Zaina

**Zaina** is the main antagonist of the film *Koati*.

## Personality

Zaina is the textbook example of a stereotypical snake, vile, cruel and selfish. When she leads the herd of animals, she proves to be a horrible leader, putting her own needs before theirs and has anyone who doubts her leadership punished severely like when she kicked Nachi out of the herd for trying to undermine her. She is a Social Darwinist as proven when she shows no empathy to the old and weak animals who have little chance of going on in the migration. Her selfish actions soon become her undoing as when the animals reach The Mouth That Does Not Speak, she is left alone to fend for herself against an eagle while on a cactus.

## History

Zaina first appears at a meeting for all of the animals concerning an earthquake. She tries to convince the animals that it would be safer to vacate Xo and move down south, despite the ancient armadillo saying they should keep their land safe. At first, Balam, the Black Jaguar leader, takes Cocopa's side and refuses to have the animals leave their home, but another earthquake soon causes him to die when saving some animals.

Zaina soon seizes the opportunity to take control and lead the animals down south. Despite the main protagonist Nanchi trying to persuade the animals not to listen to her, the animals decide to leave the rainforest and migrate to their new land, which she calls "Not Xo Land". On the day of the migration, Zaina witnesses Nanchi and his friend Pako the Glass Frog leaving (since Nanchi was convinced by Cocopa in a dream to go on a journey to find both the Tree of Life and The Mouth That Does Not Speak) and makes her enforcer, Jithu the Anaconda, follow them and make sure they don't take down her leadership.

However, during the migration, the animals slowly but surely see Zaina for what she is, a selfish tyrant with no sympathy with how the migration is negatively affecting the animals. At one point, she drinks some water all for herself without sharing it with anyone. Soon, Nanchi, Pako and their new friends Xochi the butterfly and Calli the Jaribu bird come to warn the animals including Zaina that she is leading them to a volcano, but heartless, Zaina dismisses their warnings and banishes Nanchi from the herd for dissenting against her, when Jithu asks her to get him again, but slaps him and they have to follow him.

However, when Nanchi finds the Mouth That Does Not Speak, a lush oasis, Zaina finds him before he can find the herd and plans to kill Nanchi and take credit for his discovery and make herself look like a hero. She and Nanchi fight that soon results in the animals who have entered the Mouth That Does Not Speak to turn on Zaina for her evil (including Jithu). She tries to attack Nanchi one last time, but she is slingshotted on account of Pako's long tongue and Calli grabs her and drops her on a cactus where she lands on the thorns and is in pain. She most likely dies when an eagle comes down and tries to assault her and even if she survives the attack, the lava from the volcano (which erupted a little earlier) will most likely burn her alive.

With Zaina gone, the animals returned their newly formed Xo. As they enjoy their new life, Zaina was shown to still be alive(persumably saved by the eagle), plotting her revenge.

## Trivia

* Zaina being attacked by an eagle while on a cactus at the end is meant to pay homage to the Mexican Flag.