After Kion and Dalia parted ways, the latter began quietly creeping towards the Lion Guard's Lair.
Dalia hopes, maybe an irrational kind of hope, that she'll be able to slip through the vines guarding the Lair before anyone else — particularly Makini and Imba — wakes up and realizes that she had been gone.
But when she pushes past the vines and sees a coyly smiling Imba perched near the entrance, she realizes that she wouldn't be so lucky.
Fuli, who was arching her back into a stretch when Dalia entered, is now fixing her emerald eyes on the lioness. Beshte and Bunga are both behind her, wading in the shallow pool of water in the Lair, and Ono is snapping at Bunga for something Dalia can't quite catch due to the distance between them. Dalia, a little bit belatedly, suddenly remembers the Lion Guard's tendency to hang out in the Lair before starting their day.
Smirking Imba cocks a brow at her. "You've been gone a while," hums the eagle with a knowing grin.
From looking at the smug grin on her face, Dalia realizes that Imba definitely knows something she's not letting on. "So I was," she says carefully. Looking around the cave, she notices that Makini is absent. "Where's Makini?"
"Out searching the Pridelands for you before Rafiki comes back," Fuli answers, her lips quirking upwards in amusement.
Imba, who looks like she suddenly remembered something, stands up and shakes her wings out. "Speaking of which," she says rather hurriedly, "I better go find Makini and tell her she doesn't have to look for you anymore."
And with that, she makes her way out of the cave and begins searching for Makini, leaving Dalia alone with (most of) the Lion Guard.
A loud, wet-sounding splash sounds from the far side of the cave, and the source of the commotion — as to be expected — is Bunga. The honey-badger had swung from a hanging vine and into the shallow pool of water, effectively splashing everyone in a ten-meter radius. Including the already disgruntled Ono. He grumpily shakes the water from his wings before narrowing his eye into a glare at the honey-badger.
"That's it," Ono snaps. Before Dalia could wonder what 'it' meant in this context, Ono suddenly backed up a few paces before diving straight at Bunga. "You want me to partake in this ridiculous tri-compete of yours?" At the mention of tri-compete, Fuli lets out an amused snort as if she's heard the term more times than she cares to admit.
"Fine!" Ono continues, swooping down once more at Bunga, "The first competition will be my pick, and I suggest 'peck at the honey badger'! Any objections? No? Then, it's settled!"
"I object, I object!" Bunga cries, narrowly dodging an attack from Ono, snickering while doing so. "That's not a real competition and ya know it!" Bunga calls, quickly jumping out of the water and sprinting to exit the Lair.
"Get back here, you insolent, annoying, little—!" Ono shouts, flapping his wings furiously as he's hot on Bunga's tail.
Sighing, Beshte exits the pool as well, thick exasperation laced in his mellow voice. "Better go make sure those two don't kill each other before Kion gets here," he says by way of explanation as he waddles — still wet and slippery, mind you — out of the cave, effectively secluding Fuli and Dalia. As he's leaving, he's muttering under his breath: "Told Bunga to quit bothering him... told him Ono'd get mad... of course he didn't listen..."
The two felines exchange glances for a brief second, unsure what to make of the past few minutes. Figuring the conversation is over, Dalia begins walking past Fuli and towards the nest that Makini and Rafiki had fashioned for her.
"You know," Fuli starts, just as Dalia is about to walk past her, "It's interesting how you've sort of been the center of attention around here."
If it wasn't for the cheetah's light-hearted tone, Dalia might think that Fuli was being malicious or envious in her statement. But Fuli isn't either of those things. She's simply smiling and cocking her brow in a light-hearted manner.
Regardless, her bluntness leaves Dalia speechless. "Oh," she manages. "I... I didn't mean for that to happen..." She's suddenly very thankful that nobody else was around to witness this awkward exchange.
"Don't worry about it," Fuli says, shrugging, "Also, I don't think I ever had the chance to thank you for doing what you did for us. Spying, and all. Even though it was funny seeing you pretending to fight us that one time, you really were risking a lot in doing us that favor."
"I just wish you could've gotten more information out of it," Dalia says earnestly, "But I can tell you that this war isn't going to last too much longer. Before I left, Scar started calling more frequent meetings with us. Whenever he'd speak with us, his tone would be more final. As if, he has some master plan to win this war very soon. So just be alert."
Fuli nods before taking on a strange sort of face. She eyes Dalia for a few lingering moments, and when Dalia moves to walk past her, Fuli blocks her path with her paw. She tilts her head to the side.
"Hey, Dalia, can I ask you a question?" When the lioness nods, Fuli continues: "I've been wondering this for a while now, but never quite got the chance to ask anyone; why did you agree to help us in the first place? You don't have anything to gain, you weren't from around here, and you weren't exactly good friends with any of us before you volunteering yourself for this."
Realization dawns on Dalia very suddenly. It all makes sense now. The unease in Fuli's eyes the other day when Dalia woke up in the Lion Guard's Lair. The way Fuli tended to stay away from the Lair whenever Dalia was in it. The comment Fuli made about her being the center of attention.
"You don't trust me, do you?" Dalia asks, not bothering to beat around the bush.
"In the beginning, I didn't. I'll admit to that," Fuli concedes, "But, lately, you've been sort of proving yourself. But I need to hear it from your mouth first before I change my mind. I need you to tell me why you'd agree to help us. It's nothing personal, I'm just not all that of an optimist."
Dalia smiles despite the situation. "Then you and I have something in common," she says. "No, I understand why you'd be suspicious of me. To be honest, deciding to help you guys was sort of a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. But let's just say that Scar reminds me an awful lot of someone I used to know." Kali, she adds internally. "And I wasn't able to stop that someone from doing something horrible." Like killing my mother. "But I want to be able to stop Scar from doing something horrible to someone else. To sort of make-up for what I wasn't able to do back then."
Fuli is silent for a few moments, seeming to consider her words. "You wanted to — no, you want to try and right your wrongs," she states — very distinctively a statement, not a question.
"I guess you could say that."
The cheetah's face softens. "Thank you," she repeats. She raises an eyebrow and the characteristic smirk of hers is back. She steps away so that she is no longer blocking Dalia's path. "You know, I'm glad you turned up when you did." She snorts. "Nice to have another girl around here that isn't obsessed with sharpening her nails or worried over the state of her fur."
"Thanks," she responds, feeling Fuli brush past her and begin walking over to the entrance.
"Oh, and Dalia?" Fuli calls over her shoulder.
Dalia turns her head to look at the cheetah, who was now about to exit the cave. "Hm?"
"I don't know what happened to you, or who that someone was that you weren't able to stop, but don't beat yourself up about it," says the cheetah, "I appreciate it — believe me, I do. But I don't think what you're doing is healthy. At all."
The lioness manages a crooked, half-smile. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Kiara, this is ridiculous!" Zuri exclaims, "You seriously cannot expect us to put up with her coming with us on our girl's day!"
Tiifu nodded sagely, a frown marring her face. "Yeah, she's mean!"
From inside Priderock, Kiara eyes her two best friends wearily. This morning, after Tiifu and Zuri set off a false alarm due to concerns over the humidity affecting their fur, it was decided that Tiifu, Zuri, and Kiara would spend the afternoon at the hot mud spots at the edge of the Pridelands for "rejuvenation purposes" or whatever Zuri had claimed. But her mother had felt that it wasn't safe, so Kion offered to tag along as well.
And when Nala had remarked how Dalia was pent up in the Lion Guard's Lair, Kiara couldn't help but feel bad for the lioness. Dalia is, after all, a foreign lioness who hasn't been treated with the best hospitality thus far. So she figured that she could invite Dalia to also come along to this "girl's day" so she wouldn't feel left out and Tiifu and Zuri could get what they want as well. She had thought that everyone else would be on board with the idea.
But as it turns out, Tiifu and Zuri aren't entirely thrilled with the prospect.
"First of all, Zuri, Dalia is a girl too - so I don't see any reason why she can't come," says Kiara, cocking a brow, "especially now that Kion is also coming on this 'girl's day with us."
"But — she's — mean!" repeated a scandalized-looking Tiifu.
Kiara has to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. "I think her mean-ness was justified considering she almost drowned," she says, "Besides, it's not like you two are unfamiliar with mean lionesses."
Zuri and Tiifu exchanged glances, and after a moment, they both decide that they have no fitting response to the princess' rebuttal.
"Fine, Dalia can come," says Zuri finally, rolling her eyes. "But I'm not going to like it."
Kiara smiled. "Not counting on it, Zuri," she says, "But it would be good if you two at least tried to be nice to her. You know, she did us all a pretty big favor in spying for the Lion Guard on—" she lowers her voice to a whisper to make sure nobody else overhears, "—Scar's Army."
Zuri and Tiifu both look petulant but clearly have no fitting response.
"Now that we agree," Kiara says, glancing to the both of them, "then I'll go ahead and invite her."
. . .
"Kion, you really don't think this is a bad idea?" questions Dalia, glancing towards the male lion walking beside her. "I mean, the Prince and Princess of the Pridelands going right at the edge of the Outlands? Where, you know, Scar's Army is located? Not to mention that I'm sort of Scar's most wanted lioness at the moment."
"I think you worry too much," says Kion easily, glancing towards her. "You trust me to keep you safe, don't you?"
Dalia is suddenly fighting the urge to scowl.
The two are traveling alongside each other to the hot mud pots at the edge of the Pridelands at the request of Kiara's friends. Kion and Dalia are also accompanied by Kiara, Zuri, Tiifu, and Bunga, who is currently leading the way, effectively allowing Kion and Dalia to converse without being overheard.
When Kiara came into the Lion Guard's Lair inviting her to accompany them for a "Girl's Day Out", Dalia had at first wanted to decline on the premise of it alone. But, after some consideration, she quickly realized that spending the afternoon soaking in some mud with company was a much more interesting alternative to sitting around in the Lair for the rest of the day, getting interrogated by various members of the Lion Guard.
So, she accepted Kiara's offer. And after asking Imba if she wanted to come along (the eagle declined because 'mud and feathers do not mix'), Dalia found the group and began towards the hot mud pots.
However, now that she's nearing the edge of the Pridelands — nearing the place she was attacked by Janja — she feels much more apprehensive.
Dalia looks to Kion once more, deciding to repeat her question. "You think Scar's Army won't attack us when we're just sitting still in some mud?" Dalia questions, cocking a brow. "Especially if we're so close to where their camp is?"
"Look," Kion says, pausing in his step, "I understand why you're concerned, but if there's one thing Pride Life taught me, it is that there is always—"
"Strength in numbers," Dalia finishes, and he appears surprised that a nomadic lioness knew one of the most common expressions of Pride Lions.
Kion smiles. "Exactly," he says. "If Scar's Army tries anything, they'll have two members of the Lion Guard, the Crown Princess of the Pridelands, the Princess' royal advisors, and a battle-savvy lioness to deal with."
Dalia smirks. "I appreciate the flattery, but it's not working."
Kion laughs, a warm sound that reminds Dalia of honey. "It was worth the try."
After a few more minutes of walking, the dry ground beneath their paws becomes cooler and slicker, eventually dissolving into pure mud. Dalia looks up to see several interconnected pools of steaming mud with flowers springing up around the bank of the pools.
Bunga backs up a few paces before springing forward and landing in the mud with a loud cry of Zuka Zama!
As a result of his cannonball, mud goes flying every which way, splattering Tiifu and Zuri in the process.
"Ew!" Tiifu shrieks, shrinking back again Zuri. "Don't get us muddy!"
Bunga lifts his head from the mud to shoot the girls a confounded look. "Why not?" he questions, laying back in the mud, "I thought you wanted to get muddy."
Zuri sniffs disdainfully through her nose before explaining to the honey-badger that the purpose of Girl's Day Away was to relax in the mud, not splash in the mud — and that only the uncouth splash when the option of relaxing is perfectly available.
"Make sense?" she asks after her lengthy spiel.
"Nope," he replies, resurfacing and preparing to cannonball back into the mud. "Splashing is more fun," he states as mud flies everywhere, "See?"
Kion sighs, approaching the edge of the mud pot, "Come on, Bunga, we're not here to have fun. We're here to keep watch."
Dalia nods, looking around uncertainly, "Yeah, we aren't exactly in the safest location." As much as she hates to admit it, Dalia can't help but feel apprehensive being so close to Kilio Valley after everything that had happened.
Bunga exhales through his nose, nodding reluctantly. "Fine, fine," he mumbles under his breath, feigning compliance. "I'll keep watch." He begins moving towards the edge of the mud pool, when he suddenly turns around, pointing wildly to his left. "Is that Scar?" he shouts with a gasp.
A tense chill suddenly runs down the spine of everyone else, Dalia's heart pounding against her chest. Internally, she hates herself for being so fearful and paranoid, but she can't help it. Every time she thinks of Scar, all she can think of is Kali. And as much as she hates to admit it, that's one lion she knows she'll forever be scared of.
Kion's eyes narrow as he turns in the direction Bunga's frantically pointing. "Where?" he demands.
A laugh suddenly breaks through the tense silence. They all turned to see Bunga laughing, wiping at his eye with one mud-covered hand. "Gotcha," he wheezes, and Dalia's embarrassed by how relieved she is.
Kion looks angry for a brief moment, before smirking. "Oh, it's on," he threatens before leaping into the mood pool to pounce on Bunga. As soon as the two boys resurface, a mud-splashing fight soon ensuing.
Beside Dalia, Tiifu's nose crinkles in disgust. "Why do boys have to be so messy?" she asks, frowning distastefully at the two.
Kiara shrugs. "Messy can be fun."
Zuri scoffs. "Mmm, I don't think so," she states firmly. "Relaxing and pampering ourselves is fun." She gestures to the patch of wildflowers blooming. "C'mon Kiara, you'll see."
Dalia watches, feeling a little out of place, as Kiara and her friends begin decorating themselves with brightly colored flowers. She inches closer to the edge of the pool, glancing towards Kion and Bunga who are currently in the middle of an all-out mud-flinging war.
Kion catches sight of Dalia, turning to her and inadvertently allowing himself to be slapped in the face with a well-aimed mudball (courtesy of Bunga). "You want to join us?" he calls.
"Yeah!" adds Bunga, flinging a mudball towards her. "It'll be fun!"
She smiles despite the mud sliding down her face, and after taking a furtive glance behind her, she decided to slink down into the mud pool with the two. Soon after, the girls joined them, relaxing in the mud while Bunga and Kion took turns cannonballing into the pool, splashing everyone within a one-mile radius. At one point, Kion and Bunga even went out of their way to dunk Dalia in the mud until she looked like some bizarre semi-aquatic monster.
(She of course got them back for it!)
After a while though, Dalia finds herself content to just sit back and relax. After the past few hectic weeks, it was nice to take some time to unwind and relax with lions (and a honey-badger) of her age. But even though she is enjoying herself, she still can't shake the unnerved feeling she has. She knows she's being paranoid, but it almost feels like someone, or something, is watching her...
Unbeknownst to her at the time, she is in fact being watched.
Watched by two brightly colored skinks who would, no doubt, be quick on their way to go inform Scar.
"So Janja was telling the truth about Dalia and Imba..." murmurs Shupavu, a flaming-red skink with distinctive yellow stripes underneath her eyes. Her pure black eyes are narrowed in disgust at the sight of Dalia mingling with Kion and his friends. "We've really been deceived, Njano."
Shupavu's accomplice, a golden-skinned skink with blue feet named Njano, shakes his head in disgust. "Dirty spies," he grumbles. He strains his eyes to get a better look at the scene unfolding before them. "I only see the lioness, though. Where's the stinkin' bird?"
The red skink lashes her tail so that it whips her fellow skink, effectively getting his attention. "C'mon, Njano," Shupavu barks, "We better go tell Scar."
. . .
"And you're sure of what you saw?" asks the cold and snarling voice of Scar, his temper nearly as hot as the lava around him.
The secret lair of Scar feels more torrid than normal as the undead once-king of the Pridelands learned of the confirmed treachery of two of his recruits. The two skinks charged with delivering the news appear smaller than normal - as if trying to shrink away from the rage of the undead.
"We're sure, Scar," replies Shupavu firmly, narrowing her eyes against the rising heat of the volcano. "We didn't see the eagle, but we did see Dalia."
Njano spat. "She was all buddy-buddy with that cub, Kion, and that smelly raccoon—"
"Honey-badger," exasperates Shupavu, rolling her dark eyes, "but, yes, that's what we saw. Kiara and her friends were also there at the edge of the Pridelands... surrounded by dry grass."
Njano seems to understand what his partner implied. "It sure would be a shame if the vultures sent the place up in flames..." he says, trailing off and looking up to Scar hopefully. "One spark would be enough to get rid of our little traitor."
A sinister grin crosses Scar's face. "Go to fetch Mzingo," he orders, his eyes gleaming maliciously, "Let's deliver the little traitor and her friends a little gift of fire."
Shupavu and Njano exchange a smirk as Scar's nefarious laugh echoes off the walls of the volcano before slithering off to fetch a certain vulture.
. . .
"Mzingo!" calls Njano as she slithers into Kilio Valley.
Mzingo, who had been perched on a branch of a dead tree, turns at the sound of his name. "Skinks," he greets, his tone exasperated, "What is it this time?"
"Oh, come now, Mzingo," coos Shupavu, "That's no way to treat friends. Especially friends that have orders from Scar."
Janja, who was passing through and overheard bits of the conversation, interrupts. "Huh? What about orders from Scar?"
"Ooh, just the hyena I wanted to see," says Shupavu, smirking as she turns her attention to Janja, "You should feel proud, Janja. You were correct about Dalia and Imba being spies, and Scar thanks you for it. And today, you'll get your retribution for your cleverness."
Janja looks stricken. "Retribution?" he asks, gulping nervously.
"I thought you'd be happier about the news," Njano murmurs suspiciously, his eyes narrowing.
Janja makes an effort to straighten his posture and puff out his chest. "Uh- I mean, yes! Retribution!" he declares in a faux-confident voice. "What did Scar have in mind?"
After a suspicious glance shared between Njano and Shupavu, Njano explains. "That's where Mzingo comes in," he says, turning to the vulture, "Kion, Kiara, and some of their friends are all at the mud pools at the edge of the Pridelands. Better yet, our little traitor Dalia is with them."
Shupavu turns so that she's staring at Mzingo. "Oh, Mzingo, isn't it such a shame that they're surrounded by tall, dry grass? It sure would be a shame if it happened to catch fire, wouldn't it, Mzingo?"
Mzingo cackles. "A terrible shame, my dear."
All the while, Janja was looking on with a horrible look of guilt plastered on his face.
"You sure you don't wanna try this, Kion?" Bunga calls, "it's un-Bunga-lievable."
"No thanks, Bunga."
Bunga shrugs, glancing back at Dalia. "What about you, Dalia?"
Dalia glances at the others who are seated in the mud. At some point within the "Girls Day Away", the group decided to shift from mudball fights to a more relaxing stay that consisted of mud-masks with baobab eye coverings. Around this shift, Dalia had left the mud and resorted to lounging on an overlooking boulder and she was soon followed by Kion.
She looks to the others who are still in the mud. Although Kiara is also beckoning her to join them, Zuri and Tiifu give her a look of disdain. Dalia guesses there are still hard feelings over what happened the last time she saw them.
"Er, no thanks," Dalia answers, adverting her gaze quickly.
As she answers, a sudden chill falls over her and the paranoia returns. The feeling of being watched, which had subsided a little while ago, was now back with vengeance. Kion apparently felt the same shift, for he suddenly stiffened from beside her.
"Did you hear that?" he asks, straining his ears towards the sky.
Bunga, who is still lounging in the mud, paid no attention to Kion's concern. "Nope," he says, waving it off, "Didn't hear anything."
Still, neither lion's concern is quelled. "Something isn't right," Dalia murmurs, trying to stifle the chills running up her spine.
Kion tips his head into a nod of agreement. "I think we should go," he says, turning to those still in the mud.
Zuri, whose eyes were still closed and covered by a pair of leaves, doesn't seem bothered by Kion's insistence. "But we can't go until the mud masks dry properly," she informs, waving her paw dismissively, "Spa rules."
Kiara and Tiifu both nod their agreement, and Bunga lifts up a hand in agreement.
"Spa rule, Kion," he says knowingly. "Nothin' we can do."
Kion exchanges a worried glance with Dalia, whose heart was now beating against her chest all over again. The cut against her neck, which has is now a scar, feels fresh all over again. She can almost feel imaginary claws digging into her throat, trying to claim her life. She looks up to the dark gray sky, and her heart drops to her stomach at what she sees.
Overhead, she sees Mzingo and two other vultures circling them. Ordinarily, this might not have been so unnerving had it not been for the flaming branches clutched in their talons.
"Guys!" she shouts, her eyes wide. "We've got to go! Now!" She looks back up to the sky, seeing Mzingo's cruel smirk as he prepares to drop a flaming branch directly above her. "Fire!"
The panic in her voice caused everyone to actually look at her with concern. But by the time everyone was starting to leave the hot mud, the branch had dropped, narrowly missing Dalia and landing on the dry grass.
Kion immediately lept into action, his eyebrows knitted in concern. "Everyone, out!" he shouts. "Now!"
In a split second, everyone abandons what they were doing and immediately begins searching for a safe exit.
"Over there!" Dalia calls, spotting an open space.
But as soon as everyone began trying to escape through the opening, another flaming branch is quickly dropped. Within seconds, a circle of fire forms around the group, filling the air with thick, unbreathable smoke. Dalia looks at Kiara and her friends, and she sees their eyes wide with terror.
"Move!" Kion orders. "To the center, away from the smoke!"
Tiifu looks to Kiara, the fire behind her making her glow. "What do we do?" she asks, whimpering, "We're surrounded."
"We need to make a fire break," says Dalia, trying to quell the feeling of fear at the rising flames around them.
Kion tips his head into a nod. "Bunga—"
"On it," Bunga answers before darting away to where the fire is rampaging.
Kiara's eyes bear a light of determination. "I'm going too," she states, quickly following the honey-badger.
Once they're gone, Kion turns to Zuri, Tiifu, and Dalia. "And you three," he says, glancing at Dalia, "take cover in the mud."
Dalia at first feels a flash of irritation at being negated to sitting in mud. After what she's done, spying on Scar for weeks, she thought she'd be considered competent enough to help with a fire break. But the irritation is quickly replaced with a dawning horror when she looks back at the mud pool and realizes that the entire place, including the trees around it, are already scorched.
"It's too late, Kion," Dalia says.
Kiara, from where she is beside Bunga, takes a break from the fire break. "Kion," she says, panting, "the embers are already jumping the break. It's no use."
For a moment, Dalia sees pure and unadulterated fear in Kion's eyes. He takes frenzied glances around the clearing, trying to find another way when his eyes widen in realization. "Look, a burrow!" Kion calls, spotting an aardvark den a few feet away, "Quick, everyone into the aardvark hole!"
Bunga and Kiara both abandon the fire break and dart towards the newfound sanctuary, and the rest of the group is close behind them. Bunga leaps in first, declaring the space safe, and he is quickly followed by Zuri (after initial complaints of uncleanliness on her part). But when Tiifu approaches the hole, she immediately stops dead in her tracks, a look of fear plastered on her face.
"What's the matter?" Kiara asks, noticing her friend's apprehension.
Tiifu's face turns pale. "It's dark down there," she says quietly, her voice trembling.
"C'mon, Tiifu," calls Zuri from inside the hole, "It's not that bad, I promise."
Kiara gives her a small smile. "Look, I'll go in first," she says before hopping into the hole, "See?"
Tiifu still doesn't look convinced. "Do I have to?"
In answer, an overlooking tree branch suddenly catches fire and falls almost directly on top of the lionesses. Thankfully, both Dalia and Tiifu able to dodge it in time.
"Get in, Tiifu," says Dalia tersely, sweat already beading on her forehead, "Before another tree falls and we can't dodge it."
"Tiifu! Dalia!" Kion shouts, running towards the hole, "Get in, now!"
"If it's any solace to you, I'll be right behind you," says Dalia, trying her best at a comforting smile. Though from the look on Tiifu's face, she suspects it came across as mocking.
Still reluctant, Tiifu nods. "Okay..." she murmurs before hopping in.
In the next few seconds, Kion and Dalia both followed suit. And not a moment too soon. A millisecond after Kion jumped in, another tree fell — effectively sealing up the aardvark hole and submerging them in partial darkness.
There are a few coughs and dry heaves sounding through the tunnel.
"Is everyone okay?" calls Kion into the dimness.
Kiara's voice answers. "I think so," she says, her face a little visible.
Dalia groans as realization dawns on her. "Not another tunnel," she mutters, remembering her rescue of Kijana.
"You've been here before?" a scared Tiifu asks, her body pressed against a nearby wall.
"Not here, per se," replies Dalia, "But I was in a similar tunnel not too long ago."
Tiifu's ears flatten. "How was it?"
"Not ideal. It was hot, easy to get lost in, dark..." Dalia says, ticking off her claws.
"Did you say dark?" Tiifu asks, her voice bearing a frantic edge.
Dalia tilts her head. "...Well, yes. It was a tunnel, after all..."
Tiifu whimpers. "Kion, how long do we have to stay here?"
Kion glances at the little light filtering through the fallen tree. He frowns when he sees peeks of the fire still raging on outside the hole. "I don't know," he says after a moment, "Maybe a few hours, or maybe even a few days—"
"Days?!" Tiifu shrieks, "No! I can't stay here for days!"
Before anyone could stop her, Tiifu is suddenly making a dash for the exit of the aardvark hole. She runs past Kion and starts clawing her way up the wall to escape.
"Tiifu, stop!" Kion shouts after her, "You can't go back up there — the fire's still burning!"
Kion's words only strengthen her resolve. "I have to!" Tiifu shrieks, "I can't stay here!"
"Get down!" Dalia hisses once she sees the rocks crumbling with Tiifu's jerky movement. "You're going to cause a cave-in!"
As if on cue, the ground at Tiifu's paws begins sliding towards them. Dalia vaguely hears Kion telling her to get back, but before she knows it, she's lunging out to pull Tiifu out of the rubble. A second later, Zuri is also leaping towards her friend crying, "Tiifu!"
Unfortunately, Dalia didn't have enough time to make it back to the safe zone, so she, Tiifu, and Zuri all find themselves trapped under a thick layer of rubble that Tiifu unearthed. After a few moments of struggling, Dalia manages to pull herself out to safety, and she's quickly followed by Zuri.
Zuri then spots Tiifu's tail sticking out of the rubble, and she pulls her friend out as well.
"Tiifu, what were you thinking?" Zuri snaps, "You could've gotten us all killed!"
Tiifu looks miserable, her face red and splotchy and her eyes downcast. "I-I know, I'm sorry," she whispers.
Dalia coughs, straining her eyes against the now darker aardvark hole. "Where is everyone else?" she asks.
"Hello?" Kion's voice calls, sounding strangely distant, "Is everyone okay?"
Dalia nods, glancing at Tiifu and Zuri who both look unharmed. "Yeah, we are —just startled." She squints against the darkness and sees a solid mass that wasn't there before Tiifu's incident. She steps forward to it, realizing it was a wall of rubble that had formed — separating herself, Zuri, and Tiifu from the rest of the group. "But it looks like a barrier formed between us in the cave-in. Are Kiara and Bunga with you?"
"Yeah, we are," calls Kiara's voice, quickly followed by a 'me too!' from Bunga. "So how are we going to get out?"
Dalia frowns, glancing around her. "It... it looks like a new tunnel opened up on our side," she says, "Do you see any on yours?"
Kion's voice answers her. "Yeah, there's a few on our side. Do you think we should follow the tunnels and try meeting up above ground?"
Dalia sucks a breath between her teeth, blocking out the whimpering noises that Tiifu is trying hard to stifle. Glancing back at the other two lionesses, Dalia raises a brow at them. "Is that okay with you two?" she asks them.
Tiifu doesn't answer, but Zuri rolls her eyes at the question. "Do we have a choice?" she drawls slowly — as if Dalia was the dumbest lioness on the face of the earth.
"Right." Dalia feels her cheeks flush at the patronization on Zuri's part, but she ignores it. Turning back to the wall separating the group, Dalia answers Kion. "Yeah, it seems like the only option at this point. I'm just worried about you guys getting lost."
"Don't worry about it!" calls Bunga's distant voice from the other side of the wall. "My uncle's kinda an expert in tunnels, so I picked up a thing or two from him. I can get Kion and Kiara outta here safe."
"More importantly," says Kiara, her voice sounding strained, "Will you be able to get Tiifu and Zuri out safely? They're not really used to this kind of stuff."
"Yeah, I gathered that," Dalia murmurs under her breath. Speaking in a louder voice, she speaks to Kiara once more. "I'll try."
She looks back at Zuri and Tiifu. Zuri seems more concerned in picking out the dirt under her claws, and Tiifu's cowering in the corner, her paws over her ears and eyes. Neither seems particularly eager to decide which tunnel to use. Dalia exhales sharply and feels an incoming headache.
This is going to be a long day.
. . .
After wasting a lot of time figuring out which tunnel to take (Zuri wanted to take the cleanest one and Tiifu the brightest one), the three lionesses finally begin embarking into one of the tunnels. It's a tight squeeze with Zuri and Dalia bumping shoulders, and Tiifu bringing up the rear.
An awkward silence stretched out between them, only broken by occasional whimpers courtesy of Tiifu.
"So... you two have lived in the Pridelands your entire life?" asks Dalia, breaking the silence.
"Yeah." is Zuri's clipped response. Dalia doesn't need to look at her to know the other lioness is glaring at her.
Dalia chuckles awkwardly. "Wow. Cool."
"Not really," says Zuri, rolling her eyes.
"What?"
Zuri's eyes flashed with impatience. "I said it's not really that cool to live in one place for your entire life. It's literally the exact opposite of cool." She sniffs. "But I'm sure you wouldn't know what that's like, would you?" she murmurs under her breath.
"What're you trying to imply?" Dalia asks, narrowing her eyes.
"Guys..." warns Tiifu, as if sensing the shift in the mood.
Zuri, apparently brazened by her friend's warning, only continued. "Oh, I wasn't implying anything, Dalia," she snaps, "I'm stating it. Everyone else around here seems to fawn over you, but you know what I think? I think you're insufferable."
Dalia feels indignant. "Are you serious?" she demands, halting in her step. "Was it so insufferable of me to put my neck on the line — quite literally, in fact — to help you and your Pride? I'm so sorry for having caused offense!"
"That's exactly my problem with you," says Zuri, her eyes narrowed in disdain, "This is all just another great, big adventure for you, isn't it? You spying on Scar's Army and battling Outlanders — all of this is just a game to you. You travel all over the place, and you just happened upon the Pridelands, and now you're sticking your paws in everything just for fun. And once you've had your fun, you're just gonna pick and leave to the next place. Well the rest of us don't have that luxury; it's not just a game to us who actually live here."
"Zuri..." warns Tiifu in a soft voice.
Again, she doesn't heed her friend's advice. "Everyone treats you like a hero, but what they don't realize is that you're just gonna abandon everyone as soon as you decide you're little game is over."
"Stop," Tiifu cries, stepping forward.
Zuri doesn't even look at her. "When things get difficult," she continues, her voice breaking but her eyes fixed on Dalia, "and when you find yourself surrounded by bad memories, you don't have to just stick it out like we do. You don't have anyone you care about, so all you have to do when things get painful is just leave."
She turns her head away. "You have no idea how much I envy and despise you," Zuri says in a low voice.
"Zuri, you're not acting like yourself," Tiifu says, pleading, "I know you're still hurt and angry about—"
With fury in her eyes, Zuri turns on her heel at glares daggers at her friend. "Tiifu, don't you dare start," she hisses, "You're sitting here, shivering in fear of the dark, trying to lecture me?"
A wounded look crosses Tiifu's features, and Dalia could see the tears welling up in her eyes. She could also see the instant regret in Zuri's face.
"Tiifu... I-I'm sorry, I didn't—" Zuri begins.
The hurt in Tiifu's face is almost immediately replaced with anger. "Don't even bother," she snaps, rising to her paws, "Sure, I may be scared of the dark, but at least I'm not you. At least I'm not bitter and angry and rude to everyone. You can't deal with the fact your mother left you, so now you're just lashing out at everyone!"
A hurt gasp escaped Zuri's mouth, and her expression was one full of anguish.
Now it's Dalia's turn to de-escalate the situation. "Okay, let's all take a deep breath—"
"But we CAN'T! Because if you haven't noticed, Dalia, we're in a dark, enclosed tunnel that doesn't exactly have enough room for deep breaths!" Tiifu shrieks, a frenzied and panicked look overtaking her features.
Something snaps in Dalia. "Oh, and I suppose that's my fault too, now? Because if I remember correctly, you were the one who got us stuck here in the first place!" She snarls. "I cannot believe that I got stuck with you two out of everyone. When Zuri isn't being rude to me, she's lashing out at you, Tiifu; and when you're not crying about being stuck in the dark, you're blaming me for something you did! This is ridiculous!"
With that last declaration on Dalia's part, the only noise that could be heard is the uneven and ragged breaths that the three lionesses are taking in. It is at that moment Dalia understands the phrase quiet after a storm. The density of the moment is nearly palpable, but it seems that the fuel - the anger - that was festering between the three lionesses is expelled.
It's like everyone finally took a step back and actually understood what they had said to each other, and were now regretting it.
"I didn't mean that," Dalia says quickly, noting the hurt looks on both Tiifu and Zuri's faces, "I've just had a really tough few days." And it's true. Lately, Dalia feels like she's fighting with everyone. An ache of regret ricochets through her chest as she remembers Tombie.
"Yeah, well, it hasn't been much easier for us too," Zuri says, though her voice has lost the edge it had bore a few seconds ago. After a few moments she continues, "I'm sorry for what I said to you, Dalia. You too, Tiifu." Her face scrunches together as if she's trying hard not to cry. "It's just... my mom used to be part of our pride. And then, when I was a baby, she just left. And I know I don't remember her too well, and I shouldn't feel hurt because I hardly knew her, but it still does suck. It sucks knowing your own mom didn't care about you enough to stay. And I guess you just kinda reminded me of her, Dalia, and I got mad. Still, I'm sorry."
Tiifu looks down at the ground. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have brought that up to you, Zuri, and I shouldn't have blamed you, Dalia. And you were right by the way, Dalia. It really is my fault we're stuck here anyway."
"Well, I out of all lions really shouldn't have put you down for being afraid," Dalia points out, "I know what that's like personally, and I shouldn't have put you down for it."
"It's still a pretty stupid thing to be afraid of," Tiifu mutters, sniffling.
"Everyone's afraid of their own things, Tiifu," says Zuri in the kindest tone Dalia's heard from her, "What's important is we don't let it control us."
Dalia tips her head into a nod, showing her agreement. "And, for what it's worth, I don't think being afraid of the dark is any more stupid than being scared of water," she says in her attempt at a joke.
Zuri snorts. "Yeah. Now that's pretty stupid."
"Hey!" yelps Dalia, feigning offense — which prompts weak chuckles out of everyone.
"Alright, alright," says Zuri, "Enough of this sappy stuff. Let's get out of here."
Tiifu nods vigorously. "You said it!"
And with that, the girls begin trudging their way through the tunnel. And, somehow, it feels brighter with every step. Dalia looks to her newfound (possibly?) friends and feels better than she has in a long time. But being with them only reminded her more of Tombie and how much she values him as a friend. She knows she can't just leave things how it is with him.
She could've very easily died today in that fire, and Tombie would've thought she died hating him. If there's anything she learned today, it was that life is unpredictable. Nothing, not even a day, is guaranteed to her, and she had to start living every day like it was her last.
And so with every step she takes towards the tunnel exit, her desire to make things right with Tombie only strengthens.
A/N: Hi guys, so sorry about the wait! It's been literally months since I've last updated this, and I'm sorry for that (hopefully I made up for it with the longer chapter). But, in my defense, these past few months have been incredibly hectic! But very, very good at the same time :)
For those of you who want an update on what's been happening these past few months: I got my BS in computer science (took me an entire year and a half longer than it should've, but I still got it done), I'll be married around this time in six months (which is super crazy to think about), my lil' sis recently had a wonderful and healthy baby named Lilianne (she's super cute), and — last but not least — my Mom is finally in remission! For those of you who don't know me personally - my mother has been suffering from ovarian cancer for the past couple of years, and she finally "beat" it! :)
On another note: updates for this fic (and in general from me) may be few and far between as I will soon start job-hunting/pursuing further education. I know I'm not the best at updating on time, but I promise I'll update whenever I can. Just a friendly reminder: I do actually have things to do outside of writing, and I, unfortunately, don't have a lot of time to spend doing my hobbies.
Either way, sorry again about being so wordy, but please let me know what you think of this chapter. I did change Tiifu and Zuri's characters to being a little less... airheaded, and I personally like the change. But as always, any feedback/criticism/comment/suggestion/question/whatever-else-you-wanna-say is always welcome! And you can always PM me if you want to. FFN is kinda iffy about notifying me whenever someone PM's me, but if it goes through, I'll definitely respond.
