Darius Lincoln Welden (gemsbok) was born to Kendall (gemsbok) and Alisa (bongo) Welden on August 8, 1989, their second son; Kendall Jr. preceded him by almost five years.

Both his parents had grown up in Detroit, and that was where they made their home once they married. Unlike his father, who had left Alabama to obtain a job in the burgeoning automotive factories of the 1950s, Kendall Sr. decided to enter the police force. In the long term, this proved a wise decision. However, the security provided by a steady, modest-paying job came with significant danger, and in late 1992, a week or so before Christmas, he was gunned down in a drug raid gone wrong.

In the aftermath of her husband's death, Alisa was consumed by grief and anxiety, for while she did get a pension for Kendall Sr.'s service, she had to take a job in addition to raising her children. In March 1993, though, she first encountered the Mormon missionaries. After receiving their teachings for several weeks, Alisa decided to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Little Ken joined with her. Darius, being under eight years of age, had to wait several years to get baptized, but when he did, it was with enthusiasm. Although his few memories of his father would soon fade, both he and his mother found comfort in the idea that then would return to live with their father and husband again after death.

It was Kendall Jr. who interested Darius in basketball. It was a favorite pastime for the brothers, and when Ken entered high school and joined the team, Darius would attend every game he could. He was often alone because Alisa would have work. Ken, however, got involved in somewhat the wrong crowd, began using illicit substances, and was eventually expelled from the team and school. Though his mother tried to do what she could, he would have none of it, and left the house. Contact with him since then has been sporadic and shallow.

To 13-year-old Darius these events were devastating. For a time he wouldn’t even touch a ball, let alone play. But slowly he came around to the fact that it was what he most enjoyed, and the dual absence of basketball and his brother was too much. Before his sophomore year of high school he reworked his skills and athleticism and was able to join the high school team that year. Of course, in order to avoid injuring other players, on stipulation was that he had to wear rubber tips on his horns. Though it appeared silly at first, as the team grew to respect him it became more a matter of friendly banter than poking fun.

Though he had a later start that his teammates, he quickly outshone them. By his senior year, he had attracted attention from all over Michigan and there was significant discussion about his progressing to the FBA straight out of high school. Despite his desire to play, he decided to postpone the pros and serve a mission for the LDS Church, after which he would attend college at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. For his mission he was sent to preach in Taiwan, where he drew many a puzzled gaze for his species and his height while becoming fluent in Mandarin Chinese. After returning, he pursued a degree in Business, but also ended up pursuing something else: love.

Samantha Lynn Andersson wasn’t the first woman Darius had dated, nor was she the one who stood out to him earliest; further, she was a blind date! The Wyomingite caribou BYU volleyball player was even taller than Darius, and that didn’t even include her rack of antlers that grow in seasonally. After a yearlong courtship, they decided to get married, which they did in Salt Lake City on December 21, 2012 – just so they could say they got married the day the world ended. Given that his wife is a cervine with antlers (most people don’t know female caribou grow them), she has a relatively muscular figure, and goes by “Sam,” there’s a bit of confusion sometimes, but they decided early on that they’d just have to laugh that off.

In his final semester of college, however, Darius is looking to finally realizing his dream of playing ball professionally. He received a number of high accolades for his performance at BYU and is considered a viable draft candidate.

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I know NOTHING about basketball, but the FBA stuff looks too fun to resist. This is my first potential character for the draft; there will be more sketches forthcoming! Wait for the wedding photos :D