《 ━━━━━━━━━━━ VARAN ━━━━━━━━━━━ 》
❖ ━━ ɴᴀᴍᴇs ➳ Varan (June 25, 2019)
❖ ━━ ʙᴏʀɴ ➳ June 5, 2019
❖ ━━ ᴊᴏɪɴᴇᴅ ➳ June 20, 2019
❖ ━━ ʀᴀɴᴋ ➳ King of the Akarvi Pride
❖ Not an adolescent, he's just small lol. short king
❖ July 15, 2019 》Varan came to the pride as a young male, heels still hot from being chased out of his old pride. He wandered for weeks, angry at the world.
Why? he would ask the stars. Why was he cast out and left behind, by his own father? Was he not accepted? Did he fail somewhere? Where? The questions plagued Varan's mind, crumpled his ego, crushed his young heart. He didn't know what to think - was this just how the world was? How would he compete, how would he survive? Did he have to match her cruelty?
In his distress, it made sense. So he adapted. Changed. Varan traveled endlessly, on the prowl for any creature he could get under his claws. Each kill was bloody, messy; to him, it's how the world worked. He didn't stop, even if it was to rest the wound on his wrist. Varan felt he had to suffer through the pain each step brought him. If he didn't he wouldn't grow strong, wouldn't survive under the blistering sun.
And then, he found Hirosian. Or, Hirosian found him, collapsed and delirious from dehydration. Poor cub was a mess. Varan struggled, but there was little he could do about large teeth gripping his scruff and dragging him back to the heart of his pride. Within the confines of the pines, he felt trapped. Encased, caged. But the shade they brought, coupled with damp moss to drink from, felt heavenly.
Varan was back on his paws in just a few days, with the help from Naomi, Hirosian, Tanga, and a number of the other lions. The way he was treated - the way the pride treated each other - was a shock he wasn't prepared for. It was full of warmth, of openness towards each other. He didn't quite know how to react. Didn't know how to fit in. So while he recovered, Varan kept mostly to himself. Never acted aggressively, but could also never carry a conversation. It was... awkward, to say the least. He fumbled over his own paws, dumbfounded by the kindness he received from lions who he thought would've killed him.
For those weeks, Varan kept close to Hirosian. The king taught him many things, from how to hunt with his massive mane to every leaf and pebble of the pride's territory. Their customs, beliefs; Varan took it all in with eyes wide. The young male didn't think he could change completely, and Hirosian never expected him to. However, he did mellow out. The huntresses taughtVaran how to make a clean kill, how to give respect to their prey and enemies. He does so now, in his own way. As the months passed, Varan began to feel safe among the other lions. Secured by their numbers, welcomed into meals. He felt like he belonged there. He felt... good. When he reached adulthood, Varan was appointed as a proper Scout, independent from Tanga's supervision. However, he still tagged along with the old, lonely male.
Growing up. Varan always enjoyed the idea. Growing big and strong and threatening, unmatched by anything that came his way. But, he soon learned that growing up led to growing old. Like a worm, the thought buried itself into the back of his mind and he couldn't dig it out.
Varan was one of the first to notice the signs, having spent so much time with Hirosian. Missing the sunrise, waking at sunhigh. The heavier footsteps, the labored breathing after easy hunts. The skin that sagged along his jowls and belly. Hirosian was growing old, and it scared Varan. What was he going to do without the king - his king? The lion who saved him, brought him back from death and turned his whole world around? The pain tore fresh wounds into his withered heart, a pain he hadn't felt before.
Cautiously, Varan brought it up to Hirosian. The Barbary male tried to hide it, excuse it, ignore it - but now it was unavoidable. The whole pride was worrying. What would happen when he was gone?
Hirosian led Varan away to talk - a conversation just between the two of them. Wise words spilled from Hirosian's lips, theories and philosophies of the world, their place in it. His own experiences as a lion, as a leader. Raising cubs, protecting his family. Keeping them safe and happy. Varan was confused - what did he mean? Why was he talking like...
Like he was Hirosian's heir?
Hirosian saw something within Varan. Past his exotic exterior, past the walls he built up in his loneliness. Varan was a lion who cared, deep down, about those he cared for. One who would take action when a challenge arose, face it and learn from it. One who directed himself, his ideas and motives, without feeling afraid to seek help. Hirosian thought, with time and guidance, Varan would become a great leader.
And again, Varan was left shocked, unable to wrap his head around the idea of being king. Overwhelmed by the pressure, the praise his idol let flow, Varan ran. He raced blindly through the dizzying pines, thudding pawsteps droning in his ears, and in short time he found himself alone, and Hirosian didn't search for him. He gave the young lion space to think, and in time Varan returned to the pride. His mind was still swimming, but Hirosian was patient. He could wait, and when Varan was ready, Hirosian began to teach him all there is to being a king.
As the months close in, Varan feels like he's learned so much yet not enough. It's strange, transitioning from the newcomer to the new king. He's gained a certain level of respect; passing lions bow their heads in a friendly gesture, call him
prince and
heir. There's a lot to get used to. All Varan hopes for is that he'll be ready.
❖ July 29, 2019 》For the past two days Varan had been taught the motions of the ceremony, where to step and what to say, all the while guided by the old King. And for the past two days, Varan could not get the even out of his mind. Behind a cool expression his heart raced and his mind was a jumbled mess, thoughts racing and colliding together at alarming rates. He couldn't sit still, struggled to eat. Kept by himself to hide his anxieties.
But the day had finally come. There were no second guesses, no backing out. Today was the
real day. Varan's stomach flipped when Hirosian called an announcement for the pride. His last as King, but not at all lesser than any other. Unlike the retiring King, Varan was a mess. He fumbled over his pawsteps, posture slacked, wide eyes darting between everyone staring at him. Once he made it beside Hirosian, though, Varan could take in a deep breath and stand tall as he gazed down at his pridemates. He felt stronger with the older male there to steady him.
It was... emotional. Hirosian spoke for a long time, mostly recalling the important events in his life, his kingship. All the experiences that made him who he was. Mentioned every single lioness that sat before him, as well as those who watched among the stars. He talked about Varan, then. Raising the younger male, watching him grow, and now excited and hopeful for his success. And so, so full of pride. Varan liked to think he kept it cool.
And finally, Hirosian stepped down from his position, and appointed Varan as the new King. A joyous celebration followed, full of laughter and cheer. Varan was caught in the center of the attention; decorated and praised, accepted as their King. The pride sang, danced, and ate well into the night, organized playful competitions until every lion was worn out but content.
Varan hopes to uphold the promises he made to them, his pride. To lead them, to protect them. To continue the happiness and warmth he saw that night into every night after.
《 ━━━━━━━━━━━ INTERACTIONS ━━━━━━━━━━━ 》
❖ June 20, 2019 》Added Snowy Morning, Vulture Feather and Skull Necklace
❖ June 22, 2019 》
When seeking Varan to say hello, you noticed him playing with a dead warthog piglet.
❖ June 24, 2019 》Used a Sangoma Mask to change personality from Heartless (Evil) to Mysterious (Neutral)
❖ June 29, 2019 》Used Hematite Dust to change base from Steele [BMCC] to Hematite [BMCS]. Was called soft. <3
❖ July 1, 2019 》Used Tiger's Eye to keep Varan an adolescent
❖ July 2, 2019 》Added Albino Raven and Scar: Front Leg Left
❖ July 5, 2019 》Added Snow and Vernonia karaguensis
❖ July 23, 2019 》
You were having trouble sleeping, so you left the den, and ran into Varan. He sits with you and tells you all about the shapes he can see in the stars.
❖ July 29, 2019 》 Kinged at 4 years, 4 months old with 832 stats! Added Endangered Hipwear [Leopard], Shy V'Kai, Ethereal Touch, Broken Ritual, and Mysterious Stranger's Tail Bands.
━ Items + Decor To Add
❖ [] Mossy Arch (Whack-A-Snake)
❖ [X] Vines (On Hirosian)
❖ [] [S] Sugarbush (Bunny Shop - April)
❖ [] Bone Jewelry Bodywear ?
━ Maybe
❖ [] Brachycorythis congoensis (Serengeti Shuffle)
❖ [] Cape Snow Bush (December)
❖ [] Fiend Horns (October)
❖ [] Some skull/bones for the left side?
❖ [] Triskelion (October)
《 ━━━━━━━━━━━ STAT GROWTH ━━━━━━━━━━━ 》
❖ July 2, 2019 [ 2y 1mo ] 》280 TOTAL [ 63str 64stm 60agi 43spd 38smt 12ski ]
❖ July 5, 2019 [ 2y 4mo ] 》322 TOTAL [ 71str 72stm 68agi 49spd 46smt 16ski ]
❖ July 29, 2019 [ 4y 4mo ] 》832 TOTAL [ 163str 170stm 156agi 136spd 145smt 62ski ]
━ After 79 Broken Drones, 49 UAVs, 2 Coconuts, 1 Giant Tort, and exploring 》LVL 7 & 872 TOTAL
❖ September 23, 2021 》LVL 16 with 1229 stats. [ STR 238 SPD 229 STM 240 SMT 226 AGI 220 Skill 76 ]
《 ━━━━━━━━━━━ ART ━━━━━━━━━━━ 》
❖ Icon made by
Turk!
❖ Lineart by
albatraoozz, colored by me!
OLD CLAN INFO:
THE AKARVI PRIDE
A reclusive pride of lions who lurk in the shadows and fog of this forest, instead of roaming the hot open plains. The pride is led by Varan, who seems a bit small for a king, but is a strong and respectable leader nonetheless. The Akari pride has a more reserved nature, but the lions here treat guests with kindness and good hospitality. The forest is a reprieve from the blazing sun, and there is plenty of food to go around.
