Dalia snuck under the cover of night deeper into the Pridelands. Imba's still back at Kilio Valley so it wouldn't draw too much suspicion. Her alibi, if questioned about her disappearance, would be that she was going to the watering hole.
She ventures deeper in the Pridelands, the soft grass beneath her paws a welcome change from the scorched ground of Kilio Valley. She takes comfort in the smell of fire lilies drafting through the air. There was no shortage of fire lilies back home, the bright red and orange flowers bringing life to an otherwise drab environment. Dalia smiles to herself at the scent.
Those flowers are actually what she was named after. When her mother was still a rogue lioness and pregnant with Dalia, she had been walking aimlessly in the middle of the desert. The weary mother was kicked out of her own Pride, forced to endure the long days with the Sun beating down on her. She had been without water for at least a day at that point and starting to lose hope.
Just as she was about to give in to the exhaustion threatening to overtake her, Nyla had spotted a patch of fire lilies springing up in the distance. It gave her a glimmer of hope. Where there are fire lilies, there would be water. She ventured past the patch of fire lilies and accidentally wandered in the Land of the Wazi, where she would eventually raise her daughter in a new Pride. A new Pride made up of outcasts, like her and her daughter.
And thus, Nyla named her daughter Dalia, after the fire lilies that may very likely have saved both their lives. Her mother made sure to tell Dalia the story so often, it nearly drove her crazy. The most ironic part about the story is the fact that fire lilies are actually poisonous to felines. When she used to tell Dalia the story, her mother always made it a point to include the fact that fire lilies are in fact poisonous.
"Desperate lions take hope in just about anything," Nyla would often tell her daughter, her tone light.
Dalia would often reply with, "Who'd take hope in poison?"
Her mother's gentle laugh would sound from deep within her chest. "Little flower, even poison can heal."
The young nomad had never understood that phase. Even poison can heal. Dalia had summed it up to nothing more than another one of her mother's wise sayings. It was only until much later — when Dalia had discovered a group of mandrills carefully extracting fire lily essence to treat injuries — when she had truly understood the meaning behind her mother's words.
A sudden owl screech brings Dalia back to her cold, broken reality. A reality in which her mother, and all her wise sayings, are nothing more than painful memories of what her life used to be.
She sighs, resolving to ignore the fire lily scent, and pads closer to Rafiki's tree.
Once the large acacia tree comes into view, she notices the golden-furred prince is already there and waiting for her. Dalia smiles despite herself. Chiding herself sheepishly, she approaches him. Kion's back is turned away from her, so she walks carefully, attempting to creep upon him. It would be payback for him barrelling into her on their first encounter, she thought. Unfortunately for her, Kion didn't even have to turn around before detecting her presence.
"I know you're there, Dalia," he says, back still turned. When he does turn around, his eyebrow is lifted in amusement.
Dalia laughs lightly before straightening out of her position. "How'd you know?" she asks curiously.
He gestures to her back paw. "Dalia, I'm the leader of the Lion Guard," he replies, his voice dripping with faux-arrogance. Even if his tone didn't give away the fact that he was joking, his cheeky grin certainly did. "Nobody can sneak up on me."
"Is that so?" Dalia questions with a smile. She tilts her head up, cocking a brow. "I'll have you know that I fully intend to break that record."
"I sincerely doubt that," he responds quickly. After a beat, he laughs. "I'm kidding. I could tell you were behind me because your bandages rustled the grass."
The lioness gazes down at it and notices that it does in fact catch other leaves when she moves. "Huh. Well, I guess I can thank you for that, Your Highness," she replies with a smirk.
He wrinkles his nose in disdain. "You don't have to call me that, you know."
Dalia leans against the large acacia tree behind her. "I'm aware." After a moment of silence, she raises an eyebrow at him. "I've got some good news; infiltrating Scar's Army today seemed easy enough. Scar even gave us a personal welcome into his deranged little group."
"But, I've also got some bad news," Dalia adds, quickly wiping the smile off Kion's face. She remembers Imba's idea from earlier today. We need someone else on our side, someone able to exchange messages between us and the Guard. "Today, Imba and I spotted a major flaw in our plan. We need someone who can exchange messages from us in the Outlands, to you guys here in the Pridelands."
Kion furrows his brows. "I'll make sure to keep an eye out for that certain someone."
"That would be the wise thing to do," Dalia replies, unsure of what else to say. She debates whether or not she should cut the conversation short and head back to Kilio Valley. After all, she did in fact say everything she needed to.
After a moment, she blurts, "Oh— by the way, today was my first time seeing a dead lion speak, and it's given me all the more reason to be absolutely, positively frightened of this place."
And as soon as she says it, she mentally punches herself. What kind of an icebreaker is that?
"A little fear's always healthy," replies Kion, somehow managing a fit response to her comment.
Dalia considers his words as they do have some merit to them. After a moment, she shakes her head. She takes a seat on the grass, gazing up at the stars.
The bright light of the moon gives the savannah an eery glow. Almost as if it's hovering with life. The whites of both their eyes are striking against their now darkened fur. This has always been Dalia's favorite time of day — when everything is cast under that awe-inspiring lunar glow. She finds that when she gazes up at the countless white stars piercing through the night, it feels as though all her problems are minuscule.
"On second thought, perhaps 'frightened' wasn't the best word." She looks up, trying to think of a better word. "More like disturbed. Once you're dead, you're gone. None of that weird 'coming back from the grave' nonsense. That's how it works everywhere else I've traveled. And if that Pridelands were a tad bit more normal, you wouldn't have to be dealing with your evil great-uncle."
Kion settles into the soft grass, rolling over onto his side. "There's pros and cons to everything. The Pridelands is a very spiritual place. Here, the dead have a chance to connect with the living. That way, death isn't so final, ya know? It's just another stage of life, nothing to be afraid of."
The lioness gives him an odd look. "But death is final. Everyone plays a role in the circle of life, and once you're gone, you're gone. That way, you cherish the value of life so much more because you know you've only got one shot." Dalia smiles. "Well, except in the Pridelands. Here, you could be dead for ages and still roar alongside a living lion. Don't you think that's a little strange?"
He gives a shrug. "Well, that's one way of looking at it. The way I see it, by connecting with those who have passed, they're still part of you. In a sense, they're still alive." He turns to his side to see Dalia's face. "And by the way, I'm sure there are other places that are similar to the Pridelands."
Dalia ponders his statement for a moment before nodding her head. "You're actually right." The prince's eyebrows raise in surprise, he wasn't expecting her to admit he was right. "When I was still traveling, I stayed at the Tree of Life for a little bit. The Pridelands and the Tree of Life are somewhat similar, I would say."
"The Tree of Life?" Kion echoes, quirking a brow.
"It's a place where all kinds of animals are welcomed, and they have some of the best healers over there." She turns her head to the side, meeting Kion's gaze. "I guess you could say I was in a rough spot when I came to the Tree of Life, and I met a friend there who managed to help me find my voice again."
"It sounds like an amazing place."
The lioness gives a nod. "It is an amazing place. You should visit some time — you know after everything with your dead family settles down." She gives him her most coy grin. "If you do decide to go, you've can count on having the best tour-guide at your service."
He gives her a smile in turn. "I might just take you up on that offer someday."
A hard shove snaps Dalia awake. "Wake up!" a gruff voice growls from above her.
She groans, opening her eyes slowly against the piercing light. She stretches out, her body sore and joints aching. The charred ground of Kilio Valley proves an uncomfortable nesting area. Dalia yawns irritably. Her's and Kion's late-night meeting last night left her exhausted, and she wasn't all too happy about her very rude awakening.
The lioness sits up, adjusting her gaze. She finds Janja's resentful face glaring down at her. Her face flames with annoyance. "What's your problem?" she asks with a bite in her voice. "Jasiri kicked your sorry-butt again?"
Reirei giggles at the snipe somewhere across the clearing. Janja's eyes narrow and he growls. "You're testing my patience, Newbie."
She grimaces in wry amusement. "And we all know just how difficult it is to wear your patience thin."
Another round of chuckles sounds from various different members of Scar's Army. It's Janja's turn to groan and roll his eyes.
"Enough, already!" he snaps, doing little to silence the jackal pup's snickers. He redirects his gaze to Dalia, who returns it with equal intensity. "Ushari dropped by this morning and told us that Scar would like both of us to meet him at the volcano." He narrows his eyes. "Of course, you'd have known that had you not been snoozing."
She presses her lips into a fine line. "Fine, I get your point. I'll be sure to keep that in mind in the future."
He shakes his head. "And I'm in charge of chaperoning you. I'm looking forward to it already."
"You act as if I'm thrilled about the prospect," Dalia counters.
"Watch the attitude, kid," Janja calls over his shoulder. He turns over to Imba and the vultures. "Hey, birdies! Why don't you tag along too?"
Mzingo cocks a brow. "Why? I don't recall Ushari informing us that Scar has requested our presence."
Imba voices her agreement. "Yeah, what gives?"
"I'm gonna need you to watch out for the Lion Guard," Janja explains, his dark eyes darting around the area. "I've gotta feeling they're gonna try something sneaky."
"Sneaky?" Dalia repeats, hardly trying to mask the amusement in her voice. "I thought that was your job?"
Janja growls. "Watch it, kid." He jerks his head at his crew. "C'mon, let's get going!"
Author's Note:
So, it's been confirmed that Dalia has in fact traveled to the Tree of Life. Wonder who she met there (*wink, wink*). Also, sorry about the slightly short chapter. I've been kinda in a funk lately, and I just wanted to get this update out and hopefully get back into the swing of things.
Hope you enjoyed it. As always, criticism/suggestions/feedback are always welcomed.