Uthando: 'Love' [Zulu]
(oo-THAN-do)

Generation: 6th [slightly younger than Mohatu]
Pride Affiliation: Zurura Pride [part of Westlands] [birth & pre-rescue], Ndona Pride [post-rescue and later life]

Relations:

Son of unknown parents;

Mate of Okoa;
Father of Qinisela

Personality:
At first glance, Uthando looks to be brash, tough and coarse, though on the inside, he is far more complex. A tough upbringing has left him with serious mental scars, though after being raised in a safer environment, he has learned to overcome his fears and worries and become more open, though some coldness here and there still remains. Around strangers, his words are guarded and his tone can be somewhat firm, though around the ones he is close to, such as Mohatu, Uru or his own family, he is jovial and merry, and always wears a smile for them. Before meeting Okoa, his smiles were rare and not often given, though she is one of the main lights in his life, and if not her, then it is Qinisela who can always bring warmth to his heart.

Biography:

The arid Westlands, a far fling from the calm serenity of the Pridelands, have always been home to a vicious and warmongering people, with many wandering lesser prides that inhabit the wastes that surround the ruling pride, the Magharibi Pride. Since the days of its founding, its rulers have always been cruel, prejudiced and ruthless in their ways, and they don't make any exceptions for even their families. This was the case when Uthando was born to the lead male in the small Zurura Pride, which never stayed in one place and clung to the edges of the province. His mother, low in the hierarchy and deemed worthless by most, died in the birthing, and while no one in particular mourned her loss, the entire pride murmured amongst themselves about what to do with the sickly, motherless babe. Their leader didn't even acknowledge his mate's death; perhaps he thought her just a tool for breeding, and believed she had no true value, just like the rest of the pride. Many of the lionesses spoke to him about his plans for his only son, and he ignored them for a time, allowing them to share responsibility for young Uthando. Eventually, he came to grips with himself and appointed an elderly female named Dala. She despised the child, for she held his mother's mistakes against him, and when she was not nursing him or holding him, she'd be whispering about him to her friends, always pointing out his flaws and faults. Of course, the pride's leader did nothing about this. Why should he? It wasn't as if his son mattered.

Uthando grew up a sensitive and shy child, always beaten back by his nurse or chided by another of the lionesses. He had few friends in the pride; the other cubs rarely interacted with him, and Dala made sure none of the lionesses were convinced to put up with him for long. His naming was a rather ironic, for even though he was named 'love', he received none in his earlier years. Sometimes another cub, her name Danile, would bring herself to talk to him, and that always gave him high spirits, but that was a rare occurrence, and he soon learned not to expect anything of anyone. That didn't stop him from secretly wishing on stars, or praying to the Great Kings. Maybe someday his prayers would be answered.

About a month or so after Uthando's first mane tuft began to grow, the pride began to experience some famine. After living in the wastes for so long, they were all used to shortages, but this complete lack of prey was a problem. Their leader decided to move East, towards the Pridelands, which was strongly advised against. He risked prosecution if he was caught trespassing and/or hunting, but, too hungry to care, their leader just trudged ahead and snorted pompously as he crossed the border, a thin stretch of river. It was no time at all before they'd find somewhere to stay, along with something sufficient to eat. They lived relatively peaceful for a few weeks before one day, when the four younger lionesses were off hunting, and two of the pride's three males were scouting. Uthando, his father, Danile and Dala had stayed behind, but perhaps they shouldn't have, for without warning, they were set upon by a three males and what seemed to be an entire pride of lionesses. They executed Uthando's father on the spot – he refused to surrender, and so the strangers had no choice but to dispose of him – and held Dala and the cubs in the cave until the rest of the pride returned. They were given a choice; surrender, or pay in blood for their crimes. Half the pride went down like their leader, but the others were wise and stepped down, for they recognised the leader of their attackers, a huge, towering lion with a sleek tan coat and a flowing mane flecked with grey. This was their true leader, the Emperor Simba. He spared them, but took with him Uthando and Danile, as both a favour and 'an extra payment, simply for your insolence'.

The trek back to the Emperor's home, Pride Rock, was a long one, but this gave Uthando the chance to talk to one of his rescuers, Prince Mohatu, eldest son and heir to the throne. The cub was, at first, quiet and regarded the prince with a dark look, but he seemed to understand why, and as the time passed, Uthando was able to tell him about his experiences in the pride, what he went through under Dala's cruel and ever-watchful eye, his notable lack of friends, and Mohatu just nodded and took it in. Then he proposed that the two become friends; the prince himself had no real friends besides his brother, Sel', (short for Seliwe, apparently), and he got on well with the younger cub. This, as you might expect, brought a smile to his face, and he accepted the prince's offer almost immediately. Upon arrival at Pride Rock, the Emperor assigned a lioness to care for the two orphans he'd brought back with him. Both Uthando and Danile received somewhat dark looks, but no one spoke directly to them and there were some who accepted them with warm smiles. Their nurse, Moyizela, didn't ask too many questions and catered to their needs, but most imporantly, she gave them free roam and allowed them to do what they liked, within reason. Uthando was overwhelmed with all this new freedom, which seemed to amuse the prince, and he made a point of it every time they met up. They didn't speak often, as Simba was often rigorously training his son, but once in a while, he made an effort to talk to Sel', He was distant, and reserved his smiles for Danile, but he was never harsh. No, Uthando was convinced he'd found paradise.

He was approaching adolescence when Mohatu, now a young adult and days away from being crowned Emperor, came to him with another proposition. He was of an age now, and able to start training himself. Mohatu said that if he wished, Uthando could train with one of Simba's two bodyguards to become one himself, and be given purpose, an excuse to stay in the pride. Otherwise, he'd have to leave when his mane was full grown, and neither Uthando nor Mohatu wanted that. So the younger male accepted the offer, and began training the next day. His mentor, Shupavo, was stern and stoic, but there was no doubt that he was a good teacher, and his talents were beyond description. Uthando respected the ageing lion, and leaned much from him, and under his training, the years flew by. Before he knew it, he was a broad and muscular youth, and ready to swear his oath of unending service to his Emperor. Mohatu smiled as he accepted the oath, and when the younger lion rose from his bow, they embraced as good friends. His first real assignment was to go into the Westlands, his former home, with Mohatu and hold council with the current Duke. He and Shupavo would be at either side of their Emperor, ready to die for him if it came to that. It shouldn't be that difficult, Shupavo assured him. Besides, they were to be escorting one lioness back with them, Lady Jaris, sister of Duke Musa. Upon arrival, they were greeded with some hostility, though Musa was happy to hand his sister over to them. Something about old debts being repaid, according to Shupavo.

Jaris was a cold individual, with fiery eyes that seemed to stare into his soul. She rarely spoke, and when she did, her words were laced with a well-suppressed fury, though Uthando put this down to her bitterness at being sent off so quickly by her brother. For the first month, she spoke only to Mohatu, and the bodyguard assumed that even this didn't happen often. Still, with some coaxing, she began to open up, and came to speak to and befriend Uthando. Their similar ages must have been a reassurance, and Mohatu assigned the younger male as Jaris' protector. The Emperor was convinced that there was no danger looming round the corner, and so could afford to relax on security.

But how wrong he was.

The rain was drizzling down and the skies were grey. Sel' was making his way up the Stone Steps, Danile trailing at his heels. The prince greeted his elder brother with a sneer, and, to everybody's surprise, issued an official challenge. Mohatu was forced to accept; he didn't want to, for this was his brother, and he loved him, but if he did not accept then Sel' had every right to take his Empire. They arranged the time and the place – the promontory at noon the next day – and bid each other farewell. Uthando exchanged some worried words with his ruler then, but Mohatu assured him that he had no intention of surrendering his lands. Still, this did little to alleviate the bodyguard's concerns, and he made his way to the promontory the next day with a heavy heart and ice in his veins.

Sel' certainly wasn't a large lion, hardly capable of outweighing the towering Emperor, but he made up in speed and wits what he lacked in strength and bulk. He moved like lightning, striking here-there before his opponent had time to swerve or dodge. Still, he got back far more than he gave; when the two parted after an extremely heated grapple, Uthando noted that his jaw hung limp, coated with blood, and he had a profound limp in his right foreleg. Mohatu was barely scratched – there were some bites here and there, but other than that, Sel' had seemingly failed to mark him. It was after this quick observation that they collided again, but this time, Uthando was aware of the smaller lion's cry of agony, and the way his body slumped lifelessly to the blood-soaked ground. Mohatu towered above his brother's form, and Uthando was the first to rush to him, aware of the tears that crashed down the older male's face. Jaris was there too, whispering congratulations and words of comfort.

But they had no time to stand on ceremony, for lionesses suddenly came charging up the stone steps, Danile at their head, and lay into the startled and unprepared Ndona Pride. Jaris ushered her injured mate away, while Shupavo and Uthando led the defence. The older male took the older lionesses and formed a defensive line at the mouth of the pride's cave, wherein lay the Emperor, his mate, all the cubs and those too old or infirm to fight. Uthando took the younger ones and charged at them, and against a young and fresh male, they stood no chance. He made efforts not to kill them, just to injure or scare them into surrender. Still, this was a force to be reckoned with – how had 'Sel managed to amass such a following? He had no time to dwell on that, as there were more forcing their way through Shupavo's line, and the older bodyguard had fallen to a group of lionesses that refused to leave him be. Their ranks broken, the lionesses had no choice but to fall back into the cave, but after an arduous struggle, they managed to overcome their attackers and chase them from the cave. Uthando sent a pair of scouts, who where only slightly injured, to tail them to where they were hiding and report back with information. He had more important things to tend to.

The Emperor was distraught; he had been betrayed by the one person he loved above all others. Simba, their father, seemed to feel nothing at the loss of one of his sons, which poured salt into Mohatu's wounds. Uthando could do little to comfort him; he had never been one for reassurance, and having never been comforted himself, he had no idea what to say. Even so, he sat beside his ruler, keeping silent vigil through the oncoming night and swearing a silent vow that he would never allow his best friend to be hurt so again. Once Jaris assured him that Mohatu was resting easy, he went out onto the promontory to await return of his scouts.

They were prompt in their return, and told him that they were hiding in the Elephant Graveyard, where once the hyenas dwelt. It appeared they had been able to drive them out in order to inhabit the wasteland, which struck more fear into Uthando's heart. A cry of pain snapped him out of his reverie, and he noticed that the younger of the pair, a gold-furred lioness who went by the name Sakanya, had collapsed, her paw at an awkward angle. The other lioness, her sister Okoa, begged Uthando to carry her to the shaman's tree, for she was too weak to do so, and Sakanya was in no fit state to walk. Who was he to decline? He made sure both lionesses were taken to the shaman, and after receiving sincere and overly generous thanks from Okoa, he retreated back to Pride Rock, feeling a twinge in his chest for the injured lioness. Was he smitten so soon?

It was a few months after the tragedy that Jaris fell pregnant with Mohatu's children, and Uthando, after having met with Sakayna several times, was thinking about courting his new love. She had recovered quickly after treatment and had been eager to thank her 'saviour', and Uthando couldn't help but fall head-over-heels after her. She was undoubtedly beautiful, and she had a way of speaking that made something flutter in his chest. He prepared a meeting by the water hole at midnight, and it was there that he asked that she be his mate. She hesitated in her answering, but what she finally told him was this: “Uthando... you're a great guy, really, but I don't want to be anything more than your friend. I know I haven't made that really clear, and come to think of it, I've been quite misleading. Truth is, I've met this rogue, and he's treated me so well... and, see, I'm thinking of leaving with him. Tomorrow.”

At this, Uthando got up and ran, pained by her words and blinded by tears. He didn't remember the journey back to Pride Rock, only that he managed to get there eventually, and when he did, he collapsed and cried into his paw. He knew he was being childish, but he couldn't help himself; he felt betrayed in the same sense that Mohatu was. All through his grief, he was unaware of a shape pressed against him, but when he felt it, he recognised it as Okoa. She didn't say anything, just looked at him with sympathy in her eyes, and let him cry on her shoulder.

After Uru's birth, Uthando became closer and closer to Okoa; when he wasn't with Mohatu or cooing over Uru (he sometimes acted as babysitter when Jaris needed to stretch her legs) he was by her side, just talking the day away. He felt some affection towards her, and was aware of her feelings for him, and was more than confident that if he asked to be her mate, she wouldn't turn him down as Sakanya had, but did he want to? She was beautiful, kind, intelligent, and she was one of the few that didn't judge him for having not been born in the pride. Still, there was something there that told him 'no', and so he waited.

At some point during Uru's late childhood, Mohatu implored Uthando to take her on patrol with him, to show her the lay of the land and give her a sense of the outside dangers. The bodyguard was more than happy to, and did so as soon as he could. The princess was eager to learn and treated him not as just a guard but as a friend – as family. He had little time to dwell on the thought though, because on the border with the Graveyard, Uru spotted something in the bushes. A cub, with a tan pelt and no parents to be seen. Uthando felt every instinct tell him to take Uru and leave, but looking down at her distraught face, he couldn't bring himself to. He scooped up the cub, despite his protests, and returned him to Pride Rock, where he debated with Mohatu what to do with him. The child must have been a few months Uru's elder, and was surprisingly well mannered. His name was Kwetu, and he'd run from his home, away from his twin cousins who were constantly bullying him, away from their mother, his aunt, the cruel lioness Danile. The Empress saw Kwetu as only a threat, but Mohatu and Uthando were of a softer mind, and so permitted him to stay. Uthando took charge of educated him in Pridelander ways, and Okoa volunteered to care for him. It seemed that Kwetu, already become fast friends with the princess, was bound to become something more for the pride, and could possibly herald a new step in Uthando and Okoa's relationship.

Having Kwetu around gave Okoa some form of maternal longing, and when Kwetu was a gangly adolescent, she could take it no longer. She asked that Uthando be her mate, and this time, there was no uncertainty. They courted, and it seemed to be no time at all before Okoa was pregnant. Mohatu was incredibly encouraging, and it brought a smile to even Jaris' face. A single cub was born shortly after, but she brought with her more pain and sorrow than happiness. Qinisela was premature, small and weak. Uthando dared not leave Okoa's side, and it was at these times that Kwetu had to fill in for him on patrols. It took some time, but Qinisela finally pulled through, and that brought in sighs of relief from Uthando and tears from Okoa. Their child would live, they were finally out of the woods.

For now.

Kwetu and Uru were now adults, and spent most of their time with little Qini'. Uthando and Mohatu were aware that the two youngsters were inseparable, and the Emperor had long talks with Uru about her plans for her friend. It appeared that she wished for Kwetu to become her consort when she became Empress, and he had no intentions to decline. A ceremony was prepared, and the princess and her lover were soon wed. It was a good thing too, for Mohatu was evidently ageing, grey lining his jaw and mane, his steps become slower and his breathing laboured. He was going for long walks often, and Uthando grew increasingly worried for him. On one of his walks he decided to accompany the Emperor, Okoa tagging along at her leisure, to put his mind at ease, but it would have been better if he had not.

This time, they were ambushed by Danile's two daughters, Elisha and Sarafina, the heirs of Sel' who were bent on revenge for their father's death. They were accompanied by their followers, and were merciless. They seemed to ignore Uthando and charged straight for the Emperor, tearing into him and not leaving until they confirmed that he was injured beyond healing. Uthando had fought hard, trying to prise some of the lionesses away from his Emperor, but they had been relentless and no amount of struggling from the bodyguard had been able to get them away from their target. After they let the Emperor slump to the ground, they noticed Okoa, stood frozen with fear. Uthando barely had time to cry out for her before they set on her, and though Uthando fought to save her, his strength had abandoned him, and before the night ended, he found himself cradling his love. For hours he stayed before returning at nightfall, and both Uru and Qinisela were beside themselves with worry. Their uncensored cries of agony when he told them of what had happened would stay with him for as long as he lived.

For days after the death of Okoa, Uthando was unable to sleep. He couldn't concentrate, for his only thoughts were of Mohatu and his love, and how he had failed to save the Emperor. After a long and anguished thought, he went walking once more. Uru found him by the gorge, for she too was restless, and they spoke briefly.

“You grieve for my father,” she said bluntly, trying to fight tears.

“He was a brother to me,” Uthando replied truthfully. “He saved me from a pride that surely would have been the death of me. He allowed me to open up in a strange new pride. He gave me a purpose here in the Pridelands. I owe him everything. A debt I'll never be able to repay.”

She was silent for a few moments. “You loved him, did you not?”

“Aye. Now he's gone, and I find myself with no purpose. Okoa too; I've lost all that would have kept me holding on. Now I have nothing.”

“You sound like someone who's given up already.”

“Oh, sweet Empress.” He regarded her with a tear-stained face. “I gave up the moment I heart Okoa's rattling breath leave her for the last time.”

It was then that Uru clicked, and she realised his purpose for being here at the gorge, the seemingly bottomless abyss. “But Qinisela – you'll break her heart if you...”

“I will, won't I?” Another tear fell to the ground. “She's strong, Uru, stronger than I am. Still, I need you to be there for her when I'm gone, because I'm not backing out.”

Uru gave him a swift kiss upon the cheek. “Uthando, I swear upon all that is holy I won't let Qinisela follow you, not so soon. I only wish I could talk you out of it.”

“Don't be sad for me, sweet Empress.” A small smile. “I'm going to see my Okoa. I'm going to see your father.”

* * *

Bases belong to me.