"You think you're so clever, Rei Rei?" Janja's voice rings out.
"Well, as a matter of fact, I do!" the jackal snaps.
As Dalia and Imba near the charred remains of Kilio Valley, the arguing grows louder though the pair can't yet see the two arguing forces. The two friends exchange looks before deciding to continue walking forward. The lioness stifles the bounce in her step. She had to admit that she was excited to spy on the Outlanders who are currently inhabiting Kilio Valley.
The idea to spy on Scar's Army had struck Dalia like a lightning bolt.
It was a truly genius idea. Because the Outlanders didn't know who they were, it would be the perfect opportunity for her and Imba to infiltrate Scar's Army and to act as the Lion Guard's spies. Kion immediately agreed to the idea, and the rest of the Lion Guard seemed pretty ecstatic about it either.
A loud crunch snaps Dalia out of her thoughts. She whirls her head around, claws immediately sliding out, and realizes that it was just a branch that had snapped under the weight of her paw.
"Jumpy much?" Imba asks, cocking a brow. She returns to the ground beside Dalia. "They're right over there," says Imba, gesturing with her wing to the group of Outlanders. Dalia follows her gesture and her eyes find female jackal and Janja in the midst of a heated argument.
The lioness looks to her friend. "Ready?" A few more steps forward and Scar's Army would have a full view of her and Imba. They would need to be persuasive and clever. And they would need to do it fast.
"Ready," she replies, tipping her head into a nod.
...
Reirei and Janja are face-to-face, snarls plastered on both their faces. They're on opposite ends of a rock that overlooks the rest of Scar's Army, fighting for leadership.
"You think you're so clever, Reirei?" Janja snaps.
Reirei narrows her eyes and bares her teeth. "As a matter of fact, I do!" she quips with a bite to her voice.
"If you really think that you deserve to be the leader of this shebang, you've got another thing coming!"
A rustling from behind the two bickering Outlanders stops both of them in their tracks. "Actually," says a female voice from behind them, "It's 'you've got another think coming.' Common misconception, really."
Spinning on their heels, the Outlanders watch as two figures emerge from the distance. A lioness and an eagle. From the smirk on her face, it's apparent that it was the lioness who made the remark.
Instantly, Reirei and Janja alike jump off of the rock they were fighting over and bare their teeth at the newcomers menacingly. The crocodile float, who have been merely onlooking the argument, sway forward as well. One of the crocs hits his tail against the ground hard, and the other two crocs step in place behind him. Even the vultures get into formation.
Yet, in spite of the other parties' apparent hostility, the newcomers remained composed.
"Relax, would ya," the eagle says cooly, a smile playing with the corners of her lips. "We don't bite."
The lioness leaps from the charred grass to the top of the now-vacant rock that Janja and Reirei were once fighting over. "Look at you," she says patronizingly. Her green-gray eyes scan the clearing before resting on Janja and Reirei. "Fighting like a bunch of children." Her eyes narrow in contempt. "How very mature."
The eagle snickers before perching on the rock beside the lioness.
"I'm sorry, but who exactly are you?" Mzingo questions.
"My name's Dalia," she says with a dramatic bow. She gestures to the bird beside her. "And this is my friend, Imba." Dalia leaps off of the rock and walks between Reirei and Janja. "And we've got an offer for you."
The vulture beside Mzingo gives her a look. "Or really? Are you sure about that?"
Dalia gives him a wry stare. "I don't know about you, Baldie, but I don't speak for the sole pleasure of hearing my own voice." The vulture shoots her a sharp glare and Reirei snickers at the nickname. The lioness smirks before turning to the rest of the group. "I'm a lioness who so happens to be at odds with the Lion Guard." Her gaze locks with the crocodile leader's. "And I would do anything to take them down."
Imba stifles a flinch at the tone in Dalia's voice. The eagle quickly decides that she's very grateful that the lioness is on her side; the nomad is capable of being quite intimidating.
Janja lets out a scoff. "And how do we know you're not a spy?" he questions with an accusatory tone.
Dalia suppresses a victorious grin from spreading across her muzzle. This is all going just how she planned it. She had already thought of a convincing answer to that question long before the hyena even asked it. She deliberately tilts her forepaw forward and tugs at her bandages, giving everyone a full view of her scar.
"Who do you think gave me this?"
The jackal leader's eyes shoot up her forehead. "The Lion Guard did that to you?"
She shrugs. "Well, I'm not sure if Hotshot necessarily meant for my flesh to snag on a branch when he sent me flying sky-high with that Roar of his, but that's what happened."
It's Janja's turn to cock a brow. "And why do you think we should let you join us?"
Imba grins before taking flight. While she's in the air, she peers down at Janja. "I'll be your Eyes in the Sky gal," she answers before peering off into the distance. "Can you see the Lion Guard's Lair from where you're standing? Because I can."
The hyena with a lopsided tongue shakes his head 'no.' The big-headed hyena, Chungu, only replies with, "Where's the Lair?"
Imba swoops back down to the ground and turns to Dalia. "What about you Dal? What'd you got to offer?" she questions, her tone light.
The lioness locks gaze with Janja, then Reirei, then the crocodile leader, before finally settling on Mzingo. "I hate to brag or anything, but I'm something of a genius if I do say so myself. Not to mention the fact that I practically know the Pridelands like the back of my paw." She hops back on the tall rock and settles into a relaxed position. "I'll be the brain of the operation."
Mzingo clears his throat disapprovingly. "Pardon my bluntness, young miss, but we vultures have already claimed both of those positions." He flaps his wings. "We're the Eyes in the Sky," he says before tapping his head with his wing, "and the brains of the operation."
Imba snorts. "You think you can see further than me, Mzingo? You're on!"
Instead of getting defensive as her winged companion had, Dalia can only snicker at the vulture's comment. "You really think you're the smartest?" Mzingo tips his head into a nod, making Dalia only snicker more. "Then why's Baldie still holding that stick?"
The vulture in question lets out a panicked gasp as he looks down at the still firey branch between his talons. He tosses it between his talons for a moment, unsure what to do with it, before looking over at Mzingo.
"Oi!" he shrieked, much to the amusement of Imba. "Emergency motion to allow me to extinguish this fire!" he immediately drops the stick and watches and the charred ground light with fire once more. An ember of the new fire landed on a sleeping Goigoi's tail, who awoke with a shrill shriek. The vulture grimaced before muttering, "...Motion rescinded."
Janja finally scoffs. "Whatever," he mutters with an eye roll. He glances at his minions before turning back to the direction of the Outlands. "C'mon, fur-brains. We're getting outta here."
Before he could take so much as a step, a loud booming male voice sounds from the still-burning stick Mwoga dropped.
"Go? But you've only just arrived!" a loud, booming voice exclaims.
Dalia's eyes widen as she watches the flame grow larger until it takes the form of a fiery lion. Now she knows where he gets the name Scar from, she thinks with a snort. When she first came to the Pridelands, she thought it was strange that everyone was calling a former king "Scar." At first, she had thought it was perhaps a symbolic name his parents came up with. Now, looking at the bright white scar that extends from his eyebrow to cheek, she realizes the name was at best a cruel joke.
Honestly, she doesn't know which is more terrifying: the fact that there's a dead lion speaking to them, or the fact that everyone else seems unfazed by the firey lion. For the umpteenth time since arriving in the Pridelands, she wonders what is wrong with this place. Evil dead lions, good dead lions, roaring dead lions, cloudy dead lions — you'd think this place is nothing more than a graveyard.
Imba trembles beside Dalia, but her expression remains stoic. The only console Dalia can provide is a sympathetic glance, but it isn't enough to calm the eagle's nerves.
The Outlanders are at a loss for words. Finally, Janja stammers out a response. "S-scar! Uh—What're you doing here?"
Scar only laughs, which sends shivers down Dalia's spine. The firey lion turns to the nomad as if he noticed her grim expression. She quickly regains her composure and glances back at him coolly. "I came to say welcome to the newest additions to my Army."
Practically all the Outlanders, with the exception of Kiburi, are slack-jawed. Reirei is the first to protest. "Hey, wait a minute! You're just gonna let them in — just like that?"
The lion made of flames glares at the jackal. "Reirei, I do hope for your sake that you are not questioning my judgment," he sneers, his tone disturbing.
Dalia feels a shiver go down her spine. Something about the tone in Scar's voice makes it seem like there's something sinister lying beneath his words. She makes a mental note to be wary of the firey lion. She knows that there's something Scar's not saying, some sort of ulterior motive to his words, she just doesn't know what.
Reirei shakes her head fervently. "O-of course not!"
"Good," he hisses. "It'll be in your best interest that you trust my discernment going forward." Once again, the jackal tips her head into a fervent nod. Once he's satisfied with her answer, he addresses the rest of his army. "I also came to say well done. Kilio Valley is ours for as long as we remain and lay claim to it." An evil grin spreads across his face. "So there will be no 'getting outta here'."
Kiburi's eyes widen. "You mean, you want us to stay here?"
"But why?" asks Reirei.
Scar grins malevolently. "All part of my plan. We will take over the Pridelands piece by piece, so in the end, there will be none left for the Lion Guard to protect."
And with another malevolent cackle, he disappears in a plume of smoke.
Dalia picks at the dirt between her claws, utterly bored as she lounges lazily on the rock Janja and Reirei were once fighting over. This espionage job is going a lot differently than she had imagined.
Eventually, Janja stands up. "If we're gonna be stuck here anyway, I figured that we hyenas would do you guys a favor and take charge around here."
Dalia gives an amused snort but otherwise continues lounging lazily. Imba doesn't even bat an eye. The other Outlanders, on the other hand, are quick to protest.
"Woah, woah, woah," Reirei starts, "You hyenas?"
"No way," Kiburi adds firmly, "Scar didn't say nothing about you hyenas running things."
Dalia finally joins in the conversation. "From what I've gathered, Scar doesn't say much when it comes to who's in charge among us."
Imba nods her agreement. "That's true."
Mzingo clears his throat. "Territorial leadership claims cannot be determined without proper parliamentary procedure." He turns to the rest of the flock. "Isn't that right?" They give 'ays' of approval.
"Oh, give me a break," Dalia says with a groan, rolling to her side. She looking between the vultures, "With your stupid parliament mumbo-jumbo, you waste far too much time." Her paw finds her forehead. "Not to mention, it gives everyone a headache."
Reirei chuckles. "I've gotta hand it to Newbie, she does have a point there." The jackals look around the clearing. "Which is why we jackals should be in charge."
"You're one to talk, Reirei," the lioness continues with a snort, directing her attention to the jackal. "No offense — I'm sure you're a great gal — but you can hardly control your family, much less an entire army."
The jackal lets out an indignant noise, her brows furrowing. "Hey!" From beside his now irritated wife, Goigoi attempts to put up a protest against Dalia's judgment of them but trips over his own paws. In the distance, the jackal kids are rough-playing and nipping each other's tails. Reirei rolls her eyes after a moment, "Yeah, I can see your point."
Janja grins wickedly. "So if the vultures are too inefficient and the jackals are too restless, doesn't that mean the hyenas should be in charge?"
"Oh, please," Dalia mutters with a light chuckle. "You hyenas? You've got an ego the size of Priderock with a brain the size of a pebble. And don't even get me started on dumb and dumber," she says, gesturing to Cheezi and Chungu respectively.
The two of them exchange glances before arguing amongst themselves over who's 'dumb' and who's 'dumber.' Janja gives an annoyed groan as he overhears the argument before pointing to the crocodile leader. "What about him, oh wise one?" He retorts sarcastically. "What about Kiburi?"
Kiburi gives a grunt of indifference. He truly doesn't care for this conversation much. Sure, he naturally thinks that the crocs should be in charge, but he isn't convicted enough to argue about it. He's just tired of hearing the vultures, hyenas, and jackals bicker.
Dalia tilts her head as she ponders the question. What about Kiburi? Eventually, she just shrugs. "Honestly, I like Kiburi." The crocodile leader makes what appears to be a smile, but Dalia can't quite tell for sure. "Too bad he's all muscle and no brain." And just like that, the semblance of a smile has vanished from the croc's face.
Janja lets out a scoff.
"If anything, me and Dalia should be in charge," Imba notes. "I mean, we both know the Pridelands inside out, and I can see super duper far."
The lioness shoots her friend a warning glance. While they're supposed to be persuasive, they can't afford to be this bold right off the bat. It'll attract suspicion. So far, the nomad's plan is to be persuasive yet also to lay back in regards to the power struggle. Gain the Outlander's trust, then slowly and almost imperceptibly rise to the top. It would be a gradual, fickle process but also worth it if it pays off in the end.
Dalia clears her throat. "Yes, the keyword is if anything." She glances around the clearing. "Does it really matter who's in charge or not? It's a desirable position, yes, but whoever's in charge will answer directly to Scar." She gives a pointed glare at Janja. "And we all know just how unsuccessful your attacks against the Pridelands have been so far."
This seems to knock some sense into them. Janja nods after a moment. "I think she's right."
Reirei soon nods her agreement. "Yeah, it doesn't really matter who's in charge as long as we work together."
"All in favor of temporarily putting aside territorial leadership disputes?" Mzingo questions, raising an eyebrow at the rest of his flock.
"Aye," they all chime in.
Imba rolls her eyes at the flock of vultures. "All in favor of temporarily dismantling the vulture parliament?" she questions, mimicking the vulture's accent.
"Aye," replies everyone but the vultures.
Dalia chuckles at her friend's irritation and takes back her place at the top of the rock. Janja eyes her with annoyance but retreats to a secluded area. Kiburi and the crocs start sparring with each other, and Reirei has long given up on trying to round up her kids. Goigoi is snoozing with drool making its unpleasant escape out of his jaws, and the vultures start singing a song that drives Imba up the wall.
The lioness decides to take a page out of Goigoi's book and try to catch some shut-eye as well. She stretches out her limbs, positioning herself in a way so that nobody can sneak up on her effectively, and closes her eyes. Just as she closes her eyes, the smell of smoke brushes past her nostrils. She sits up with a start and immediately identifies the source of the smoke.
Just beyond the hill, a big, black billow of smoke rises in the distance.
She swallows the bile rising in her throat. Dalia manages to keep her tone even and turns to Janja. "You dropped fire elsewhere, as well?"
His eyes squint as they settle on the billow of black. Dalia's question seems to stir the rest of Scar's Army as well, and their attention also snaps to the smoke rising. Though she had asked Janja, Mzingo answers for him.
"We vultures didn't drop fire anywhere other than Kilio Valley," he notes.
Janja chuckles dryly. "Scar was right after all." His eyes narrow. "Last time we spoke, I asked him why we're only dropping fire on Kilio Valley. I mean, with the vultures' help, we can practically light the entire Pridelands on fire within one afternoon. But I remember him telling me, 'even dying embers can catch fire.' I guess he was right."
The words repeat in Dalia's mind. Even dying embers can catch fire.
Before she could think about it too much, Reirei snaps her out of her thoughts. "Wonder if the Lion Guard's already there."
"I can go check," says Imba.
The eagle's tone is much calmer than Dalia had expected, though the nomad can detect the slightest, nearly imperceptible waver in her voice. Thankfully, nobody else seemed to notice. The eagle shakes out her wings before taking flight. As she soars through the sky, Imba's heart plummets down at least 30 feet when she sees that the Lion Guard is still with the herd of elephants, trying to find them a new home.
She dives back down to the ground, masking her distress with faux-giddiness. "They aren't there yet," she informs, "Too busy chaperoning those elephants."
Cheers and whoops break out amongst Scar's Army, but Dalia's struggles to keep her face even. Another part of the Pridelands will be charred if the Lion Guard doesn't come back soon. Though she's not very attached to the Pridelands, it's disturbing how utterly wasteful they're being. Conquering is one thing, but why must they burn the Pridelands to ashes?
After the Outlanders settle down, Dalia beckons Imba over with her paw. "Come here," she whispered between gritted teeth. Once she's confident she's out of ear-shot, her voice lowers even more. "We need to figure this out. We can't let this happen again."
Imba nods. "We need someone else, someone who's small enough to stay hidden. Someone who can secretly bring messages from us to the Lion Guard."
Dalia tips her head into a nod, as well. She can't just let more of the Pridelands burn down by the hour. They would need someone who could stay hidden and deliver messages from them to the Lion Guard.
"I'll talk to Kion about it tonight," says Dalia.
The eagle cocks a brow. "Tonight?" she repeats.
She tips her head into nod once more. She would just need to wait until everyone else was asleep and sneak away at the perfect time. She had planned it all out with Kion earlier. They were to meet at midnight by Rafiki's tall acacia tree. She would tell him the information she's coaxed out of the Outlanders, and he would relay that information to the rest of the Guard.
"Tonight," Dalia confirms, "We're meeting at midnight."
Author's Note:
Hello, readers. Hope you're all having an amazing day/night, and hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Also, thanks for all the suggestions for voice actors for my OC, Nyla. I've settled on Evan Rachel Wood, who voiced Elsa's mother in Disney's Frozen.
As always, feel free to leave criticism/feedback/suggestions in the reviews.