taj ; aogut ; leader.

[Taj]

.TAJ.



Species: African Lion
Gender: Male
Age: Four years
Pride: Aogut
Rank: Leader
Roleplayed by: Dream

Appearance:
Taj is very large for his species, swinging very hard toward the upper spectrum of average. His frame his very muscular, and as such, he is quite the slow cat. He relies on brute strength when it comes to battle, something that he has a lot of. Apart from size, though, there is nothing very striking about this lion. He looks like any other lion, really. His pelt is medium to dark brown, all of it. The same color frames the entire canvas of his body, head to toe. If anything were to make the lion stand out, it would be his mane. He has a long, thick mane that covers even his chest and shoulders. The vast majority of his mane is dark black, something that implies power in his species. The part of his mane that frames his face is a lighter color, almost orange. His ears are in this part of his mane, but they are black and darker orange, so they stand out a bit. While we are on the subject of his face, I guess I can tell you about it. It is very handsome, and his youth is easily seen upon it. The only scar that mars his body is found on his nose. It is a rather nasty scar that he received from his fight with Yaree. His chin is white, and his nose is very dark brown, bordering on black.

Height: 4 feet.
Weight 500 pounds.
Battle wounds?
He doesn't have any current battle wounds, but his nose is pretty badly scarred from battles in the past.

Personality: charismatic, amiable, kind, loyal, lazy, pessimistic, hot-headed.

The most noticeable thing about Taj is that is he charismatic. He can bend words to his will, and make even the ugliest of statements sound pretty. His charisma is something he was born with, and it is a skill that helps him every day as a leader. He knows how to deliver bad news gently, and how to give criticism without being discouraging. Taj is also very amiable, or friendly. This goes hand in hand with his charismatic nature. He loves to make new friends, and has done so his whole life. He has always had a large network of friends he can fall back on. Kindness is another quality that he possesses. He avoids fighting and harsh words at all costs, because he doesn't like to hurt others. And he is also loyal. This is one of the few traits he inherited from his mother, and luckily for him it is her best trait. Taj would never betray anyone who had given him their trust, he would never betray his pride, he would never betray his mate or his friends. He is loyal until the bitter end, even if he is given a reason not to be.

And then we move into the more negative parts of his personality. Despite being a leader and everything else that he is, Taj is one of the laziest cats you will ever meet. He hates hard work and labor, and if he can find a way to do a job easier, you better believe that he will. The only things he works hard for are things that matter to him, and even then he tries to make them easier. Taj is also very pessimistic. Some might say this is a good trait, some might say it is bad.. It just depends on who you are talking to. But in any case, Taj always prepares for and expects the worst. In some situations this is good, but in others it can be very bad. He has a very hard time being happy in a relationship, because he is always expecting it to end badly. He can also bring down other cat's moods, unintentionally, with the way he looks at things. Finally, another trait he inherited from his mother is his hot-hotheadedness. This trait is always at odds with his kindness. He gets angry and blows up very easily, often doing things that make him grow to hate himself later. He has tried his entire life to get it under control, but he still has very little control of his anger. The smallest thing can and will set him off.

History
Taj was born and raised in the Aogut Pride. His parents were both large, healthy, and strong. They both held the rank of hunter, they were just normal cats in the pride. Taj's father was very calm and peaceful, like much of the rest of the pride. His mother, on the other hand, wasn't very calm at all. She liked to fight, and tried to pick fights often, but was as loyal to her pride as any other. No one is really sure how or why the two fell in love, but they did. And very soon, Nareen found herself with cubs. She wasn't very pleased, because she knew she would have to take time away from what she loved to care for them, but she gritted her teeth and bared it. Besides, she was making more strong cats for the pride, and that was important too.

Sunjata, on the other hand, was very pleased with the fact that he would soon have cubs. Sunjata was a peaceful soul, and he couldn't wait to bond with the cubs, teach them about life, and generally just be a father. He was with Nareen every step of the way through the pregnancy, and she soon gave birth to three cubs. Two males and a female, unfortunately one of the males was born small and sickly. He didn't make it through the night. The other two, Taj and Tulsi were big and healthy. The two cubs couldn't have been more like their father if they tried. Both were a bit clumsy, fairly large, and quite kind. They got along very well and were as close as siblings could be. They grew, and they learned. They learned from their father mostly, their mother spending as little time in the den with them as possible. Taj wasn't the best hunter in the world, but he was loyal to his pride and he worked hard to overcome that particular disability. His sister was very good at hunting, much like their mother, but she didn't enjoy hunting. She spent a lot time around the pride's healer, and told Taj in secret that was what she would love to do. He encouraged to follow her dreams, even if their mother wouldn't approve.

But once their first year was up, Tulsi ignored her calling to the healer's den and became a hunter. Their mother was the most proud of her, often time ignoring Taj all together. He didn't let it get to him, though, and spent his time making friends within the pride. He has always been very charismatic and amiable, so it was easy for him to make friends. A few of the females caught his eye, but he mostly stayed away from the romance department. His life continued in this way until he was three years old. It was then that he made the decision that would change his life. The current second in command of the pride was rude and boastful, and he threw himself at every female in sight. It happened that one day, Taj caught him cornering a young a female, barely even old enough to be a hunter. He confronted the older male about it, and a fight broke out. Taj, being the larger of the two, easily overpowered the slender cheetah. The leader at that time decided to make Taj second in command, saying he didn't not feel safe in the knowledge that Yaree could lead the pride after he passed.

Yaree, of course, was bitter. He hated Taj, and often tried to cause trouble for him. But most of the pride liked Taj, and they wouldn't listen to any of the lies that Yaree tried to spread. Taj had never seen himself in a position of power before, but once he became second in command, he found that he enjoyed being in charge of the other cats. He made a good leader, and was able to convince cats to listen to him with his words and not his claws. It was six months later that the second life-changing event happened for him. His father was killed. Apparently he got stuck in a bog, where he eventually tired out and went under. They found his body floating in the swamp, covered in mud. Taj and Tulsi were devastated by this, and grieved for their father for a long time. Nareen seemed unfazed by the death of the mate, and continued life as normal after a few days. But time heals all wounds, and Taj and Tulsi got over the death of their father after a few months. They still missed him dearly, but they knew they had to go on.

It wasn't long after his father died, that the current leader died as well. The current leader had been a very old, frail tigress. The pride mourned her passing bitterly, and it was with a heavy heart that Taj took the position of leader in her wake. He named ----- his second in command.

Names of family members:
Nareen - seven year old lioness, mother.
Tulsi - four year old lioness, sister.
Sunjata - eight year old lion, father, deceased.