Fevra
		Servals
		Lions
		Leopards
		Felines
		Canids
		Birds

A character I played on The Lion King MUCK in 1999 and 2000.

Batui is a male Serval. A wanderer, although his past is firmly known to him, a proud lineage and pleasant memories of youth with his mother Kilahri, and his litter-sister Kukeni.

He met a female of his own kind, Ayorith, and found himself feeling rather more deeply for her than he had expected to. They became friends, if not always easy with each other; Batui was deeply afraid of losing himself in their connection. He was around through much of Ayorith's pregnancy, and to see their their litter born. After the three kittens—Benja'kaisi, Kukeni and Tahayari—were weaned, and before they had quite begun to talk, Batui left for good.

Name: Probably should be carefully pronounced as [ Bah-two-ee ], with three syllables, but in practice is almost always slurred to [ Bah-twee ]. No meaning, except (arbitrairily) "Handsome" in the Serval language, or at least in some dialect of same.

Batui's Description:

Handsome, perhaps, to one of his own kind, although the regular blots of black patterning this Serval's pelt would seem strangely placed to Leopards or Cheetahs, and merely strange to Lion-kind. The way this svelte feline holdshimself is confident, with a touch of arrogance as well, and not misplaced. Young as he might be, Batui's appearance attests to his experience in dealing with his own kind on a physical level: traced over his foreshoulders and flanks are ridges of scarring.
     The sparse fur around these marks is lighter than elsewhere, the yellowed white of throat and belly, instead of the rich, rust-tinted gold of the remainder of his pelt that is not marked with the dark shadowing of spots, gathering to parallel lines of mottling down his spine. At the crown of his small head, the black flows over the small space remaining between two sizable, upright ears. Then, on the Serval's face, pitch markings scatter over the tracing of tones, orange to bright gold to the not quite white on muzzle and around the edges of his eyes. These, hued a washed out amber, are constantly darting glances at their owner's surroundings--whether familiar or not...
     Indeed, Batui's whole demeanor is that of one ready for fast action, be it aggression, prudent retreat, or a few carefully considered, laconically spoken words. As if in emphasis, Batui's black-ringed tail--short as in all his kind, reaching perhaps half the length of his hindlimbs--twitches in a regular motion that could swiftly excelerate into lashing if the Serval is provoked.
     Moment to moment, then, he lives, but not so exclusively that he cannot attend to keeping himself presentable. Somewhat thin, perhaps, but his pelt is sleek, bearing only the traces of dust that gather between groomings. Journeyer's dust.
     A traveller, this one, if not quite what could be called a wanderer. Batui has none of that half shy, half defiant anger of those without known lineage and acknowledged past. No, he is confident enough in where he comes from, and if where he is going is a thing that changes from day to day--well, Batui is content in that.

A portrait of Batui. [72 K]
Medium: Pencil crayon and black fineliner pen
Date: September 04, 1999

Logs:

What some might call interesting.
Description: Batui meets a female of his own kind, and—all unknowing—snubs a Prince.

Location: In Front of Pride Rock
Characters: Ayorith, Batui, Kitran
Date: March 20, 2000

Another try.
Description: A second encounter, an attempt at a better one, and some explaining to a young Lion.

Location: In Front of Pride Rock
Characters: Akitepe, Kitran, Ayorith, Batui
Date: March 26, 2000

Newly-born cubs.
Location: Cavern
Characters: Kitran, Batui, Ayorith
Date: July 15, 2000

Returned.
Location: Cavern
Characters: Ayorith, Batui
Date: September 01, 2000