Nako

Gender: Male
Age: Eight years
Species: African Lion
Pride: Ashlands
Rank: Unofficial King

Appearance: The lion is big. The harsh lifestyle he was raised in has formed a strong, muscular frame, while genetics make him unusually tall for a lion. His fur is a warm tan shade, with pale muzzle, underbelly, and toes. Nostrils are a ruddy shade. His eyes are friendly and kind, an unusual shade of crimson with yellow, like flames. His thick mane is a rich brown color, shaggy and unkempt. Blazing down his forehead is a broad stripe, mostly hidden by his mane.

Personality: A gentle giant. Nako has seen the best and the worst the world has to offer, and he takes it all in stride. The lion is eternally optimistic in spite of all the obstacles in his life, and always has an encouraging word to offer. He is welcoming towards strangers, and the brute’s size alone normally keeps him out of trouble with other males of his species (since they don’t want to fight someone so big). He has a sense of humor that would surprise many, and his peaceful nature is evident. He doesn’t look mean or menacing because he isn’t either of those things.

He is also very sympathetic by nature, and tends to gravitate towards those who had suffered greatly in their lives. Nako would do anything to help a stranger. Despite all of his friendly tendencies, he struggles to keep friends. Newcomers tend to stay only a short while, and those he does grow close to seem to have bad luck. Sometimes Nako wonders if he is cursed because he has lost everyone that has ever mattered to him, but this doesn’t keep him from striving for something better. He’s determined and patient.

Family: Yetu (father), Waamini (mother), Totoma (brother)
History: Nako was born into a pride of wandering vagabonds. His father was the youngest son of the king of a distant kingdom, far beyond the jungles and the mountains to the south. Because he had no chance to become king, Yetu struck out on his own in search of a lioness and a kingdom of his own, never to return to his father’s pride.

Along the way, the charming lion gathered a harem of rogue lionesses, promising that someday, they would find a home. For a few years, the roaming pride survived in neutral territories, but the fates seemed against them. Most of the cubs born soon perished due to the hard life of the rogues, without a den to call home. The lionesses began to leave, one by one, until Nako’s mother was the last remaining. His mother was the most faithful, and she would have followed her mate to the ends of the earth. She loved the lion and her cubs with all her heart, and her young sons benefited from her adoring attention.

When Nako was a year and a half old, his mother was killed by a pride lion. Their father did his best for his growing sons. His goal was to be a king with a kingdom, and without a pride, he had to start all over again. He traveled with his sons, teaching them about hunting and survival. One day, their father left to scout for a new territory, and he never returned. Nako would never know if his father was dead, or if he had simply abandoned the boys. Even though the odds were against them, both Nako and his brother Totoma grew to maturity, still searching for the elusive free land their father had dreamed of.

A wild thunderstorm ended the duo one dramatic night. The brothers were in a canyon they had never seen before, with ancient, rotting trees. During the storm, the old trees caught fire from lightning strikes, and the whole canyon burned quickly with the lions inside of it. Nako was separated from his brother. The next morning, Totoma’s charred body was discovered, and Nako realized he was on his own. He also realized that the lands he had happened upon were not claimed by a pride, or the local pride had recently left. Nako decided this would be his home, and called his new “kingdom” the Ashlands. There, he waited for others to come in search of a home for themselves.


OOC Alias: Bee
Best Way to Contact: PM
Rp Sample: N/A

Approved!