Misha


 * “A wise king once told me 'We are one'. I didn't understand him then. But now I do.”
 * ―Misha

Misha is the protagonist of the 1998 Calico film The Arctic King II: Kova's Pack and a supporting character in its 2016 midquel TV series The Arctic Guard. She is Kova and Lusa's daughter and Mars' older sister.

Personality
As a child, Misha is curious and wild-hearted, constantly seeking new adventures and easily fraught at the sight of her safe nest back home in the Barren Lands. Her hunger for adventure often leads her to outright rebellion, as she continuously disobeys her parents, purposefully ignoring their better judgment in order to explore the Outlands and get answers to her unresolved questions. Misha inherits her parents' curiosity and has gotten into trouble for wandering off.

Later in her childhood, Misha became more accepting of her destiny as future queen and began to take her royal duties seriously. She also began to act snooty and arrogant around her far more seriously/mature younger brother Mars, resulting in the two siblings clashing, though they still care for each other.

Misha is also very headstrong, and she possesses a strong desire for independence and self-sufficiency. She also displayed frequent annoyance when addressed by her title preferring to be known for who she herself is rather than who her family is. Misha doesn't take criticism well, making a habit of justifying her own behavior to her parents and in particular her father. She is also shown to be impatient, wanting her way and willing to lie and scheme in order to get it.

Misha is still a child at heart, able to laugh at everything and make even Siku's rough training into a game. Her outlook is a positive one, and she is one of Siku's most loyal encouragers, seeing past his rough exterior to the kind character within. She also showed a strong amount of charisma as she convinced both packs that they are better united than against each other.

Physical Appearance
Misha is small and soft-featured, less robust and stocky than her father but just as lithe and sleek as her mother. Misha's pelt is of a more cream tone, like that of her mother's, but it is tempered by the ivory hues of her father. As a result, she doesn't carry as striking a white as her father's or grandfather's. Her muzzle, paws, and underbelly are darker in color. Her eyes are ice-blue.

Misha remains the same light shade from her cubhood, not darkening with age as her parents did, though this could be attributed to her not being a full-grown adult yet.

The Arctic King II: Kova's Pack
An infant Misha appears at the beginning of The Arctic King II: Kova's Pack, during her presentation to the animals. Kit and Tundra comment on how great it will be to relive old times with the cub, whom they believe to be a boy. They are understandably shocked when Tutok reveals that Kova and Lusa's new cub is a girl.

Misha grows into a playful cub, and her next appearance takes place as she is going out to play. Before she can leave, Kova, who becomes seriously over-protective, begins going through an extensive list of warnings about the safety of the Barren Lands. Annoyed, Misha is able to repeat them from memory, suggesting that she has heard them many times before and grows irritated. Kova's final warning is to stay away from the Outlands, home of the villainous Outsiders, because, in his words, "You can't turn your back on them". Misha doesn't understand why, but Kova simply tells her that she will understand one day and sends her off. She goes off but is followed by Kit and Tundra, whom the king has sent to babysit her. When the two get into a disagreement, Misha is able to slip away. She wanders into the Outlands, where she meets Kenai, a cub who is one of the Outsiders as well as Shard's son and heir. Remembering Kova's words about Outsiders, she takes them literally and continually positions herself so that her back is not to Kenai. The two cubs are forced to work together to escape some narwhals and become friends as a result. She plays with him for a time, but the two are forcibly separated by Kova (accompanied by Lusa, Kit, Tundra and two sows), and Kenai's mother Juno, Shard's mate who was banished from the Barren Lands.

Misha is taken home by Kova, where he gently scolds her for putting herself in danger, noting that as future queen, she needs to be careful. When Misha expresses her reluctance at becoming queen, Kova explains how they are connected and sings "We Are One" to explain this. Once again, the concept goes over Misha's head, and Kova simply tells her that she will understand some day.

Some time after, while at his tree, Tutok notes to Nanuq's spirit that Misha is growing into a great future queen, but he worries about Kenai, who is being trained by Juno to hate. Nanuq is able to communicate a plan to Tutok, using a broken branch as an example. If Misha and Kenai are brought together, then the feud between the two packs can be solved. Tutok doubts the plan at first but agrees to trust Nanuq after some convincing.

Misha is next seen as an adolescent, preparing for her first hunt. She expresses her desire to hunt on alone, and with prodding from Lusa, Kova reluctantly agrees. However, he breaks his promise almost immediately and sends Kit and Tundra to watch her. Misha discovers them and is angered by her father's overprotectiveness. She runs away to hunt on her own, away from the Barren Lands, and ends up in the midst of a wildfire set by Juno's other children, Sitara and Yukon. Misha tries to escape, but is overcome by smoke, and is saved by Kenai. She comes to but does not recognize him at first, only realizing his identity when he asks "What are you doing?", in a reference to their first meeting as cubs.

Kova and Lusa arrive at their daughter's aid, as they had seen the smoke from the fire. Kenai asks to join the pride, but Kova refuses. Tutok appears and reveals that Kenai had saved Misha's life. This knowledge isn't enough to affect Kova's decision initially, but Kova allows Kenai to join on a trial basis after both Lusa and Pana remind him that by the Barren Lands' law states, they owe Kenai his debt for saving Misha. Kenai is allowed to return to Polar Rock temporarily, pending a final judgment of character by Kova. Kova distrusts Kenai and forces him to sleep outside. At Polar Rock, Kenai points out that Misha's hunting skills are rather lackluster, and that she could not survive on her own. In response, Misha convinces Kenai to teach her to hunt.

The next day, Misha inadvertently and unknowingly interrupts Kenai's intended ambush of Kova. She and Kenai spend the day together as Misha learns to hunt, and later the two are seen stargazing together. With some subtle prodding from Tutok, the two begin to fall in love. Kenai later attempts to tell Misha about his place in Juno's plot (and his reluctance to assume his role) to take over the Barren Lands but is stopped by Kova, who wishes to speak with Kovu alone.

She later sees her father, obviously injured, coming from an ambush by the Outsiders. Misha disbelieves that Kenai was involved when Kova accuses him. She sends Pana for help and helps her father back to Polar Rock. Misha is later seen at Kenai's banishment, and she actively protests her father's decision but is stopped by the other sows and silenced by Kova when she pleads for him to listen to Kenai. As Kenai flees, Tutok who was watching the event sighs sadly feeling that Kova has completely defied his father's goals and was too intoxicated with hate to notice Kenai for who he really is. When Kova forbids her to leave Polar Rock unescorted, intending to keep her away from Kenai, Misha is infuriated. Misha argues with her father and horrifies him by going as far as to remind him that he could never be like Nanuq, before running into Polar Rock in tears.

Misha manages to break out of Polar Rock and reunites with Kenai. Though Kenai considers running away to form their own pride, Misha understands her father's words from when she was a cub upon seeing her and Kenai's reflections merge in the water. She convinces Kenai to return so that they may try to reunite their divided packs, and the two return to find that the Pridelanders and Outsiders are at war.

Misha and Kenai break up a fight between Kova and Juno who then tell them to step aside. Misha persuades her pride and the Outsiders that their packs are no different from each other and convinces the majority to drop the feud. However, Juno refuses to budge and attempts to attack Kova. Misha leaps to defend him and the two lionesses fall off a cliff. Misha is able to land on a safe ledge, and she attempts to save Juno, who is clinging to the side of the cliff. Juno refuses, and slips into the river below and is presumed dead.

Kova leads Misha back up the ledge and allows the Outsiders to return to Polar Rock. At the end of the movie, Tutok blesses Misha and Kenai's union, and they are seen roaring across the plains with Kova and Lusa.

The Arctic Guard
Misha appears in the Calico Junior TV film The Arctic Guard: Return of the Roar and series The Arctic Guard, which sees her having a younger brother named Mars(whom she appears to have a sibling rivalry with), who serves as the protagonist. The series serves as a midquel to Kova's Pack, taking place after Misha's first encounter with Kenai and before her next encounter with him as an adolescent. She also seems older than her cub self in Kova's Pack as in a sneak peak, she reaches Kova's shoulder. In a sneak peek of the episode, Misha seems to be snobbish and arrogant compared to her rather kind behavior in the sequel and Kova doesn't seem to be overly protective of her as he is in the sequel. It's also shown another difference where Kiara seems to be alright with wanting to become the future Queen, while in Kova's Pack Misha is not sure of her future.

Misha first appears in The Arctic Guard: Return of the Roar at Polar Rock being taught about being Queen by Kova, only to be disrupted by Mars who is having a snowball fight with Boris. The two siblings have a short squabble before being separated by Kova who sends Mars and Boris away to play their game away elsewhere.

She is later seen with her friends Nanko and Karana with the latter getting her claws stuck in a log (due to constantly sharpening them), though she is later helped out. After hearing from Boris that Mars is setting up the Arctic Guard and has made Boris the first member, Misha questions Mars on if Kova knows about this to which Mars replies that it was Kova who told him to pick members. She, Mars, Nanko, Karama, Kit, and Tundra then join in with Boris singing "Zuka Zuma".

Later, Misha tells Kova about Mars picking Boris to join The Arctic Guard and proves it when Pana finds Mars and Boris with Klondike, Cryo, and Igor (whom Mars had also picked to join the Arctic Guard). Kova thanks Misha, before sending her and Nanko to track muskoxes while he has a word with Mars.

When tracking the muskoxes, Misha notices Tootega circling above and Atka and his clan in the heart of the herd. Suspicious, Misha sends Nanko to get Kova while she stays behind to keep watch on the herd. However, Atka and his clan cause a stampede in the herd and Misha becomes trapped in it.

Luckily, Mars and the Arctic Guard come to her rescue by driving the foxes away, before Boris and Klondike ride through the herd to Misha. Boris then lands on a rock next to Misha and lets out a fart that causes the herd to move away. After this, Misha is delivered safely to Kova and Lusa who along with Nanko and Tutok were watching the battle.

In the episode "Can't Wait to be Queen", Misha is made Queen Regent of the Barren Lands as Kova, Lusa, and Pana have to attend an caribou's funeral. Nanko and Karama serve as Misha's "advisors" during this time. Misha also uses Igor as her majordomo without asking Mars' permission first which irritates him. Mars then clashes with Misha over her decisions, which is overheard by Tootega, who reports this to Atka. Tootega goes to Polar Rock and tells Misha that Atka wants a peace treaty and she should go to Broken Rock, which is neutral land between the Barren Lands and the Outlands.

After another clash with Mars, Misha goes to Broken Rock to talk with Atka but is ambushed by him and his clan. Atka plans to hold Misha hostage until Kova hands the Barren Lands over to him. Luckily Mars (who had been convinced by Nanuq to help Misha) arrives and is shortly joined by the rest of the Arctic Guard, causing the foxes to flee. The two siblings reconcile and return to Polar Rock, just before their parents and Panda return from the funeral.

Kova
Despite their mutual affection for each other, Misha and Kova initially had a strained father-daughter relationship, due to Kova's overprotective nature. She yearned to prove to her father that she was responsible and mature, and despairs when Kova breaks a promise to her.

After reuniting with Kenai, Kova became distrustful about Misha's growing love for the outsider, and initially refused to allow him to join the pride. He changed his decision after Lusa and Pana reminded him about the law set by Nanuq, and begrudgingly allowed Kenai to come to Polar Rock.

When Kova and Kenai set off to speak together, Misha was delighted and eagerly awaited their return.

She was shocked to discover her father had been injured in a trap that supposedly involved Kenai. After Kova banished Kenai, and confined her to her den, Misha disobeyed his orders and went to find her love. She convinced Kenai to go with her to stop their families.

When Misha and Kenai stood between their parents, Misha convinced Kova to stop the feud and listen to reason.

Moved by Misha's statement, Kova agreed and engaged in an affectionate embrace with Misha.

He and Lusa later watched proudly as Tutok blessed the union between Misha and Kenai, and Kova roared alongside his daughter on the peak of Polar Rock.

In The Arctic Guard, Misha is shown to have a loving father-daughter relationship with Kova, and enjoys learning about the importance of ruling from him.

Lusa
Misha and Lusa's mother-daughter relationship is observed to be affectionate and supportive, Unlike Kova, Lusa isn't overprotective of her daughter, and shows trust in Misha's abilities. She expressed support and pride for her daughter on the onset of her first hunt, and was relieved that Misha was unharmed by the fire set by Yukon and Sukari.

After Kova allowed Kenai to enter the pride, Lusa approached her mate, and they discussed the blossoming romance between their daughter and the outsider. Later, after Kova was ambushed by Juno, Lusa and Misha stood beside him as he exiled Kenai. Lusa visibly expressed shock along with Misha's reaction to Kova's decision.

During the battle, after Sakari threw taunts at her about the disappearance of her daughter, Lusa angrily lunged at the younger she-bear. When Kenai and Misha stood between their parents, Misha convinced Kova to stop the feud and listen to reason, After Kova rescues Misha from a ravine, Kova and Lusa later watched proudly as Tutok blessed the union between Misha and Kenai, and Lusa roared alongside her daughter on the peak of Polar Rock.

In The Arctic Guard, Misha is shown to have a loving mother-daughter bond with Lusa, more or less the same as in The Arctic King II: Kova's Pack, and enjoys learning about the importance of hunting and tracking from her.

Kenai
After hearing about the dangers of the Outlands and the Outsiders from her father, Kova, Misha decides to venture into the forbidden territory, where she bumps into Kenai. After a brief confrontation, Misha and Kenai are ambushed by a float of crocodiles. They mange to escape and formally introduce themselves, Soon Kova and Juno arrive and after a brief confrontation, they take their children back to their respective homes.

Years later, Kenai's siblings Yukon and Sakari set the Barren Lands ablaze during Misha's first hunt, Juno sends her son into the mist of that flames to rescue Misha. After reuniting, Misha was pleased to see her cubhood friend. Their reunion was interrupted by the arrival of Misha's parents, who greeted their daughter with relief. After a brief confrontation with Kenai, Kova initially refused to allow him to join the pack. He changed his decision after Lusa and Pana reminded him about the law set by Nanuq, and begrudgingly allowed Kenai to come to Polar Rock. As the days pass, Misha and Kenai begin to spend time together, and their friendship blossoms into romance. With help from Kit and Tundra, Misha shows Kenai the concept of fun, and they stargaze later that night. After Kova requested to speak with Kenai, Misha was delighted and watched as the pair exited Polar Rock. Later, Misha expresses shock at Kova's claim that Kenai was involved in an ambush set by Juno and heartbreakingly watched as Kova exiled Kenai. After Kova confined Misha to her den, she escaped and ventured away from Polar Rock to find Kenai. After they found each other, Misha convinced Kenai to return with her to their packs and reunite them.

After the battle, as Tutok blessed their union, Misha and Kenai nuzzled each other and roared from atop the peak with Kova and Lusa.

Mars
Misha has a somewhat strained sibling relationship with Mars. They do hold affection for each other, but are prone to sibling rivalry occasionally. Mars doesn't hold resentment or jealousy towards his older sister's role as future queen, even when she bossed him around while acting as interim queen.

In The Trail to Ulu, Misha and Kenai learn to work together to find their mother, Lusa.

Nanuq
Due to his death before Misha's birth, Misha never got to physically interact with her paternal grandfather. She appears to hold an intense amount of respect and presumably love for him though and understood that Nanuq would've never banished Kenai without hearing an explanation first.

After Kova had wrongfully banished Kenai from the Barren Lands for supposedly leading him into a trap set-up by Juno, he arrogantly compares himself to Nanuq. Misha angrily puts her father in his place, coldly stating that he's not like her grandfather; indirectly referring to the fact that Nanuq would have forgiven Kenai for his initial role in Juno's plan and innocence in the ambush.

Nanko
Along with Zuri, Misha and Nanko are best friends. They enjoy learning how to hunt together, and usually spend most of their days together. Nanko was very concerned when Misha became trapped in a stampede set by Atka, and was relived when her friend was rescued.

In "Penguins!", Misha tasked Nanko and Karana with helping her prepare for her royal duties, she expresses amused annoyance with their obsession with thati appearances, but later credits them when speaking to Kirima Kirina.

Karana
Along with Nanko, Misha and Karana are best friends. When Karana injured herself, Misha sent her back to Polar Rock, while she and Nanko set put to track caribou.

In "Penguins!", Misha tasked Nanko and Karana with helping her prepare for her royal duty, she expresses amused annoyance with their obsession with thati appearances, but later credits them when speaking to Kirima Kirina.

Trivia

 * Misha is a Russian name which means "bright".
 * Misha is the second child of an original film's protagonist to be the main character of the sequel (in this case, taking over for Simba and Nala after the first Arctic King film). The first was Timmy Ponderosa from The Parent Trap II (taking over from Courtney Freze). The trend has since followed in many Calico sequels.
 * Misha is one of the few Calico sequel characters to make further appearances.
 * In the first Arctic King film, according to the bonus features and some series of books, Misha was previously going to be a male character but was changed.
 * In The Arctic King 1½ DVD, if the viewer plays the Who Wants to Be King of the Arctic game, one of the questions about the ending of The Arctic King II: Kova's Pack implies that Misha and Kenai possibly have a cub together.
 * Misha is the first female cub in her family set to inherit the throne of the Barren Lands, as her father was an only child (making him the only heir), and all of her predecessors to the throne had been male heirs.
 * It is currently unknown what the age gap between Misha and Mars is. Though in "Bears of the Outlands", Mars was unaware of Misha's encounter with Kenai, hinting that he was either not born yet or really young at the time.