Kindheart

Name: Kindheart (Not his birth-name, changed once he became a rogue)
Meaning: Kindheart: "Someone who has a good and caring nature"

Age: Adult
Gender/Sex/Pronounces: Male, male, he/him
Sexuality: Demisexual

There is a pride located near the great lake, called "The Golden ones", or just the Golden Pride. Kindheart was firstborn of their current king, Koura, and thus the true heir to the throne. Alongside his younger brother, Kowhai, Kindheart was raised and taught the ways of the royals. However, despite being born royal, Kind felt everything but ready for his future title. The pressures of becoming the king of the biggest pride around would have been enough pressure on him on it's own, but his peers were anything but supportive. As a cub he had to survive daily bullying from the other semi-royals in the pride, including the lioness he was dethroned to. It didn't matter what he said, did, didn't do or didn't day, the others always found a way to mock him. By the time he was a teenager, Kind was so full of the others' mockery, he was almost completely mute, so he would not trigger another chorus of mockery. Even his own father, who was supposed to be oh so great and amazing, turned a blind eye to the bullies, and brought up a million excuses to why he would not stop them. Most common that Kind heard were "you need to stand up to them yourself" and "they are your future council, they will learn to respect you when they grow". But by then it was too late. Kindheart was so full of their bullying, he wanted to have nothing to do with them.

The only one in the pride who was not mean to him was Straggler. Straggler saw how much the others were hurting Kind, and stood by his side. But no matter how much he tried, the hate and anger inside Kind was growing.

In a strange irony of events, what happened next stopped a possible onslaught of the to-be-council-members. Kind's brother, Kowhai, tried to assassinate Kind. The younger brother had always felt like he would fair better as a king, so all he needed to do was to push his brother out of the way. And that he quite literally did, by pushing his brother off a cliff when no-one else was there to watch. The bottom of the cliff had a rapid river that swept Kind with it, far away from the pride that he so hated. Kohwai returned to the pride, singing a tale of how the bullying had finally made Kind end his misery by jumping, despite his pleas and cries. Shocked and angered by the fate of his eldest son, which was party his own fault, and he knew it well, king Koura took the future council's tittle away from them, making them nothing but normal sub-males and huntresses. Kind's body was never found, and Kohwai was crowned as the future heir to the throne.

All while the pride was living in turmoil, old bullies came face to face with their own actions, and Straggler was left to mourn his friend, Kind woke up miles away from his home on the chore of the river. He remembered clearly what had happened, and now his hate was concentrated square on his traitorous brother. On the other paw, this was the perfect way to begin his life anew. No more heavy crown to carry, no more bullying, no more stress and misery. But something in Kind did miss the pride. Maybe it was the comfy life of luxury, maybe the fact he would never take revenge on his bullies by exiling them once he became king, he wasn't sure. What he did know was that whenever he dreamed of the Golden pride, he dreamed of a certain white lion whom he had once called a friend...

Time went on, and Kindheart traveled the land as a nameless rogue. At some point, he met an elderly shaman and became his apprentice. Learning much from this elder, he found his new passion: mixing herbs, helping animals in need, seeing their future, and much more. When the elder foresaw his own demise, he left everything to Kindheart, as he did not have any cubs of his own. Kindheart took his new name and role as a traveling shaman, enjoying every day more and more. He had found the happiness he had seeked his whole life. And yet there was a burning desire in his heart. Burning desire to return home, and show them how happy and content he was without them, without their dumb laws and titles. Burning desire to see him again...

On his travels, he met a group of young lions and lionesses, and joined them on their travels, helping them whenever they were injured, teaching them how to find water on bad droughts, and much more. Being the eldest, he became sort of the big brother of the group, but he was never forced to take any responsibility against his will. He became especially close with the leader of the group, Blazing Mane.

During one of the worst droughts they had ever experienced, they came by a young female with two cubs. They helped her by sharing their water with her, and Kind was shocked to realize; he KNEW this lioness. She was one of the lionesses from the Golden Pride. She soon recognized him as well, and begged him to return and take back his crown. Apparently his no-good brother was screwing up the pride, kicking out anyone he deemed not worthy enough to share their water, or those he saw as competition. Kind's father had grown weak after the supposed death of his eldest son, mostly out of guilt, and the old council had been given their places back, but only if they pledged utmost loyalty to Kohwai. Most had declined, until it was the only way to survive. He had even forced Kind's old betrothed to become his mate or suffer a long hard death in the heat. Kind felt a whole different hatred now. He had resented his father and bullies for what they had done, but hearing they were suffering made him feel awful. So the group decided to walk in and stop the madness of king Kohwai. After all, Kind was the true heir to the throne.

King Kohwai did not expect to hear a roar of a challenging male that day. He however just did what he always did when someone tried to challenge him; he sent his strongest males to deal with it. But this time they returned with what seemed like shock, and a gleam of hope in their eyes.

"The true heir has returned!" they would shout. Rest assured, Kohwai's face would be as pale as snow when he heard those words.

And the Sun be damned, his older brother was indeed alive, walking with uncharacteristic bravery in his paws, straight towards him. Snarl in his teeth and murder in his eyes. Kohwai's wishes that Kind had forgotten were very quickly taken away from him. All tries to talk his way out of the incoming doom were for nothing. No lion or lioness, even those who had pledged their loyalty to him or hated Kind when he was "alive", had all turned their backs on him. Including his own father, who looked at him with almost as much murderous intent as his brother did.

Kind, who was definitely not living to his new name at that moment, fought Kohwai bravely, taking all of his hatred towards his childhood and past struggles out on his traitorous brother. But since he was no murderer, he let his brother go, alive, to the wilderness he had chased so many of the Pride's old members. If the heat didn't get him, those pride members would. Kohwai's body was found weeks later, mauled to pieces by what seemed like hyenas or jackals.

The happiness of the Golden pride didn't go on for long. Kind, imminently after taking back his throne, gave it away. He made it clear to the pride that he wanted nothing to do with them. That he had found happiness elsewhere. They would be on their own from now on. Taking one last glance of his elderly father (how weak and sad he looked, loosing his son all over again) and those he used to hate so much (how skinny and beaten they looked, how both happy and sad they seemed). His eyes rested a bit longer on a certain white male, who was looking at him with so much love and happiness he looked like he would burst into tears at any moment.

And thus Kind left as he had come. The Pride would be fine, he knew it would. The old members would hear of the old king's defeat and return. Koura would find another to take over the throne. They would be fine. And he would have gotten his revenge.

That very night, when the group was resting next to the very same river that had taken Kind away all those years ago, they noticed they had a follower. The white lion had followed them, and expressed he wished to join them. Kind didn't know how to feel. So he let the rest of the pride decide. They decided to see if the dainty male would make it as a rogue long enough to actually be considered part of the group. If not, they would lead them back to the Golden Pride.

Walking behind the group, surviving on scraps and drinking from muddy puddles, Straggler got his new name from Blazing Mane. As it was clear Straggler would not go back, and would stay, Kind started to finally build the bridge that had been burned the day he had "died". Before he knew it, the rainy season had started, and him and Straggler were closer than ever before. The few good memories of his childhood merged together with the happy moments of his current life, and Kind came to understand his feelings better. He had longed, not for the Pride, but for his friend. And now that his friend was here, he no longer needed his old Pride.

Kind finally had everything. A job he loved, people whom respected him the way he was, and someone to love and who loved him back. He could finally leave his old demons behind. He was finally happy.

Relationships
Straggler - Old childhood best friend, current mate and loved one. Kind loves everything about Straggler; his beauty, his kindness, his bravery. Straggler means everything to Kindheart, and he is willing to fight to keep him safe.
Blazing Mane - Kind sees Blaze as sort of a younger brother/surrogate son. He understands Blaze's struggles as a leader, and tries to be there for him as much as possible. After Straggler, Blaze is the most important person in Kind's life.
Snowstalker - The two are in friendly terms. Kind knows of Blaze's feelings towards Snow and actively helps the two to get closer.
Diver - The two are in friendly terms. Find her a bit overbearing at times, but knows she is doing it out of love.
Boulderbreaker - The two are good friends. They share interest in gemstones and often talk for hours about them.
Tree Jumper - Cares for the female how a big brother or a father would. Admires their energy and positivity.
Dune Dasher - The two are in friendly terms. Respects Dasher's knowledge on survival.