Balana

July 27, 2024 Balana is a lioness character from The Lion King MUCK, who has been in existence from March 10, 1997 - February 2, 2002, and January 31, 2004 - present. She was born in the Golden Lands and was once queen of the Zari Bara and Kopje Valley prides. She has been a resident of the Celestial Volcano, Utatu, and Natamba prides. Currently, she lives in the Kopje Valley pride, ruled by her youngest son Mzohari.

History
Balana was born in the Golden Lands to the lion Nabana and the lioness Kurana, moments before her younger brother and littermate Mtunga. Her cubhood was typical for that of any pridal cub until her mother Kurana disappeared over a waterfall in the lands. Heartbroken, her father fell into depression and became neglectful in his duties until the lionesses drove him out. Balana and Mtunga, not about to lose their other parent, took off after him. Once into the desert, Nabana managed to get his two cubs to the northern brink before he was attacked by a rogue. He fought the male off and saved his two cubs, but became mortally wounded in the process.

Balana and Mtunga managed to make it the Pride Lands' gorge and take shelter for the night, but when she awoke the next morning, Mtunga was gone. A search took her to the Pride Lands' waterhole. Tired, discouraged, and hungry, she ran into another lion cub who took her to where he lived, a refuge occupied by a panther and lioness couple, Amani and Kilonda. They adopted Balana, but this adoption meant little more than food and a place to sleep, because most days she roamed around still searching for her brother. She met many friends and family during this time, including lion cubs Simbayo and Nyanya, meerkats Kimya and Msondo, and Kilonda's father Siombe.

Kilonda's death in Balana's late cubhood prompted Siombe to adopt Balana, and she moved in with his pride to the Celestial Volcano. Some time later her mother Kurana turned up and took Siombe's adoptive brother Mohatu as a mate and settled in the Kopje Valley. Balana spent time with both sets of parents and amongst the prides, but also tended to go roaming from time to time, much to their dismay.

Once into adolescence, she moved out and took a betrothed, Simbayo, but ultimately ditched him in favor of Nyanya in the early stages of adulthood. Balana and Nyanya formed a small pride and went back to the Golden Lands, serving as their queen and king, with Balana pregnant. Nyanya fell blind shortly before their four cubs were born (Lesana, Nabana, Nyoyo, and Shaujo), and after becoming fond of another lioness, Tarlia, when he thought Balana had left him, and after the death of Lesana, he faked his death. Balana took the three remaining cubs to live with Siombe for several months, which she spent as a long period in mourning.

Eventually, Balana returned to the Golden Lands to try and resume some sort of normal life. She would come to find out that Nyanya was alive, could see, and was bringing a pregnant Tarlia home with him. This was the beginning of a rift between the two lionesses that lasted many seasons. Although Balana managed to forgive Nyanya, their son Shaujo didn't, and soon took off to parts unknown. Nyanya and Tarlia's first litter (Jaoja, Twanka, and Desmei) brought some joy to the pride for a while, but after Desmei and Nyoyo died, and Twanka also wandered off, there weren't many left in the Golden Lands.

Three more litters came after Balana and Tarlia's first litters were nearly adults, both having two girls. Balana had Alaira and Kisiri, and Tarlia had Tanja and Kya. One of the other lionesses, Miara, had a son Watuku. However, the pride dwindled, and found Tarlia, Jaoja, Tanja, and Kya wandering off to the Pride Lands, and Alaira and Kisiri nearly following. Balana and Nyanya brought Tarlia and her daughters back home, but it was a short-lived victory, for soon after Nyanya fell ill with the sleeping sickness, which ultimately came to be his end, and the rest of the pride slowly went its separate ways.

Balana was the last of the pride left there when the first fire struck. She escaped with her life, as well as the lives of two of the local meerkats, and once again headed for Siombe's. After some time recuperating and finding out that Nabana was reforming a pride in the Golden Lands, she went between the two places for a while, and spent some time with Shaujo's son Weupe in a semi-nomadic lifestyle for a few seasons, never really growing close to the new pride Nabana had formed.

One of these returns to the Golden Lands had found it once again consumed by fire, and her unaware of any survivors. Here she set out to find Nabana, a journey which lasted over a few seasons and many miles, taking her far away from those she knew who were left. She eventually gave up her search and returned to her brother Mtunga's pride, where she lived in partial seclusion until she heard that an old friend (Tahzhoo, who had visited on a few occasions during his youth) had taken up residence in the Golden Lands with a small pride.

She has numerous aoptive siblings, nieces and nephews, and cousins (both by blood and adoption).

Parents

 * Nabana - Lion (birth father, deceased)
 * Kurana - Lioness (birth mother, deceased)
 * Siombe - Lion (adoptive and acting father)
 * Svelta - Lioness (adoptive mother as a cub, deceased)
 * Mohatu - Lion (stepfather, deceased)
 * Amani - Male Panther (adoptive father as a cub, deceased)
 * Kilonda - Lioness (adoptive mother as a cub, deceased)
 * Kaminto - Male Cheetah (adoptive father as a cub, deceased)
 * Swala - Lioness (adoptive mother as a cub, deceased)

Mates

 * Nyanya - Lion, November 1997 - November 2000 (deceased)
 * Chiboa - Lion, May 2005 - Spring 2006

Offspring

 * With Nyanya
 * Lesana - Lioness Cub (deceased)
 * Nabana - Lion
 * Nyoyo - Adolescent Lioness (deceased)
 * Shaujo - Lion (presumably deceased)
 * Alaira - Lioness (whereabouts unknown)
 * Kisiri - Lioness (whereabouts unknown)


 * Haiba - Lioness (adopted, with Tahzhoo)


 * With Chiboa (Litter born September 2005)
 * Kizingo - Lion
 * Tahlili - Lion (whereabouts unknown)
 * Chanika - Lioness (whereabouts unknown)
 * Mzohari - Lion
 * With Siombe (Litter born May 2009)
 * Inyago - Lion
 * Itumele - Lion
 * Sekhmet - Lioness
 * Uzo - Lioness