Name meaning:

Swahili name for "better", "kingly".

Age:

Cub - Adult

Family/ relations:

Kiara: Mother
Kovu: Father
Simba, Chumvi: Grandfathers
Nala, Zira: Grandmothers
Akili, Njozi: Sisters
Kucha, Kizuul: Cousins
Khatiti: Mate
Najma: Niece (deceased)
Waridi, Neema: Daughters
Makuu, Moyo, Miba: Grandsons
Kopa, Chaka, Tanabi, Nuka: Uncles
Vitani, Shani: Aunt
Mheetu: Great-uncle
Taka (Scar): Great-great uncle
Mufasa, Sarabi, Sarafina, Ahadi, Uru, Mohatu, Zuri: Ancestors

Affiliation:

Pridelands

Story:

The son of Kovu and Kiara, Khari is an African name for 'kingly'.

He and his sister Akili were quite close during their cubhood, causing mischief wherever they went along with their friends – Chaka, Tanabi, Shani, Enzi, Khatiti, Kucha, Kizuul and Nia. Khari was adventurous and naïve, once almost being led astray by a jackal which seemed friendly, but in fact had intentions of making the prince an easy meal one he had led the cub to his lair. Luckily the jackal was chased away by Simba and Kovu.

But as Khari grew, he had to accept large responsibilities as future king, and he and Akili began to grow apart with the result of Akili becoming more and more resentful. Although he was hurt by his sister’s frequent snide remarks, Khari never let it show and he continued to visit her whenever he could, even when their other friends had long since given up.

When a small tuft of mane began to show, Khari was taken by Kovu to the Makazi lands and introduced to Khatiti, a young lioness cub slightly younger than himself. She became his betrothed, and Khari did not take to this idea at first, regarding Khatiti as too girly and irritating. But as he matured he fell in love with her, and eventually she moved to the Pridelands to be with him.

After Khari’s mane had fully grown, Kiara and Kovu were experiencing difficulties as a couple, and so it was Khari and Khatiti who assumed most of the royal duties. His nerves and loyalty to the pride were put to the test when Akili nearly killed Kovu, forcing the prince to chase his deranged sister from the pride.

The next time Akili returned to the Pridelands, she was leading an attack force and prepared for war. It was time for Khari's ultimate challenge. He fought valiantly against the hoard of hyenas and after a fierce and bloody battle, the Pridelanders managed to force the hyenas to retreat. Even then, Akili was determined and focused on killing her brother. It was now up to Khari and Khari alone- his parents and queen were no longer by his side as they had perished in battle. Even then, Khari was reluctant to hurt his sister, and so he called upon the Great Kings to aid him.

Akili threw herself at Khari, tackling him with abnormal strength. Khari managed to hold her at bay- but only just. When he looked into his sister’s blood red eyes, he just knew that this beast was not his Akili. Suddenly, he felt a surge of power course through his veins, and without thinking he had raised an arm and swiped the possessed lioness to the ground.

With Zira's evil spirit pulled from her bruised and battered body, Akili could finally see clearly without Zira's influence. Safe in the knowledge her pride had forgiven her, she died in Khari's arms. The pride's cries could be heard for miles around and lasted throughout the night, mourning for those that had been lost.

In the event of Kovu and Kiara's violent deaths, it was up to Khari to assume his throne- without Khatiti by his side. His two cub daughters Waridi and Neema, and his baby sister Njozi were raised by him and Khatiti's sister Nia, whom Khari gotten quite close to in the months that followed. She became a queen in a sense of head lioness, even so, Khari refused to love no other.

Khari was a good king and passed all his knowledge onto his daughters, teaching them everything there was to know about The Great Circle of Life and The Great Kings, while always reminding them how much their beautiful mother adored them. As for Njozi, who was too young to remember her parents, Khari made sure she knew what great lions they were. While Khari taught his daughters and baby sister about royal duties it was Nia and the other pridesisters who taught the young lionesses how to hunt.

Before, when Waridi and Neema were cubs, any lion who entered Khari's territory were immediately driven away by the distrustful king as soon as their presence was known. However as time passed, Khari began to grow concerned over the lack of betrothals for his daughters now that they were reaching adolescence. None of the other lionesses in the pride had cubs that were male; of similar age to his daughters; or unrelated, and Khari did not even have the Makazi Pride to fall back on as it had since been taken over by an unknown male and thus were no longer in contact. The only hope he had for continuing the Pridelanders' bloodline were with rogues.

By luck, a group of four young adult rogue lions entered the Pridelands in search of sanctuary, and Waridi took a shine to one of the males called Tak. The two females, Nuala and Layla, were welcomed by the lionesses of the pride and Tak and the other male Kweli became the two males destined to follow in Khari’s pawprints.

Khari died shortly before Waridi and Neema became pregnant with his grandsons. Before he passed on, he was greeted by his sister, mate, and parents on the Other Side.

Description:

Khari has a various mixture of both Outlander and Pridelander features. His fur is brown and his toes lack the lighter colour, and his mane bears the distinctive "Vitani-style" tuft.

Personality:

As a cub, Khari has the playfulness of Simba mixed with the naivety of Kiara. A typical "I just can't wait to be King" kind of cub, Khari was also your average immature little boy who refuses to be associated with the antics of girls.

Adult Khari is intelligent, loving, and has a big heart. He is very protective of his family, especially since Akili's heart was broken by Kucha, thus forcing Khari to banish both Kucha and his brother Kizuul from the pride. Khari would drive away rogue stranger lions (such as the likes of Malatok) from the pride, however he was always soft on his daughters, the apples of his eyes. He only allowed the rogues Tak, Kweli, Layla and Nuala to stay when Waridi and Neema fell in love with Tak and Kweli repectively.