Taka

Taka is the oldest biological son of Nuka and Tao and is a native of the Outlands, unlike Zira or the other Outsiders. Taka experiences Dreams that bring him omens of the future, some more specific than others.

Appearance
Taka has a dark mane and a bright gold pelt that mark him plainly as a descendant of Pridelander heritage. He inherited his blue eyes from his mother. Taka is not scrawny or malnourished like most of the Outsiders.

Personality
Cheerful and empathetic, Taka is nothing like his coincidental namesake and paternal grandfather Scar. He worries about his family and their future together in the Outlands, and would do anything to make sure they're kept safe.

History
Taka's life as a cub was mostly carefree though he was a definite troublemaker as a child, going so far as to try to lead both Mizuka and Kiu to the Pridelands to visit their grandfather Kiume without the permission of either of his parents. He was an impatient learner and a poor student, to his mother's mild disappointment, and as a result Taka now only knows the very basics of healing.

Taka met and became friends with the cub Choma, who wandered into the Haven one afternoon. They parted ways later that evening with Choma's promise to return one day with his siblings Tukano and Kita so they could play again, but Choma never got the chance to keep his word.

It was eventually revealed to Taka that his cubhood hero, Kiume, had actually once been king of the Outlands. Taka didn't take to the news well at first and felt hurt that this truth had been concealed from him, but eventually he came to accept it. His desire to meet his maternal grandfather doubled after being told that he was of royal lineage, however.

As Taka grew into adolescence he again felt the insatiable pull to see the Pridelands where his grandfather lived and was found far from where he was supposed to be, staring across the border, by his father who had a long talk with Taka about his other grandfather, Scar. The admiration Taka gained for his father after learning about the kind of life he had lived made that evening very special to him and it brought the father and son closer than ever, Nuka replacing Kiume as Taka's hero.

Taka was, accordingly, even more devastated after Kuraka attacked and severely injured his father and threatened to rape his mother and kill him and his siblings. The arrival at the scene of Kuraka's young son, Choma, was all that prevented Kuraka from fulfilling his threats. The intruder left instead, commanding his son to gather his siblings and meet him elsewhere. Taka has not seen his friend since.

The helplessness that Taka experienced during and after the incident nearly drove him to despair and his Dreams became much darker as a result. One, in particular, showcased what his life would become if he gave in to the paranoid urge to secure his family's protection at all costs, and the things he watched himself do frightened him so badly that he began avoiding sleep altogether to avoid seeing them again.

Knowing that his Dreams were often omens of future events Taka sought advice from his mother, Tao, who comforted him and helped him to see reason. With her help he came to understand that the future is not written in stone and everyone is free to choose what they will become, and that he wouldn't have to become what he had seen if he didn't want to. The discussion was ended on a high note, with Tao taking Taka on his first hunt.

After this point Taka began experiencing even more Dreams and he asked his spiritually-inclined sister, Laini, why she thought they had been born with the gifts they each had. She helped Taka come to the conclusion that they each had a purpose, and an obligation to use their gifts to do good. Taka also took the opportunity to apologize to Laini for calling her "weird" her entire life, which Laini swiftly forgave. That night, however, she fell ill, a victim of some kind of exhaustion related to the stress of caring for her father and family.

Not long after this his grandmother Zira, who had just lost several capable fighters with the departure of Kuraka and his family, came searching for her son Nuka to help fill the void they had left behind. What she found, however, was an injured Nuka and his four children. Taka, in his mother's absence, tried to protect them from Zira's sinister presence but quailed under her questioning. Taka's future after this point in time remains to be seen.