Important A/N: I thought I should mention somewhere that this fic has undergone a lot of editing. My writing style has evolved greatly as I've gotten older and more experienced, and this evolution was made apparent in older chapters of this fic. So I've decided to update all the chapters to match my current style.
If you're an old reader and wanted to read the latest update (the Chapter * update), perhaps you should consider re-reading this fic from the beginning before reading the latest chapter, as I've made a lot of changes to it these past few weeks.
If you're a brand-new reader seeing this story for the first time, then carry on and ignore this note! Happy reading :)
Book 1: Chapter 1
The presence of the afternoon sun was felt heavily by the savannah, particularly by a young lioness currently taking shelter underneath a baobab tree. Stretching, she slowly rose to her paws and shrugged the sleep from her afternoon nap off her. Blinking against the sun, her green-grey eyes peered into the distance. Pale tan fur stuck out every which way, a result of the nap, and she decided to fix it later.
She was unusually young to be alone at this time of day, but being alone wasn't necessarily something unfamiliar to the nomadic lioness.
Currently living near Hakuna Matata Falls, she supposed she could request to join Simba's Pride, but that would violate her desire for independence. For above all else, this lioness valued her life as a nomad. Sure, it had its ups and downs but ultimately, she discovered she enjoyed being alone.
And, quite frankly, other creatures enjoyed her solitude as well.
She knew she wasn't exactly pleasant. She could be fiercely stubborn, unapologetically selfish, and generally uncaring of anyone but herself. But she liked to think that circumstance made her that way. After all, life in the savannah alone was never promised to be easy. Well... she wasn't completely alone.
"Daliaaa," a way too-eager voice chirped after her.
Dalia smiled at the sound, but groaned outwardly nevertheless, turning to see a certain blue eagle following her. As soon as she catches sight of the pesky bird, she turned back around. "Good morning, Imba. I see you're just as annoyingly positive as ever," she teased over her shoulder, continuing on her walk.
"You know you love me," Imba retorted coyly. Imba flew in front of Dalia so she was facing the lioness. "You wouldn't know what to do without me."
Dalia snorted, rolling her eyes. "Sure."
Dalia gave Imba a once-over before continuing to walk. Imba looked the same as always, a dark blue color painting her feathers with a couple of lighter blue feathers sprinkled in there. She had a white underbelly, big blue eyes that match her feathers, and a beak that apparently never closed.
The pair had met a few days ago, under less-than-ideal circumstances to say the least.
{FLASHBACK}
Dalia was, in all regards, an explorer by nature. She'd always been curious, and ever since her mother died, she had embarked on several quests in the pursuit of knowledge. She had nothing better to do anyway. Dalia had 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 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 shined 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 bristled upon the sight of her, arching his back slightly as he bared his teeth. "You're on my territory, brat," he had growled, "How bout you go back to your little Pride before you get hurt?"
Dalia tipped her head to the side. "I see," she had replied coolly, "And which Pride do I belong to exactly?"
The leopard blinked. "Simba's," he said slowly, now uncertain.
Though she hadn't known yet who Simba was or why the leopard held such animosity 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 stared at her hard for a few seconds. "Fine," he said slowly, "Then who are you?'
"Who are you?" she fired back.
"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 she has seen and heard, it'd take a lot more than a growl to get her to flinch. "The name's Makucha," he bit out.
"Mine's Dalia," she said in turn.
"Dalia," he echoed, contorting the vowels until it sounded ridiculous. "Weird."
Dalia raised a brow. "And I suppose Makucha is better?" As he did, she contorted his name so it sounded abnormal.
Makucha groaned, rolling his brown eyes in agitation. "Okay, now you know my name and I know yours — who are you, and what are you doing here? On my turf too, by the way."
"And I'm just passing through," said Dalia. "I'm a nomad, and I don't belong to a Pride. I'm currently traveling the savannah, and I figured it was time to make my way down the Pridelands. Now, I've seen and heard many things over the years, but I can't say I've ever 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."
She snorted. "And this is intriguing because...?" Sure, she had 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 that 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. "Thank you, Makucha, you've been of great assistance to me," Dalia had told him, "I'll be going now."
Turning, she began towards the general direction of the Pridelands, thanking the leopard over her shoulder as she left.
"Hey, wait," Makucha called after her. After she turned to look back at the leopard, he continued. "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. "Pridelanders don't take too kindly to outsiders."
She pursed her lips into a thin line. "I see."
. . .
As she walked in the direction Makucha pointed her in, she can't help but think of this group of animals protecting the Pridelands. From the name and the fact that the leader was the son of the king, she supposed it was a group consisting of lions. After all, the king of any land was typically a lion.
Dalia passed through the Backlands and into the jungle that Makucha described. As she walked into the leafy kingdom, she couldn't help but grimace at the sickly-sweet, humid scent of the forest.
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 plains of the Pridelands. He had told her to keep a low profile while there to avoid being kicked out. Pridelanders don't take too kindly to outsiders.
Dalia set her jaw tightly. That was the part that made her the most uneasy.
Dalia continued her walking, caught up in thoughts regarding this Roar, 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 that seemed to trigger a bundle of vines entangling her. Soon, she felt the vines suspending her into the air. As soon as she regained her bearings, she realized that she was suspended in the air by thick vines.
Furrowing her eyebrows, she looked around furiously. "What the —"
"Well, well, well," a nasally 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 snapped.
"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, never mind," 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."
"Look, I don't care about your stupid trap, nor do I care about your stupid grubs. What I do care about is how you morons are going to get. me. out." 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. "You two aren't scared of me? In case 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 was still 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 had no idea who the Lion Guard is, and preferred to watch from the shadows — it was easier that way. Maybe she'd talk to the Lion Guard eventually, but definitely not today. Plus, this wasn't exactly the best first impression.
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. "Hmm, alright. Guess I've got nothing better to do," Imba answered, shrugging.
She flew over to her and began untangling the vines with her talons. As she did so, Imba let out a snort. "Color me impressed," Imba said while snipping away at the vines, "You've got yourself into quite the mess."
"Thanks, it's a talent," Dalia replied. With a few more snips, Dalia was nearly from the trap. She let out a deep sigh and 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. "Never in my time as a nomad has this happened."
Imba tilted her head. "A nomad?" Imba echoed, "Lions aren't typically nomads."
Dalia cast her a half-lidded glance. "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. "You know, I'm not friends with a lot of birds. You'd think that's strange since birds typically live in flocks. It's not like we're solitary creatures. But for some reason, I dunno, my flock and I never really clicked," 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, realizing 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.
"Look, I'm a traveler," Dalia said, breathless, "I've been thinking about coming down to the Pridelands for a while now, and after hearing about the Lion Guard, now I'm just curious. I just want to figure out what the Pridelands is all about first before anything else. That's what I do with anyplace I go."
"So cool!" Imba chirped.
The pale lioness grinned. "I think so too," Dalia replied, "But yeah, I heard about the Lion Guard in passing conversation and decided that I must see this for myself. So, here I am."
"Does that make you a spy, then?" Imba asked.
Dalia laughed. "I call it observation, but if calling it spying is what makes you happy, go for it," said Dalia.
The eagle opened her beak to say something more, an action Dalia suspected Imba never fails to do, but quickly shut it when she heard the pattering footsteps of several different animals coming towards them.
This was it. This must be the Lion Guard that Makucha was talking about. Dalia nearly quivered with excitement. As the footsteps grew 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 grievances 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 was 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 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 escaped.
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 were 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 was the 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 descended back to his group.
Ono sighed, ducking his head down in disappointment. "Sorry, Kion, I didn't see anything. The foliage here is too thick."
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.
When Dalia turned to look at Imba, she noticed a dark look fell upon the eagle's face when Fuli mentioned Scar. Dalia's eyes narrowed slightly. The eagle knew something.
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, not catching every thief we see," 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, Dalia turned to Imba.
"Who's Scar?" she asked quietly.
Imba's eyes got wide. "You know, I'm really not supposed to be telling you that. I don't think I was supposed to find out he's even back."
Dalia's eyebrow raised slightly. "It's alright, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to," she said soothingly, biting back her curiosity. "I'll probably find out eventually."
Imba looked uneasy but changed the subject. "Well, that was fun."
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. "There's a reason I'm a nomad. There's a reason I haven't joined a pride."
Now it was Imba's turn to frown. "Well, I just thought that I could share with you everything I know about the Lion Guard, the Pridelands." She paused, sucking in a breath. "I guess I could even tell you about Scar," she added. "After all, 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.
Besides, she liked Imba despite her chattiness.
"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: what exactly is this Lion Guard?"
Imba gave her a glance. "Just to be clear, you're not planning on anything malicious with these observations of yours, are you?"
"Of course not," Dalia replied, truthfully.
Imba beamed. "Alrighty then."
{END OF FLASHBACK}
And that was how the lioness who typically kept to herself became acquainted with the chatty eagle. They made a perfect team, and though it has only been a few days since the pair met, Imba had been diligent to catch Dalia up on the current state of the Pridelands. In fact, Dalia was even starting to consider Imba as something of a friend.
Along with explaining Zira's pride and the Lion Guard, Imba had to explain to the nomadic lioness who Scar was and why he was returning. All in all, Dalia was glad she stumbled upon this place — the Pridelands consisted of the most interesting group of creatures Dalia has ever met.
She hunted 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 found that the Lion Guard took shifts to patrol the Pridelands in the nighttime — Kion going first, followed by Fuli, then Ono, then Bunga, and finally Beshte. She had also found the Bunga tends to get distracted, and Beshte... well he isn't all that attentive.
So she hunted during Bunga and Beshte's shifts. Last night, she hunted and slept well. Now, she was ready for a full day of observation. Dalia started walking out of Hakuna Matata Falls and towards the Pridelands.
Imba continued after her. "So what's the plan for today?"
Dalia doesn't turn around to glance at her but continues at her pace. "Today, Imba," she replied, a grin spreading across her face. "I want to see that roar in action."