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Ajali is a male lion and a member of the Moyo Hodari Pride.
Appearance[]
Cub[]
A rather small, poorly-muscled cub with short legs, Ajali is anything but the strongest or fastest. He has a round muzzle with smooth fur on his lower jaw and huge round ears that appear quite oversized compared to his thin face. He has short, soft, tawny fur, light and rather creamy in color, that turns pale, yellowish ivory on his underbelly, paws, and muzzle. His thick, fluffy tail tuft is gold, and his nose is light pink. He has tilleul eyes, large and wide-set even on his narrow face. He has big paws, which is part of the reason for his clumsiness.
Adult[]
As he matured, Ajali grew into a decently sized lion, though he still does not quite reach average height. His paws, once massive, are less large in comparison to his body, though his ears seem bigger than ever, almost elephantine in their size. He is a round-featured lion, his face smooth and circular and the curves of his muzzle gentle. Pale tawny fur, very short and silky, covers her short body, transitioning to a softer pale yellow-tan hue on his muzzle, underbelly, and slightly oversized paws. A somewhat long tail emerges from his rump, with a very fluffy and dense tuft that is the same color as the mane that he sports; short, but quite dense. His nose is pale pink, and his inner ears are several shades darker than the rest of his coat.
Personality[]
Cub[]
Ajali is a fairly dimwitted cub, a poor observer and ignorant about other animals. He is still naive, despite having seen much for a cub his age. He is usually slow to catch onto jokes and understand exchanged glances. Though he is not a very good leader, he still tries to boss others around and appear like he is in charge. He also lacks courage, despite often putting on a show of bravery. Though he does not like fighting, he understands the need for it. He loves his sisters and his guardian, and does not like to see them taking risks and putting themselves into danger. Ajali always tries to be sympathetic and polite, usually with success.
Adult[]
As an adult, Ajali has matured socially as well as physically. He is more observant, though he can sometimes miss out on subtle hints of body language. During his later teenage years, he gave up trying to be the boss(this was due to the fact that his sister became queen). Ajali is a loyal pride member, though not the brightest, and fully supports Nurisha as pride ruler. However, he sometimes grows lonely when she is too busy to spend much time with him. He is better at being comforting and courteous, having spent much more time around other lions.
Ajali still deeply loves Macheo and Nurisha, but he spends more and more time focusing on his daughter, Shibli. Shibli's mother, Ugonjwa, died giving birth, and Ajali was heartbroken. However, he was able to pull himself together enough to be a nurturing parent towards Shibli. He tries to fill in the roles of both mother and father for her, and is currently trying to teach her to hunt along with Badilifu, though the latter has little patience for Shibli's playful antics while Ajali's tolerance is endless.
History[]
Strength of Heart[]
After being called by Kingiza, Ajali, Nurisha, and Macheo emerge from a cave. Hodari demands that they all leave and mentions that Ajali is runty, angering the cub. He snarls a protest that turns into a cry of shock as he tries to step forward and plummets from the cave. He issues a sound of pain upon landing on his chest, rump in the air. He sits down as Kingiza begins to argue with Hodari. Kumbufu pulls Hodari aside, and afterwards he announces they can join the pride, causing Ajali to gape.
Back at the home of the pride, Ajali sits between Nurisha and Macheo, trying to put on a brave face. Chekesha, a pride cub, jokes in response to Macheo's greeting, and Ajali smiles. Chekesha suggests that they get something to eat, and Ajali agrees, inviting her to lead the way. After they approach a zebra carcass where Zoelesha and Machungwa are dining, Kingiza asks if they will be okay while he speaks with Hodari. Ajali replies that they will be fine after sputtering briefly.
Chekesha introduces them to the rest of the cubs in the pride, and they begin to play a game with Kimbilia and Lubaya after having the instructions repeated. Kimbilia unearths a stone and flicks it to Ajali, who doesn't move and lets it strike him in the face. Raising his voice in a brief complaint, he shakes his head before declaring that he knows just what to do. Once the game is over, Ajali starts to brag about his playing, but Nurisha brushes her tail against his muzzle, putting a stop to this. They decide to sleep where Kingiza is sleeping, and Ajali orders them to follow him. They settle down against their guardian and fall asleep. In the morning, the four of them gather around the king after the latter roars. He announces them into the pride and comments that they will all do well. More coming soon
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In earlier drafts of Strength of Heart, Ajali shared no relation with Nurisha.