Under the glaring sun of the afternoon, a slender young lioness arches her back into a stretch, flexing her claws as she does so. Her green-grey eyes sparkle in the Savannah light, reflecting like an emerald lake. Pale tan fur sticks out in every which way, and she decides to deal with it later. She doesn't live all that far away from the Pridelands, currently hiding out near Hukuna Matata Falls, but strictly refuses to ask to join Simba's Pride. Or anyone's Pride for that matter.
She knows she's not pleasant; she knows she can be stubborn, selfish, and just an overall pain to everyone around her. But she likes to think that circumstance has made her this way. Afterall, life in the Savannah alone would never be easy one. Well... she's not completely alone.
"Daliaaaa," a female voice chirps after her.
Dalia groans, turning her head around to see the blue eagle following her. As soon as she catches sight of the pesky bird, she turns her head back around. "I should've eaten you when I had the chance," she teases over her shoulder, continuing to walk towards the grassy plains of the Pridelands.
"As if," Imba retorts dryly. Imba flies in front of Dalia so she's facing the lioness. "You couldn't eat me if you tried."
Dalia snorts. "Sure."
Dalia gives Imba a once-over before continuing to walk. Imba looks the same as always, a dark blue color painting her feathers with a couple lighter blue feathers sprinkled in there. She has a white underbelly, big blue eyes that match her feathers, and a beak that apparently never closes.
They met two days ago, under less than ideal circumstances to say the least.
{Brackets and italicized lettering indicates a flashback}
{
Dalia was and still is, in a all regards, an explorer by nature. She's always been curious, and ever since her mother died, has embarked on several quests in the pursuit of knowledge. She has nothing better to do anyways. Dalia's come across several creatures and places, some very interesting and others incredibly boring, but nothing has ever interested her as much as the Pridelands, particularly the Lion Guard.
Dalia was traveling through the the Backlands, not too far away from the Pridelands, where she overheard a leopard's grumbling of "The Lion Guard."
She swiveled around immediately, curious about this Lion Guard that he complained about. The leopard coat shine a pale, sickly shade of yellow with brown-rimmed spots on his fur. His ear tips were splashed in the same color. Immediately intrigued, she approached the leopard in question.
His fur started bristling when he saw her, arching his back slightly as he snarled at her. "This is my territory, brat," he had growled, "You should go back running to your little Pride before you get hurt."
A smirk grazed Dalia's muzzle and she tilted her head silghtly to the side. "I see," she had replied coolly, "And which Pride do I belong to exactly?"
The leopard blinked, confused by her response. "Simba's, who else?"
Though she had no idea who 'Simba' was or why the leopard held such anomosity towards the members of his Pride, she decided that she was going to find out. "Where I come from, we have a phrase: assumptions are the equivalent of playing with fire," Dalia informed, "And you, my spotted acquaintance, have just played with fire."
The leopard glared at her hard for a few seconds. "Fine," he said slowly, "Then who are you?'
Cocking an eyebrow, her smirk grew wider. "Who are you?" she fired back quickly.
"I asked first."
"And I asked second," Dalia quipped, "I fail to see the relevance."
The leopard growled at her, but she wasn't fazed. After everything's she has seen and heard, it'd take a lot more than a growl to get her to flinch. The pair engage in this tense staring-competition of sorts before the leopard relented. "The name's Makucha," he sighed.
The lioness suppressed the victorious grin that threatened to spread across her muzzle. "Mine's Dalia," she said in turn.
"Dalia," he echoed, contorting the vowels until it sounded ridiculous. "Weird."
Dalia raised an amused eyebrow. "And I suppose Makucha is better?" Like he did, she contorted his name so it sounded abnormal.
Makucha groaned, rolling his brown eyes dramatically. "Okay, now you know my name and I know yours, who are you and what are you doing here?"
"Like I said, I'm Dalia," she repeated, "And I'm just passing through." Dalia looked up to the sky, wondering if she has enough time to explain what she does. She decided that she does. "I am a traveler, a nomad, a pursuer of knowledge, a storyteller by nature, and as curious as all get out. I've seen and heard a lot of things in my travel, but never heard of a 'Lion Guard' until I overheard you talking to yourself."
Makucha scowled. "I wasn't talking to myself."
"Right," Dalia smirked. "Tell me, Makucha," she said, taking a step closer to him. "Is this Lion Guard worth my time or interest?"
"Quite possibly the most interesting and time-worthy thing you'll ever come across, cub," Makucha answered, his eyes flashing. "They're a group of selfless do-gooders who have taken it upon themselves to protect the Circle of Life."
Dalia snorted. "And this is a bad thing because...?" Sure, she's never heard of anything called "the Lion Guard" but she has seen animals protecting the Circle of Life. Nothing special there.
His eyes flashed once more. "Because they're all kids!" Makucha snarled, "And the only reason we Backlanders and Outlanders can't touch them is because their leader is the son of the King! Not to mention that whenever the hot-shot roars, he roars alongside a bunch of cloudy lions."
Dalia raised both eyebrows in response. Now this — this was very much worthy of her time and interest. She intended to pay the Pridelanders a visit, specifically the Lion Guard. "Thank you, Makucha, you've been of great assistance to me," Dalia had told him, "I'll be going now." Dalia started towards where she thought was the Pridelands, thanking Makucha once more over her shoulder.
"Wait, Dalia!" Makucha called after her. She turned around, looking back at the leopard. "Not that I care or anything, but... you should probably head east and through the jungle surrounding Hakuna Matata Falls." Dalia had quirked an eyebrow in confusion, begging the silent question. "The Lion Guard doesn't take to kindly to non-Pridelanders."
She pursed her lips into a thin line. "Can you give me directions?"
...
As she walked in the direction Makucha pointed her in, she can't help but wonder about his group of animals protecting the Pridelands. She supposed it was a group of lions after Makucha said the leader was the son of the King. And the King of any lands is typically a lion, as Dalia has come to find out.
Dalia passed through the Backlands and into the jungle that Makucha described. As she walks into the leafy kingdom, she couldn't help but grimace at the sickly-sweet, humid scent of the forest. Out of all the places she's ever traveled, she hates jungles the most. She continued walking, keeping an eye out for the waterfall that Makucha had described to her. Apparently, once you reach the waterfall, you take a sharp right and continue in the north direction until you reach the grassy Savannah.
He had told her to keep a low-profile while there to avoid being kicked out.
She had continued prodding through the foliage-covered ground. Dalia continued her walking, not realizing that she was walking into a trap until the ground was slipping beneath her. The lioness fell into a dirt pit, gasping before looking around it. Before she had enough time to leap out of the dirt pit, Dalia heard a crack of a branch. Soon, she felt vines suspending her into the sky. As soon as she regained her bearings, she realized that she was suspended into air by thick vines.
Furrowing her eyebrows, she looked around furiously. "What the —"
"Well, well, well," a voice sounded from behind her. "What do we have here?"
Dalia swiveled her head back to look at the owner of the unfamiliar voice. Before her stood an exasperated, annoyed meerkat with tan fur, lighter tan underbelly, light brown stripes along his arm and back, dark brown ears, and russet fur on his head. Next to the meerkat was a red-brown warthog with wiry black fur on his head.
Dalia glared at them. "Care to explain why I'm dangling in the air?" she snarled.
"You're the grub thief!" the warthog exclaimed. "We set a trap out for whoever it was. We're tired of everyone stealing our grub!"
Dalia blinked. "What? I'm not a grub — you know what, nevermind," she rolled her eyes. "Get me out of here!" she squirmed in the vines, shaking the thick green ropes keeping her suspended. She would've clawed her way through it, but her paws were stuck in a way where she couldn't.
The meerkat wagged a finger at her. "Not so fast, Missy," he rebuked, "You've gotta apologize for stealing our grubs!" She gave him a look of disbelief, but he didn't catch it. Unfortunately, he was too busy admiring his trap. "We made the trap so well, didn't we, Pumbaa?"
Pumbaa, presumably the warthog, nodded. "So well, Timon."
"I don't care about your stupid grubs because I didn't take them!" Dalia snapped, "Get me out of here!" Timon answered by crossing his arms over his chest and Pumbaa shook his head 'no.' Dalia let out a scoff of disbelief. "Aren't you two scared of me? If you haven't noticed, I'm a lion!"
Timon and Pumbaa exchanged glances before looking up at Dalia, still suspended in the air, before starting to howl with laughter. Dalia let out an exasperated groan as the pair started slapping each other's back and rolling on the ground with laughter. Finally, Timon stood up, wiping a tear from his eye.
"So what?" Timon retorted sarcastically, still chuckling softly, "We've raised a lion before. You think we're scared of a cub?"
A little part of Dalia was intrigued: she had never heard of a meerkat and warthog raising a lion cub before. However, the bigger part of Dalia was annoyed at the fact that she's suspended in the air.
"I don't care who you've raised, if you don't let me out, I swear I'll make the two of you my dinner faster than you can say Hakuna Matata!" Dalia warned. Hardening her gaze, she added, "I've never tried a meerkat." She glanced at Pumbaa. "Or a warthog for that matter. But I'm a lioness with an empty stomach and I'd be inclined to try both."
A few moments of tense silence ensued. Finally, Timon turned to Pumbaa. "We should go get the Lion Guard."
"You said it!" Pumbaa agreed before scurrying off with him.
Dalia's heart dropped to her stomach. "Wait! Don't get the Lion Guard!" Dalia called after them, but they were already gone.
Her plan was to lay low and observe the Lion Guard from a distance. She has no idea who the Lion Guard is, and prefers to watch from the shadows — it's easier that way. Maybe she'd talk to the Lion Guard eventually, but definitely not today.
Overhead, the young lioness spotted a blue-feathered eagle flying above the green canopy. Dalia sighed, fully expecting the eagle to fly past her.
Surprisingly, the eagle flew down and perched on a branch opposite to her and started preening her feathers.
"You look a bit... stuck," the eagle teased, raising an amused eyebrow at the situation.
"Funny," Dalia said dryly.
The eagle gave her a glance before continuing to preen her feathers. "I'm Imba. And you are...?"
Dalia glared at Imba. "Annoyed, hungry, and stuck in vines. Maybe you could help me fix the last problem and get me out of here."
Imba considered it, looking up to the sky as she did so. "What's in it for me?" she questioned.
"Fine, don't help me," Dalia conceded, "But if you don't, I'll tell the Lion Guard that you're the one stealing the meerkat's and the warthog's grubs."
Imba nearly fell of the branch in shock. Rearing her head around and staring at Dalia with wide, blue eyes, she asked, "How did you know?"
Dalia shrugged, grimacing as the ropes tightened after her movement. "I didn't know for sure. I just had a hunch because of the grub I saw in your talons while you were flying," she admitted, "But now I do know." Imba glared at her, and Dalia flashed the eagle her cockiest smirk. As aforementioned, Dalia knows she isn't pleasant or very nice. She's a cunning, stubborn, and selfish trickster with an immense curiosity — a lethal combination.
After a few seconds, Imba relented. "Fine," she agreed reluctantly, flying over to her and untangling the vines with her talons. As she does so, Imba lets out an impressed snort. "Color me impressed," Imba said while snipping away at the vines, "You're quite the interrogator."
"Thanks," Dalia grinned as Imba released the final knot. Dalia landed on her feet on the ground and immediately let out a sweet sigh of relief once she was on solid ground. "I've learned a thing or two throughout my time as a nomad."
Imba tilted her head. "A nomad?" Imba echoed, "Lions aren't typically nomads."
Dalia cast her a half-lidded glare. "And eagles aren't typically this chatty."
"Sorry," Imba shrugged, frowning as she followed the lioness deeper into the forest. Dalia decided that she needed to get further away from the trap, maybe climb a tree and observe the Lion Guard from a distance. "The other birds don't like me very much," Imba babbled on.
"Right," Dalia replied mindlessly, her mind completely focused on trying to find a good tree to climb. Imba kept chattering away about meaningless topics, to which Dalia respond with simple "right"s and '"okay"s.
Imba flew ahead and Dalia hoped that her lack of enthusiasm would ward away the talkative bird. Unfortunately, it did not. Dalia quickened her pace, realize that the Lion Guard would be here any moment. She stopped in front of a tall tree with lots of foliage. The tree is a few away from the suspended vine trap, but concealed enough by the foliage so the Lion Guard won't see them.
"Good enough," she murmured to herself, "The Lion Guard won't see me, but I'll see them." She started climbing, digging her sharp claws into the bark of the tree. Dalia had come to learn that the most unbiased information comes from watching it all unfold from above, not asking around about it. Everyone has their own version of the events, and Dalia decided long ago that the only lion she could trust was herself.
"Hey, uh," Imba flew up to a branch, watching as Dalia climbed the tree Imba was perched on. "Why don't you want to see the Lion Guard again?"
The lioness dug her claws deeper into the tough bark as she climbed her way up. "I do want to see the Lion Guard," she rebuffed, gritting out every syllable as she climbed. "I just don't want them to see me." Imba cocked her head, giving her a confused look. Finally, Dalia heaved herself onto the branch Imba was perched on. "I am a traveler, a nomad, a pursuer of knowledge, a storyteller by nature, and as curious as all get out," she repeated what she told Makucha.
"So cool!" Imba chirped.
The pale lioness grinned. "I think so too," Dalia replied, "Regardless, I heard about the Lion Guard in passing conversation and decided that I must see this for myself. So, I'm here to spy."
The eagle opened her beak to say something, an action Dalia suspects Imba never fails to do, but quickly shut it when she heard the pattering footsteps of several different animals coming towards them.
This is it. This must be the Lion Guard that Makucha was talking about. Dalia nearly quivered with excitement. As the footsteps grow nearer and louder, she couldn't help but wonder what they'd all look like. She could hear the voice of Timon and Pumbaa expressing their grievences as they neared.
"She said she was gonna eat us!" Pumbaa cried.
"And she stole our grub!" Timon added. Another voice asked a question that Dalia couldn't quite catch. Whatever question the other voice asked, Timon responded to it annoyed groan. "I told you already, Kion, I'm positive she wasn't from the Pridelands. And she wasn't one of the cubs from Zira's pride either."
Dalia's ears perked at the mention of "Zira's pride." The Pridelands is oozing with secrets, all of which Dalia intended to find out for herself.
The first animal Dalia saw was a speedy cheetah, dark spots decorating her vibrant yellow fur. Green, emerald eyes —orbs that seem to reflect the grassy floor — looked around the clearing. The cheetah let out a sigh of disbelief once she realizes that whoever was in the vine trap had escape.
She was soon followed by a pale egret with bright orange feathers, his sharp eyes scanning the clearing intently.
The next two Pridelanders coming crashing through the jungle was Timon and Pumbaa, Timon seated on top of his warthog friend's back as if he were a horse. "She's gone!" Timon exclaimed, bringing a grin to Dalia's face. They hadn't spotted her yet. Imba was silent next to her, observing the situation with great interest.
Dalia spotted a hippo next — his gray, purple-tinted, flesh appearing slick with sweat under the heat of the midday sun. A dark-blue furred honey badger was seated on top of the hippo, a darker blue splashed on his belly and white spiky hair riding up his spine and ending at his forehead. The hippo let out an exasperated groan and the honey badger clenches his fists in frustration before unclenching them.
"I was gonna eat that grub she stole! She got away again!" The honey badger complained, before leaping off of the hippo's back and throwing his head back in anguish. Timon pats the honey badger's back comfortingly, his gaze cast to the ground.
"Don't worry, Bunga, we'll find the grub thief," another voice assured the honey badger. Dalia had been so caught up with watching the meerkat and the honey badger that she failed to notice this new Pridelander walking into the clearing.
Her head whizzed around and she caught sight of the newest addition to the group — a young lion. Dalia concluded that the lion must be around her age by the russet mane he was in the process of growing. His fur shined a light gold with pale golden paws, underbelly, and muzzle. His tale-tip was the same color as the hair on top of his head. Honey-colored brown eyes, the kind that'll make most lionesses swoon when the sun hits them just right, looked around the clearing as he spoke. All in all, a handsome young lion — the one Dalia assumed is the precious prince of the Pridelands.
She noticed that all of them, spare Timon and Pumbaa, bore the same mark that resembled a roaring lion on their shoulders.
The young lion looked up at the egret in the sky. "Ono, see what you can see. Can you spot her?" Ono gave him a nod before taking flight. Dalia took in a deep breath of air as she watched the egret take flight. The egret's eyes scan the area below him and after a few painfully long minutes, he descends back to his group.
Ono sighed, ducking his head down in disappointment. "Sorry, Kion, I didn't see anything."
Pumbaa let out a groan and Timon sighed. "Great!" Timon retorted. "She really did get away!"
The hippo gave him a sad smile and interjected before Timon could say anything more. "That's okay, Ono. You tried your best."
Dalia noticed the cheetah's spotted fur bristling. "Kion," the girl cheetah whirled around to face the lion, "Are we losing our touch? Before the whole return of Scar, we were the most formidable force in the Pridelands. Now we can't even catch a petty thief." Her green eyes looked angry, but Dalia could spot fear in them.
Bunga crossed his arms over his chest, "I think Fuli's right."
Kion looked to Bunga before looking at Fuli, the cheetah, straight in the eye."Our job is to defend the Circle of Life," he reminded before looking around at the group. "Let's not be too hard on ourselves — we don't even know what kind of a lioness we were dealing with."
"Kion's right," the egret added, "Any unknown creature could be working for Scar. We shouldn't underestimate anyone."
"Right," Kion glanced appreciatively at Ono before looking to the rest of the group, "We should go tell the Pridelanders to keep an eye out for any unknown lionesses."
...
After a few minutes of Kion trying to assure Pumbaa and Timon that he'd do everything he could to find their grub thief, the Lion Guard left back to the grassy Pridelands. Shortly after, Timon and Pumbaa went looking for another spot to find their grub. By the time they were completely alone, Imba turned to Dalia with wide eyes.
"That was amazing," she cheered, "I've never felt anything so exhilarating in my life!"
Dalia smiled. "I'm glad, Imba." Millions of questions circled her mind, demanding answers. Dalia started climbing down from the tree carefully, keeping an eye out for anyone that'd rat her out.
"So where are you gonna go now?" Imba questioned, following her down.
"Oh, after what I saw today, I'm definitely staying here," Dalia told her. "At least until I figure out what in the world's going on with the Pridelands. I've never come across a place quite like it, and I've only seen one part of it."
Imba hummed softly for a few seconds before continuing. "Hey... I was just wondering," she started, "Do you mind if I stay with you while you're staying here in the Pridelands? Kinda like friends?"
Dalia raised an eyebrow at her before frowning. "Sorry, I work alone."
Now it was Imba's turn to frown. "I just thought that I could share with you everything I know about the Lion Guard, the Pridelands, and even Scar," she added. "Afterall, there's only so much you could learn hiding in the trees."
Dalia remained silent for a few minutes, scaling down the rest of the tree before speaking. Once she was on the ground, she looked up at Imba who was still perched on a branch. While the lioness tended to work alone, she had a feeling that she'd need to find out information from a local who knows everything about these strange lands. Finally, the nomad relented.
"Fine, you can stick around me," Dalia conceded. Imba let out a whoop, flying a loop-de-loop in the air. As the pair made their way towards somewhere to spend the night, Dalia looked up at the bird in-flight. "First question: who's the Lion Guard?"
}
And that's how the lioness who typically keeps to herself became acquainted with the chatty eagle who, like her, had a knack for spying. They make a perfect team, Dalia hearing things from the ground and Imba overhearing conversations from the sky. Though it has only been two days since the pair met, Imba's been diligent to catch Dalia up on the current state of the Pridelands.
Along with explaining Zira's pride and the Lion Guard, Imba had to explain to the nomadic lioness who Scar was and why he's returning. All in all, Dalia's glad she stumbled upon this place — the Pridelands consist of the most interesting group of creatures Dalia has ever met.
She hunts in the night, careful not to be spotted by the Lion Guard who have also started patrolling in the night. After observing their night shifts, Dalia has found that the Lion Guard takes shifts to patrol the Pridelands in the nighttime — Kion going first, followed by Fuli, then Ono, then Bunga, and finally Beshte. She has also found the Bunga tends to get distracted, and Beshte... well he isn't all that attentive.
So she hunts during Bunga and Beshte's shifts. Last night, she hunted and slept well. Now, she's ready for a full day of observation. Dalia starts walking out of Hakuna Matata Falls and towards the Pridelands.
Imba continues flapping after her. "Uh, why are you walking towards the Pridelands? I thought you wanted to keep a low profile."
Dalia doesn't turn around to glance at her, but continues in her pace. "Because, Imba," she replied, a grin spreading across her face. "I want to see that roar in action."
