Mwezi for GreatMarta

Sorry, GreatMarta, I tried. I redesigned the guy several times, but this headshot was the best I could come up with. Mwezi's design is based mostly on his mother. Something in her complexion made me think one of her parents (or grandparents) might have had green eyes so that's the color I picked. (Quick lesson in genetic: the allele responsible for green eye color is recessive to the brown but dominating over the blue one.)

I also came up with a stump of his story:
Mwezi's babysitter is an old, grumpy lioness. Though born at the Junglelands, in her youth she used to travel a lot and so knows that in other lands white lions and the ones born of them are worshipped as gods. Being worried that the same may happen to the young prince, she decides to "teach the brat some respect and lowliness". Without a consultation with the parents, of course. And that's how the long story of mental abuse begins.

"Thanks to" the babysitter's "educational methods" Mwezi not only develops extremely low self-esteem and feelings of guilt, but also suffers depression and eating disorders, which cause him to be underweighted and unnaturally small for a cub of his age. His parents, not knowing what is the reason, instead of firing the sitter, they get the strongest cub in the pride as the prince's playmate.

At first Mwezi is amazed that Gitonga – the cub he always admired wants to be his friend. The boy's self-esteem is raised a bit. However, it soon goes straight to hell. The way his new friend acts and how he treats him ensures the meek cub that it's the sole physical strength what is a mark of a true leader. Vast knowledge, planning skills, ability to learn and think quickly are nothing special. He, Mwezi, has nothing to offer and generally is a failure as a prince. Hopefully, once he is old enough, he'll sire a strong son - a true heir to the throne.

But when puberty strikes and Gitonga starts to talk about the girls, Mwezi realizes he's looking in that way at no lioness. No, he takes his interest in... Gitonga. That's it. Mwezi is now officially a useless freak of a nature. The pride will never have any benefits from his presence and would be better without him.

When Gitonga becomes clear on his plans towards the prince's sister – Jua, Mwezi starts to thing: maybe pride really would be better off without him. An idea is starting in his head. An idea which breaks his heart.

An unfortunate meeting with an aggressive rogue helps the young lion to make up his mind. He meets with Gitonga - one last time, and informs his friend that he is going to leave the pride in make place for a true king, for it is sure that for her mate Jua will pick the finest of all males - Gitonga. Though Mwezi knows it's the right decision, some tiny part of him hopes that the strong lion will try to stop him, but Gitonga does nothing.

And thus the crown prince leaves his lands.

He doesn't really have a plan what to do outside the Junglelands. Were such god-for-nothing, poor excuse for a lion could go? Finally, he takes the direction of the desert in hope that the sun will kill him and sands will bury his pathetic body. Unfortunately, he's not allowed to die in peace as he quickly walks into small wandering bachelor pride consisting of four lions. They are not aggressive nor dangerous just... annoying. They keep teasing Mwezi, poking him, calling "a maned lioness" and generally make fun of long, skinny legs, his protruding ribs and not fully developed mane. Of course, the just won't leave him and keep following the young lion everywhere, not quitting babbling... until their leader falls into quicksand.

The bachelors all stare, petrified. The only one to keep his mind clear is the former Junglelander. He notices an ancient skeleton of an elephant, one tusk detached and loose... Mwezi calls to the remaining three lions to help him. Together they roll the tusk towards the quicksand. Somehow, the drowning lion manages to grab it and they drag him out.

Mwezi lays down, panting with exhaustion, when he realized that the whole bachelor pride is staring at him in silence.

"What!" he asks, irritated.

"Say..." the rescued lion begins "recently my right paw eloped with two pretty ladies, leaving me without a second-in-command so... Would you like to take the job?"