Book 1: Chapter 2
Dalia remained motionless, or as motionless as she could be, hidden in the canopy of a nearby tree. The pair decided to observe from the border between Hakuna Matata Falls and the grassy plains of the Pridelands. Imba had 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 were.
Overhead, she spotted the blue-feathered eagle flying toward her.
As she neared, Imba hummed, "They're coming!" Settling in a branch near Dalia, Imba watched the scene unfold intently. "I tipped off Ono that I spotted a hyena in the Pridelands, so the Lion Guard should be on their way."
Under the tree branches, Dalia spotted the herd of zebras timidly eating the grass.
The entire Pridelands had been on edge in light of the recent events, as Imba claimed. According to what Imba told her, the Lion Guard found out about the return of Scar recently and resolved not to tell the Pridelanders about it yet. So while the zebras don't necessarily know about Scar's army, everyone could feel an uncomfortable shift in these lands.
Imba only found out about Scar's return 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 last night. "I wasn't expecting to see Scar."
Dalia thought it was strange that a group centered around integrity would conceal such a large secret from the Pridelands. It was 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 begged to differ; she believed the young prince was afraid of what the Pridelanders would think of him, knowing that Scar returned under his watch.
Now that was nothing but cowardly.
Dalia was snapped out of her thoughts when, from the corner of her eye, she spotted a dark-furred hyena with darker spots and an unruly mane stalking up the side of the hill. That hyena was soon followed by two others, their features comically distorted. The zebras on the other side of the hill continued grazing, unaware of the imminent danger they were in.
"That's Janja and his goons," Imba whispered, gesturing with her wing towards the trio. "He has other hyenas in his clan, but Cheezi and Chungu were his right-hand guys."
Dalia nodded briefly, focusing on the three hyenas. She suppressed a smirk when she noticed one of Janja's goons, the one with a lopsided tongue, tripping over his paws which in turn knocked over the hyena with the big head. Janja audibly groaned before face-palming and snapping at the duo.
"Can't you fur-brains do anything right?" Janja snapped loud enough for Dalia to hear.
Imba shook her head and smiled weakly at the situation. "Cheezi's the one with the lopsided tongue and Chungus the other one. They're both loyal to him, but they sure were —"
"—fur-brained?" Dalia finished, a smirk spreading across her face. The lioness turned to Imba, expecting her to smile at her remark. Instead, the smile was slowly slipping from the eagle's face. "Imba, what's wrong?"
Imba took a deep breath in, before sighing heavily. "It's just that..." she trailed 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 turned 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 pointed out.
Dalia rolled 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.
"We're fine," the lioness assured.
Imba opened her beak to protest but was cut off by the pattering of footsteps coming their way. Behind the grazing zebras, in the distance, Dalia could spot the Lion Guard running towards the grazing grounds, Fuli in the lead. Imba quieted, settling next to Dalia and watching as the Lion Guard sprinted across the Pridelands. Ono flew overhead before shouting to Kion that he saw the hyenas.
Within seconds, the Lion Guard reached the grazing grounds.
The zebras looked to the Lion Guard in shock, their hooves uneasily tapping on the ground at their presence. Dalia guessed that the only time the zebras saw the Lion Guard in this area was when there was trouble around. Kion turned 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 instructed the cheetah and honey badger. Fuli and Bunga both gave a short nod before rounding up the herd. Kion then turned his head up to Ono and Beshte, "You two were with me."
From the treetops, Dalia watched Kion, Ono, and Beshte start towards the hill the hyenas were ducked behind. From the other side of the hill, Cheezi stuck his head up and gasped at the sight.
"Janja, they're coming!" Cheezi warned.
Before Janja could react, the golden-furred young lion lept from the other side of the hill, tackling Janja to the ground. Beshte followed suit, barreling into Cheezi and Chungu. The two henchmen rolled down the hill, their fur blending as they rolled, before landing with an 'oof' at the bottom. Dalia had to admit that this encounter was very much entertaining.
By the time Dalia's attention went back to Kion and Janja, the hyena escaped from Kion's grasp and now the pair were face-to-face, neither of them willing to back down.
"Janja, this isn't your turf," Kion growled, his fur bristling angrily, "Get your crew, and get out of the Pridelands."
Dalia internally reminded 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 rolled his eyes dramatically. "Oh, yeah?" he snarked, "said who?" Kion's fur bristled even more at the comment. Janja made it a point to look back at his comrades. "Boys, I'm hungry for some zebra. What about you?"
Cheers of approval erupted from Janja's henchmen. Janja smirked confidently. "Kion, this gig — no, this act that you have going on was going to stop pretty soon," he taunted, 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 could detect fear in the fierce lion's eyes. And in that split second, she felt sympathy for him.
She knew what it felt like to not be sure what your tomorrow would bring you. She remembered how painful the lump in your throat feels when you realized that you must face adversity on your own, with no assurance that you would be triumphant. And perhaps that was why the young lioness was apprehensive of the young prince; he reminded her too much of herself.
From the sky, Ono noticed the uneasiness Janja's words had inflicted upon Kion. The egret narrowed his eyes at the hyena before defending his friend. "Not a chance, Janja."
Beshte showed his support as well, stepping closer to Kion for assurance. "Kion, use the roar," he instructed.
Whatever unease or fear in Kion's eyes quickly vanished and was replaced with the confident lion he typically was. Dalia leaned her head in closer to observe what Kion was doing. Kion looked back at Beshte and Ono.
"Get behind me," Kion ordered, his eyes flashing. His amber-brown eyes flashed once more as Beshte and Ono make their way behind Kion. Dalia tensed, sinking her claws into the branch of the tree for good measure. From what Imba had told her, this roar of Kion's was powerful enough to blow grown lions sky-high.
Kion's claws sank into the ground as he braced himself for his roar. From her position, Dalia couldn't quite see exactly what Kion was doing, but she had a pretty good idea. Just as he had done before, Kion's eyes squeezed shut, his eyebrows furrowed, and his muzzle opened. At first, it sounded like a normal roar, but that changed very quickly.
Dalia's eyes snapped wide open and her eyebrows shot up her forehead at what she witnessed.
Behind Kion, large clouds started forming behind him. Instantly, these clouds took the form of four huge lions who appeared white with undertones of blue. The four cloudy lions began roaring alongside Kion, their roars echoing throughout the Pridelands. The sheer force of the roar sent the trio of hyenas flying backward, despite their attempt to keep their footing.
By the time Kion closed his muzzle, the hyenas were a good distance away.
Kion looked up to Ono. "Ono, make sure they're heading back to the Outlands."
Ono saluted Kion with his wing in affirmation. "You got it, Kion!" The egret took flight, flapping towards the direction the hyenas went in.
While Ono ensured the hyenas were gone, Kion and Beshte headed back to the zebra herd to assure them that any possible threat has since been eliminated. The whole while, Dalia found 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 turned to the eagle beside her with wide eyes.
"That's the roar?" she questioned breathlessly.
Imba smiled. "Pretty cool, eh?"
Dalia tipped her head into a nod before starting to scale down the tree. She guessed that the Lion Guard will patrol the area they were in to make sure there aren't any other threats toward the zebras, and that meant she better get out of there. Imba followed her down, her expression growing solemn.
"Hey, Dalia?" Imba called.
"Yes?" Dalia answered once she reached the floor.
Imba frowned, 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 noticed her confused expression and further elaborated. "What I mean was we just sit around and do nothing anymore. Sometimes, turning a blind eye could be just as harmful as being oppressive."
Dalia stifled 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 was not like Imba owes them anything — but she could agree to Imba's request.
"I understand, Imba. Next time we see the hyenas, you could go warned 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 questioned as they made their way to the den. "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'll introduce myself when the time's right. I just get this feeling that there's someone I need to meet first." She stopped herself, feeling silly.
Dalia had never been one for superstition, but she just had this weird feeling about something...
Imba nodded her head slowly. "Riiight..." she elongated the word, trailing off at the end. Tilting her head to the side, she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "And what does that mean, again?"
Dalia shook her head. "Never mind," she assured.
Imba flew 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 you don't sound like you believe in yourself, 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 asked her what her plan was, she paused, gathering all her confidence before answering.
Imba already seemed on edge with Dalia's plans in the past, so she needs to seem confident in what she said.
When someone asked Dalia anything, she never suggested - she simply stated. In doing so, she left little room for debate.
"Imba, darling, we're going to the Outlands."
. . .
"Color me impressed," Imba repeated her catchphrase before ducking behind the large boulder that marked the border between the Outlands and the Pridelands. "I'm surprised you managed to talk me into this."
Dalia quirked an eyebrow. "You make it seem like you'd have been hard to convince." Dalia arched her back into a stretch before continuing. "You've been to the Outlands before, right?"
Imba considered it, looking up to the sky as she did so. "Well, yeah, but..." she trailed off as she tried to articulate her thoughts. "...But that time, I was doing it for the King."
For the King. The words replayed in Dalia's head. When was the last time someone had gone out of their comfort zone to do her a favor? Her chest tightened when she remembered the last time that had happened...
She cleared her mind by shaking her head. She had nobody to blame but herself, she reminded herself. After all, she was the one who chose the life of nomadism. Well... not really.
Dalia took her first real glance at the Outlands and was instantly struck with nostalgia. The Outlands, very much familiar to her home, appeared to be a large, intricate network of stony canyons, gorges, and caverns. Some parts of it were dimly lit, the sun obstructed by rocks jutting out unevenly. Other parts of the territory were very bright, with little foliage to lessen the glare of the sun.
Her home was like that, except with a few more green patches here and there.
Wiggling her toes, she remembered how the ground would become less sun-baked and moister with mud as they neared the many springs of cool water that beckoned the scarce prey the lands had. On hot days, Dalia and the other cubs would marvel over the fact that their paw pads would start tingling from the heat of the ground beneath them.
Her home didn't really have a name — at least not back then — they just called it 'home.'
She remembered how difficult the climates of such places could be, one portion of the year sweltering hot and the other portion flooded with water. Floods. Dalia physically shivered, remembering the sweeping waves of stormy water thundering its way into the network of canyons, catching up with everyone, and anyone in its path.
The sweltering heat and dryness of the dry season were a nuisance. A nuisance, yet bearable nonetheless.
But the floods were vicious, sparing no mercy before snatching unsuspecting animals into their powerful grasp. And these floods started with no warning. One moment, you could be walking on dry land. The next, you could be flailing in the current of the flash flood. If you were lucky, you were able to reach elevated land before being caught up in the water.
If you weren't lucky, then you better hope and pray that you were a strong swimmer.
Lost in thought, Dalia vaguely heard Imba let out an annoyed sigh. "Hello?" Imba drawled, waving a wing over Dalia's face, effectively snapping her out of it.
Dalia lets out a startled noise, one that would be made when your train of thought was disrupted. "Huh?"
Imba rolled her blue eyes. "I said, let's go." Dalia tilted her head to the side, still a little dazed, to which Imba groaned. "As in, let's go into the Outlands?"
"Right." Dalia started walking towards the Outlands, taking her first few steps in the foreign place.
Imba flew right beside her. "Are you okay? You seem a little out of it."
"I'm fine," Dalia assured.
The eagle flashed her an odd glance but didn't question her further. The unlikely pair wandered deeper into the grooves and canyons. Imba quietly hummed a song that Dalia had never heard before as they made their way into the heart of the Outlands.
Dalia wasn't quite sure what she was looking to find over here.
Really, she had a burning curiosity about Scar and how a dead lion can return. Secondly, she wanted to know what the other Outlanders would gain from Scar's rule. Imba mentioned once that you could only abuse the Circle of Life for so long before it catches up with you. And Dalia could attest to that from personal experience, as well.
If Scar's army overthrew the Pridelanders, what made them think that Scar would remain loyal to them and let them run loose in the Pridelands?
And even if Scar did remain faithful to the promise, the plan to overthrow the Pridelands was neither sustainable to them nor efficient in the long run. Regardless, she wanted to know more about the Outlanders. She had only seen them portrayed in a bad light, and she was curious as to whether or not there was more to the story.
In addition to her general curiosity about the history of the Outlands, she also had this nagging feeling deep down inside of her that she needed to be in the Outlands today. It was the same nagging feeling that stopped her from introducing herself to the Pridelanders today when Imba suggested it.
It just felt like there was something Dalia needed to discover in the Outlands - she just couldn't put a paw on what.
The pair made their way through the gorges, Imba in the lead after the pair decided that the eagle would be the best guide considering she had been there before. Unfortunately, the pair walked in circles for longer than Dalia found acceptable. And they only realized they were walking in circles when Dalia realized she saw the same gecko on the same rock three times in a row.
Upon noticing that, the lioness paused in her step. "Imba," she calls, "Imba, we're walking in circles. Are you sure you remember where Janja's lair was?"
Imba furrowed her brows in frustration. "Well, I thought so — no, I still think so — but then again that day was kinda hectic! And it was pretty cloudy, too. Well, that's not to say that I forget things when it's cloudy out, it just may have contributed to it, and well—"
Sweet fire lilies. "Imba!"
From her short time of being acquainted with the eagle, Dalia had realized that Imba had a habit of babbling. Imba was a great eagle - genuine, kind, and wiser than she appeared, but if there was one habit of hers that never failed to drive Dalia mad - it was the constant chattiness.
Imba looked surprised, her eyebrows shooting up her forehead. "Huh?"
"Do you remember where Janja's lair was, or not?"
The eagle flew overhead, scanning the expanse of the Outlands. "I know it was in that volcano," Imba gestured to somewhere Dalia couldn't see due to her being on the ground and the eagle being in the sky. Imba looked back down. "I'm just not sure how to get there. All these grooves look merged together. It's like a maze."
Dalia squinted. "So we're lost?"
Imba opened her beak to answer but was cut off before she could, by a male voice from behind them. The voice was achingly familiar to Dalia, but she couldn't quite put a paw on it.
"Lia?"
The mention of her nickname made her nearly jump out of her skin in surprise.
Nobody called her that in a long time. Immediately spinning around on her heel, she unsheathed her claws and growled out of reflex. Hearing that name, and that damn voice, brought a myriad of emotions and memories bubbling to the surface.
To her surprise, the first thing she heard was not a growl in return. Rather, the first thing she heard was a soothing, and very familiar laugh.
Only when she heard that unmistakable laughter did she realize who she was growling at. She had heard that laugh several times in the past — lightly teasing her when she would do something bone-headed and present even in awkward situations. Pair that laugh with the fact that he called her Lia, and it all made sense now.
She felt like an embarrassed cub now, having growled at the hyena before her. Yet, she couldn't help but grin. "Tombie?" she questioned, mystified.
Once she was off him, she took a good glance at the hyena before her.
The hyena laughed once more, shaking the dust out of his red-tinted fur. Dalia's grin spread further as she remembered the unique-colored pelt the hyena bore. Dark stripes ran down the length of his back and white streaks poked out from his mane. The lioness remembered being very startled by his coloring when they were young.
"Good to know you're still upholding your reputation as Dalia the Destroyer," teased Tombie with another laugh, using another nickname Dalia had as a young cub.
"At least I wasn't Timid Tombie," Dalia fired back playfully.
Tombia good-naturedly narrowed his eyes at the lioness. Before he could make another remark, Imba swooped down and perches on Dalia's shoulders. "So... not to intrude or anything but...," she held out the syllables of the last word before pointing to Tombie with her wing, "Who's that?"
"Oh. Right." Dalia lifted her brows before stepping in place beside Tombie. Tombie lifted his head higher, straightening his posture while Imba sat perched on a jutting-out rock. "This was Tombie, a childhood friend of mine. We grew up together up north, then ventured out together too."
Dalia decided not to mention the circumstances in which Tombie and Dalia left their home. That was a story for another day.
Tombie noticed Dalia's hesitation and finished the introduction for the lioness. "We traveled together for a while as well before splitting up. It's a pleasure to meet you...?" The hyena trailed off, asking the silent question.
"Imba," the eagle answered, a grin spreading across her beak.
Dalia redirected her attention to Tombie. "We've got to have a big catch-up!" She was giggling madly now, the smile not leaving her muzzle. "I can't believe you wound up in the Pridelands! Well, Outlands anyways."
"Who would've thought we'd wind up in the same place after we parted ways?" Tombie added.
Imba preened her feathers briefly. "Parted ways?"
Tombie and Dalia exchanged glances. There was no way they could tell Imba what really happened between the two. It still felt slightly strange being around Tombie after what happened between them. But, the lioness supposed that time heals all wounds. Maybe that saying held true to friendships as well.
Eventually, however, Tombie decided to answer the question.
"So when we first traveled out of our home, we headed south. We traveled together for a good while before I wanted to head east. We had a little disagreement on that, Dalia had wanted to continue south and I had wanted to head east." Tombie paused to scratch at his ear. "So... we went our separate ways, no hard feelings."
Imba blinks, staring at the pair for a good few seconds. "Oh," she said after a moment. She shot Dalia a confused glance, and it was abundantly clear that Imba had picked up on the fact that there was more to the story than what was told.
Dalia shrugged. There could be no further explanation allowed.
Imba looked confused but didn't say anything further, instead opting to tap her talons against the smooth rocky surface beneath her. Tombie looked up suddenly, eyebrows furrowing at the quickly darkening sky. "Why don't the two of you come back to my clan with me, it's about to rain." He motioned with his paw for the girls to follow him.
Dalia was a bit bemused at the fact that Tombie was able to tell it was going to rain so quickly. Back home, he was always terrible at telling the weather, once insisting it was going to rain right before a large drought struck their home.
The smile quickly slipped off her face though when she thought of the implications. Just how much had Tombie matured without her there to see it? How many skills had he improved on that she wasn't there to witness? Just how much time had they lost?
She wondered if Tombie was happy to see her. If he was proud of her.
She swallowed hard, trying not to think about it. She was simply glad that he was with her now. Though she didn't believe in superstition or gut feelings, she had to admit that there was a reason she felt the need to visit the Outlands today.
Imba also looked up at the sky. "That sounds like a good idea." A droplet of rainwater splattered on her blue feathers, only further solidifying her resolve to find shelter in Tombie's clan.
"Clan, eh?" Dalia repeated, following him as they made their way to where Tombie was leading them.
In her mind, she replayed the moments when Tombie would go on long rants, insisting and swearing that he'd never be part of a clan — opting to be a free-willed hyena who could do whatever he pleased, whenever he wanted. But then again, he was younger. Less aware of the consequences of such a lifestyle.
Her chest tightened again. Her dearest friend really had grown up. And she had missed it.
"I guess you've really settled down, haven't you?" She said, and the words felt bittersweet on her tongue.
Tombie flashed her a crooked, sad grin, and she knew he felt the same sense of bittersweetness. "You and I really do have a lot to catch up on, Lia."