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