🦁 WELCOME TO THE PRIDE! 🦁

Ah! Welcome, welcome! Please watch your step—the cubs have buried something in the dirt again, and nobody's entirely sure if it's a bone or Jabari's dignity.

Allow me to introduce one of the finest lion prides on the savanna! Noble protectors! Skilled hunters! A close-knit family built on loyalty, teamwork, and—

Kali: "WHO ATE MY GAZELLE?!"

...and occasional disagreements.

Nia: "It wasn't your gazelle."

Kali: "I WAS THINKING ABOUT EATING IT!"

Sanaa: "Thinking isn't ownership."

Kali: "IT IS TO ME!"

See? Perfectly functional.

👑 Kiongozi

The pride's fearless leader! Wise! Strong! Courageous! A symbol of—

Jabari: "He snores."

Kiongozi: "...Jabari."

Jabari: "Just saying."

Kiongozi: "Come closer and say it again."

Jabari: "...I'm good."

😂 Jabari

Every family has that one.

You know.

The one who keeps poking sleeping crocodiles just to see what happens.

The walking bad decision.

The reason everyone collectively sighs at least twice a day.

Jabari: "I bring joy."

Ivory: "You bring paperwork."

Jabari: "We're lions."

Ivory: "Exactly."

🎯 Nia

Head hunt coordinator.

The planner.

The organizer.

The lioness desperately trying to keep everyone alive despite overwhelming evidence that they're actively working against her.

Nia: "Can we please stick to the hunting plan?"

Kali: "I HAVE A BETTER IDEA."

Nia: "...That's exactly what I'm afraid of."

🦈 Ivory

Quiet.

Reliable.

Patient.

The cream-colored lioness with the unmistakable shark tail.

She belongs to a rare lineage capable of laying eggs rather than giving live birth, though she's never taken a mate and has never laid one.

She's one of the pride's most dependable hunters, the cubs' favorite napping spot, and the only lion capable of knocking Jabari over with one perfectly timed tail slap.

Jabari: "She only hits me because she cares."

Ivory: "No."

Jabari: "...Worth asking."

❤️ Sanaa

Mother.

Babysitter.

Medic.

Therapist.

Professional cub wrangler.

If you're injured, hungry, frightened, or under the age of one year, she'll probably adopt you before sunset.

Sanaa: "Has anyone seen my cub?"

Kali: "Which one?"

Sanaa: "...Good question."

⚡ Kali

Fast.

Competitive.

Dramatic.

Has never met a situation she couldn't turn into a contest.

Kali: "Bet I can climb that rock faster than—"

Nia: "No."

Kali: "I didn't even finish."

Nia: "I know."

🌿 Zahra

The oldest lioness.

She has survived droughts.

Buffalo.

Hyenas.

Rival prides.

And somehow...

This family remains her greatest challenge.

Zahra: "One day you'll all mature."

Silence.

Jabari: "...Define 'one day.'"

🐾 The Cubs

Tiny.

Adorable.

Sticky.

Questions include:

"Can birds swim?"

"Why is Ivory's tail fish-shaped?"

"Can I fight the sun?"

"Does Kiongozi know he's big?"

No one knows where they come up with these questions.

Everyone knows Jabari is somehow involved.

Jabari: "I plead the fifth."

Nia: "Wrong continent."

🌾 Life in the Pride

One minute, everyone is peacefully sleeping beneath an acacia tree.

The next...

Kali is accusing Sanaa of stealing "her" sleeping spot.

Sanaa insists she's had it for years.

Nia is trying to organize tomorrow's hunt while nobody listens.

Jabari is absolutely, unquestionably responsible for whatever explosion of chaos just happened.

Ivory is pretending she's not smiling.

Kiongozi is wondering if rival males would somehow be less exhausting.

Zahra has accepted that this is simply her life now.

Narrator: They're a loving family.

Kali: "WHO MOVED MY BONE?!"

Sanaa: "Because it was in the nursery."

Kali: "It was seasoning."

Nia: "It was rotting."

Jabari: "I kinda liked the smell."

Everyone: "JABARI."

Jabari: "...What?"

Narrator: ...They're trying to be a loving family.

Now go on.

They've almost certainly started another argument while you were reading this.