Dalia remains motionless, or as motionless as she can be, hidden in the canopy of a near-by tree. The pair decided to spy on the border between Hakuna Matata Falls and the grassy plains of the Pridelands. According to Imba, she spotted a few of Janja's hyenas in the Pridelands, apparently hoping to steal a few zebras. Dalia had asked her to go ahead and see where the hyenas and the Lion Guard are.
Overhead, she spots the blue-feathered eagle flying towards her, Imba's face lit with excitement. As she nears, Imba hums, "They're coming!" Settling in a branch near Dalia, Imba watches the scene unfold intently. "I tipped off Ono that I spotted a hyena in the Pridelands, the Lion Guard should be on their way."
Under the tree branches, Dalia spots the herd of zebras timidly eating the grass.
The entire Pridelands have been on edge in light of the recent events, or so Imba claims. According to what Imba told her, the Lion Guard found out about the return of Scar maybe a week ago and resolved not to tell the Pridelanders about it yet. So while the zebras don't necessarily know about Scar's army, apparently everyone can feel an uncomfortable shift in these lands.
The only reason Imba found out about it was because she had followed the Lion Guard into the Outlands, later spotting the fiery image of Scar in the volcano.
"I only wanted to help Simba after he got stung by that scorpion," Imba had explained to her, "I wasn't expecting to see Scar."
Dalia couldn't help but feel suspicious. For a group who's centered around morality and built on integrity, covering up a secret this large from the Pridelands is dishonorable, to say the least. Imba had tried to defend the Prideland's golden boy, claiming that Kion didn't want to frighten anyone. Dalia begs to differ; she believes the young prince was afraid of what the Pridelanders would think of him, knowing that Scar returned under his watch.
Dalia's snapped out of her thoughts when, from the corner of her eye, she spots a dark-furred hyena with darker spots and an unruly mane stalking up the side of the hill. That hyena is soon followed by two others, their features comically distorted. The zebras on the other side of the hill continue grazing, unaware of the imminent danger they're in.
"That's Janja and his goons," Imba whispers, gesturing with her wing towards the trio. "He has other hyenas in his clan, but Cheezi and Chungu are his right-hand guys."
Dalia nods briefly, focusing on the three hyenas. She suppresses a smirk when she notices one of Janja's goons, the one with a lopsided tongue, tripping over his paws which in turn knocks over the hyena with the big head. Janja audibly groans before face-palming and snapping at the duo.
"Can't you fur-brains do anything right?" Janja snaps loud enough for Dalia to hear.
Imba shakes her head and smiles at the situation. "Cheezi's the one with the lopsided tongue and Chungus the other one. They'ree both loyal to him, but they sure are —"
"—fur-brained?" Dalia finishes, a smirk spreading across her face. The lioness turns to Imba, expecting her to smile at her remark. Instead, she's frowning. "Imba, what's wrong?"
Imba takes a deep breath in, before sighing heavily. "It's just that..." she trails off, "Do you think we're doing the right thing? I mean, we're just watching all this happen, we're not even doing anything about it."
Dalia's smirk quickly turns into a scowl, "It's not like we're doing anything wrong. We did all we could — you even warned the Lion Guard."
"We could've warned the zebras," Imba points out. Dalia rolls her eyes. She couldn't comprehend why any animal, let alone a seemingly sensible one like Imba, would think twice about animals who wouldn't do the same for them. To her, the height of stupidity is an animal with an undying patriotism to a place that doesn't take kindly to them.
"We're fine," the lioness assures.
Imba opens her beak to protest but is cut off with the pattering of footsteps coming their way. Behind the grazing zebras, in the distance, Dalia can spot the Lion Guard running towards the grazing grounds, Fuli in the lead. Imba quiets, settling next to Dalia and watching as the Lion Guard sprint across the Pridelands. Ono flies overhead before shouting to Kion that 'he sees the hyenas.'
Within seconds, the Lion Guard reaches the grazing grounds.
The zebras look to the Lion Guard in shock, their hooves uneasily tapping on the ground at their presence. Dalia guesses that the only time the zebras see the Lion Guard in this area is when there's trouble. Kion turns to Fuli and Bunga, eyes lit with determination.
"Fuli and Bunga: go calm the zebra herd and take them to a new location. Make sure they don't panic and run," Kion instructs the cheetah and honey badger. Fuli and Bunga both give a short nod before rounding up the herd. Kion then turns his head up to Ono and Beshte, "You two are with me."
From the treetops, Dalia watches Kion, Ono, and Beshte start towards the hill the hyenas are ducked behind. From the other side of the hill, Cheezi sticks his head up and gasps at the sight.
"Janja, they're coming!" Cheezi warns. Before Janja could react, the golden-furred young lion leaps from the other side of the hill, tackling Janja to the ground. Beshte follows suit, barreling into Cheezi and Chungu. The two henchmen roll down the hill, their fur blending as they roll, before landing with an 'oof' at the bottom. Dalia must admit that this encounter is very much entertaining.
By the time Dalia's attention goes back to Kion and Janja, the hyena escaped from Kion's grasp and now the pair are face-to-face, neither of them willing to back down. "Janja, this isn't you're turf," Kion growls, his fur bristling angrily, "Get your crew, and get out of the Pridelands."
Dalia internally reminds herself how Kion recently found out about Janja working for Scar. In addition, the circumstances in which he found out about the return of Scar weren't too favorable either, considering he found out while trying to help his Dad after the scorpion sting. Obviously, there'd be animosity between the two.
Janja rolls his eyes dramatically. "Oh, yeah?" he snarks, "Says who?" Kion's fur bristles even more at the comment. Janja makes it a point to look back at his comrades. "Boys, I'm hungry for some zebra. What about you?"
Cheers of approval erupt from Janja's henchmen. Janja smirks confidently. "Kion, this gig — no, this act that you have going on is going to stop pretty soon," he taunts, taking a step closer to the prince. "Eventually, the Pridelands will be our turf, and it would benefit you to get used to it."
For a brief second, Dalia can detect fear in the fierce lion's eyes. And in that split second, she feels sympathy for him. She knows what it feels like to not be sure what your tomorrow will bring you. She remembers how painful the lump in your throat feels when you realize that you must face an adversity on your own, with no assurance that you'll be triumphant. And perhaps that's why the young lioness is apprehensive of the young prince; he reminds her too much of herself.
From the sky, Ono notices the uneasiness Janja's words have inflicted upon Kion. The egret narrows his eyes at the hyena before defending his friend. "Not a chance, Janja."
Beshte shows his support as well, stepping closer to Kion for assurance. "Kion, use the roar," he instructs.
Whatever unease or fear in Kion's eyes quickly vanishes and is replaced with the confident lion he typically is. Dalia leans her head in closer to observe what Kion's doing. Kion looks back at Beshte and Ono. "Get behind me," Kion orders, his eyes flashing. His amber-brown eyes flash once more as Beshte and Ono make their way behind Kion. Dalia tenses, sinking her claws into the branch of the tree for good measure. From what Imba had told her, this roar of Kion's is powerful enough to blow grown lions sky-high.
Kion's claws sink into the ground as he braces himself for his roar. From her position, Dalia can't quite see exactly what Kion's doing, but she has a pretty good idea. Just as he's done before, Kion's eyes squeeze shut, his eyebrows furrow, and his muzzle opens. At first, it sounds like a normal roar, but that changes very quickly. Dalia's eyes snap wide open and her eyebrows shoot up her forehead at what she sees.
Behind Kion, large clouds start forming behind him. Instantly, these clouds take the form of four huge lions who appear white with undertones of blue. The four cloudy lions start roaring alongside Kion, their roars echoing throughout the Pridelands. The sheer force of the roar sends the trio of hyenas flying backwards, despite their attempt to keep their footing. By the time Kion closes his muzzle, the hyenas are a good distance away.
Kion looks up to Ono. "Ono, make sure they're heading back to the Outlands."
Ono salutes Kion with his wing in affirmation. "You got it, Kion!" The egret takes flight, flapping towards the direction the hyenas went in.
While Ono makes sure the hyenas are gone, Kion and Beshte head back to the zebra herd to assure them that any possible threat has since been eliminated. The whole while, Dalia finds it hard to keep from falling out of the tree. Kion's roar was unlike anything she has ever seen or heard before. She didn't expect it to be anything like this. The lioness turns to the eagle beside her with wide eyes.
"That's the roar?" she questions breathlessly.
Imba smiles. "Pretty cool, eh?" Dalia tips her head into a nod before starting to scale down the tree. She guesses that the Lion Guard will patrol the area they're in to make sure there aren't any other threats towards the zebras, and that means she better get out of here. Imba follows her down, her expression growing solemn. "Hey, Dalia?"
"Yes?" Dalia answers once she reaches the floor.
Imba frowns, tilting her head to the side. "I'm glad that you saw Kion's roar for yourself, but we can't do this anymore." Imba notices her confused expression and further elaborates. "What I mean is we can't be willfully negligent anymore. Sometimes, turning a blind eye can be just as harmful as being actively oppressive."
Dalia stifles a groan, instead nodding understandingly. She still didn't understand why Dalia cared so much about the zebras — the zebras didn't get hurt and it's not like Imba owes them anything — but she can agree to Imba's request. "I understand, Imba. Next time we see the hyenas, you can go warn the herds." The lioness starts padding towards the den she and Imba prepared for themselves. "However, I would still like to observe the Lion Guard from a distance for as long as possible."
"Why?" Imba questions as they make their way to the den. "You've already learned about Scar, Zira, the Royal Family, the Lion Guard, and Kion's Roar. What more do you need to know? Why can't you just introduce yourself to the Pridelanders now?"
Dalia doesn't stop in her step, continuing at her pace. "I've come to learn, Imba, that you must familiarize yourself thoroughly with a new land before you introduce yourself to her."
Imba nods her head slowly. "Riiight..." she elongates the word, trailing off at the end. Tilting her head to the side, she furrows her eyebrows in confusion. "And what does that mean, again?"
Dalia rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Never mind, you'll figure it out eventually," she assures.
Imba flies ahead of her before hovering in the air in front of her, meeting Dalia's green-grey gaze with her blue one. "So what're you going to do now?"
As Dalia's mother always told her, a proper young lady speaks with poise and confidence. If a young lady doesn't even sound like she believes in herself, then who else would? So, the young nomad has always tried to put that advice into practice. So far, it has helped her a great deal. So when Imba asks her what her plan is, she pauses, gathering all her confidence before answering. Imba already seems on edge with Dalia's plans in the past, so she needs to seem confident in what she says.
When someone asks Dalia what the plan is, she doesn't suggest — she simply states. In doing so, she leaves little room for debate.
"Imba, darling, we're going to the Outlands."
Author's Note:
I just wanted to say that I'm really appreciative to everyone who read the last update on my other fanfiction and came over here. To any new readers, welcome and thank you for showing your support as well!
Now that school's out and I'm only taking classes in Summer 2, I'm going to try and update more. I hope you like this chapter, and I'll see ya' next time!
~ Maddie
