Where Scar had failed to act, Chumvi more than made up for it. Nala faltered for just a moment at hearing Chumvi's snarl, but it was that moment that allowed her to see that she was in fact not his target. Instead, Chumvi jumped clear over her head (or would have, if she hadn't dodged on instinct) and attempted to pounce on the lion following her.
With a swear and a start, Iago rolled out of the way just in time. The scrappy King of the Goldlands had expected that Chumvi would react poorly to seeing him, and that was just what he had counted on. Now, the Fiercest Lion in the Pridelands was face-to-face with Magnus' pack, and they had quickly surrounded him and cut him off from the rest of the battle.
Oh, how that battle descended into chaos, too. Perhaps it was the reappearance of Iago in the Pridelands, his depraved deed to Sarabi preceding him. Or maybe it was the alarming fact that an enemy pride and an army of wild dogs had managed to get past the hyena sentries that were supposed to keep other animals from spectating and perhaps interfering with the challenge. In either case, the rest of Scar's Pride was not prepared for what was now upon them. Sarabi, her distended belly hanging low from pregnancy, issued orders left and right to the Goldlander Pride, and to everyone's (even her own) surprise, Jezebel and even Penda concurred with each direction given.
Iago might have taken offense to someone other than him giving orders to 'his' pride, if he hadn't have been caught off-guard by Tojo. The Bravest Lion in the Pridelands knew exactly what he'd do; while Lana contended with another lioness, the diminutive lion attempted to attack her right then and there. His growl of frustration was quickly suppressed by Tojo's teeth around his head, but Iago thanked his father's spirit that his mane was full enough to completely protect his head and jugular. He slipped out of Tojo's grip and raked his very sharp claws across the native Pridelander's face, buying some time and distance and a chance to get at Lana.
That is, if Lana had still been where he had last seen her, which she wasn't. And neither was the lioness she was fighting, and for a moment Iago was baffled as to what became of her. And then the next moment came, when Iago set his eyes on the only other pregnant lioness present. He remembered Zira from the day she had ignored his immature flirtations, which led to Scar laying his claws on a cub. And that was all he needed to decide on his next action.
The chaos of the battle allowed Iago to do as Lana did and practically hide in plain sight as he stalked towards the lioness who had began to retreat further into Pride Rock to protect her unborn cubs. Iago, after some maneuvering, managed to also find his way into Pride Rock.
And the reason he was able to do so was obvious, for the battle raged on outside of Pride Rock. By now, Scar was forced to move to his own defense, because Penda charged right for him, teeth bared and claws ready to slash his flesh like paper. Scar ducked under her, and prepared for a follow-up, only to see that she was merely a diversion. He also felt that fact, because two wild dogs took the opportunity to bite the distracted king on both his flanks. They did not possess the bite force of a hyena, however, and Scar punished them for it as he kicked like a wild stallion and allowed the claws on his feet to rip the young dogs open.
By now, Kumari had joined up with his brother and proceeded to fight alongside him to repel the seemingly endless sea of red coats and canine teeth. The two brothers couldn't be concerned with anything beyond that, but they placed a lot of faith in the rest of their Pride in that they would hold out while the Lion Guard did their best to clean up the mess.
And how the Lion Guard tried their best to do just that. Tojo frantically looked around for any sign of Chumvi, but all he could see in the direction of his friend and superior was a sea of tawny-brown coats. The male had been isolated, and Tojo wondered why he did not simply use the Roar. That is, until he remembered his own mission and the task at hand. "Kiburi, Upesi! Get the rest of the Pride out of here! Thambo, with me!" Fortunately, Tojo's orders were quick, loud and received clearly by the other Guardians.
Unfortunately, however, Tojo's orders were quick, loud and heard in full by Penda and her lionesses. "Here, that girls?" Penda mocked, as though telling Tojo just why barking battle plans on the field was a double-ended sword. With one accord, she and her pridesisters accosted Tojo and Thambo. Meanwhile, the other half of the wild dogs not occupied with Chumvi, Scar or Kumari went straight for the other Pridelanders. It wasn't lost on Thambo that the remaining canines were of varying shades of red as opposed to the brown hues of Magnus' pack, but he wouldn't have time to ponder that as he and Tojo, if they had been distracted, were forced to focus on the slashing claws of the Goldlander huntresses.
For Upesi and Kiburi's parts, the two Guardians wished that the Spirits had not differentiated their abilities as much as they had. Being the Fastest, Upesi made it to the rest of the lionesses and attempted to rally them into a semblance of unity so that their efforts weren't so disjointed. But, due to being the Fastest, the emphasis was placed on the term 'lionesses', for Kiburi was then intercepted by what seemed like a wall of canines, and Upesi didn't see Malka or Mtoto anywhere around, which meant he now had to fight his way back to Kiburi in order to regroup.
Lana, happy that the dogs and the Goldlander Pride had lost sight of her, retreated into Pride Rock unnoticed. She hoped that Sina and Mefaru hadn't gotten curious as to what was taking place outside.
But there was only one way to be sure about that…