Book 1: Chapter 8
Dalia snuck under the cover of night deeper into the Pridelands. Imba was still back at Kilio Valley so it wouldn't draw too much suspicion. Her alibi, if questioned about her disappearance, would be that she was going to the watering hole.
She ventured deeper into the Pridelands, the soft grass beneath her paws a welcome change from the scorched ground of Kilio Valley. She took comfort in the smell of fire lilies drifting through the air. There was no shortage of fire lilies back home, the bright red and orange flowers bringing life to an otherwise drab environment.
Dalia smiled to herself at the scent.
Those flowers were actually what she had been named after. When her mother was still a rogue lioness and pregnant with Dalia, she had been walking aimlessly in the middle of the desert. She had been kicked out of her own Pride, forced to endure the long days with the Sun beating down on her. She had been without water for at least a day at that point and starting to lose hope.
Just as she was about to give in to the exhaustion threatening to overtake her, Nyla spotted a patch of fire lilies springing up in the distance. It gave her a glimmer of hope. Where there were fire lilies, there would be water. She ventured past the patch of fire lilies and accidentally wandered into the Land of the Wazi, where she would eventually raise her daughter in a new Pride.
A new Pride made up of outcasts, like her and her daughter.
And thus, Nyla named her daughter Dalia - which meant flower.
She was named after the fire lilies that may very likely have saved both their lives. Her mother made sure to tell Dalia the story so often, that it nearly drove her crazy. The most ironic part about the story was the fact that fire lilies were actually poisonous to felines. When she used to tell Dalia the story, her mother always made it a point to include the fact that fire lilies are in fact poisonous.
"Desperate lions take hope in just about anything," Nyla would often tell her daughter, her tone light.
Dalia would often reply with, "Who'd take hope in poison?"
Her mother's gentle laugh would sound from deep within her chest. "Little flower, even poison can heal."
The young nomad had never fully understood that phrase to be truthful. Even poison can heal. Dalia had summed it up to nothing more than another one of her mother's wise sayings. It was only until much later — when Dalia had discovered a group of mandrills carefully extracting fire lily essence to treat injuries — that she truly understood the meaning behind her mother's words.
A sudden owl screech brought Dalia back to her cold, broken reality. A reality in which her mother, and all her wise sayings, were nothing more than painful memories of what her life used to be.
She sighed, resolving to ignore the fire lily scent, and padded closer to Rafiki's tree.
Once the large acacia tree came into view, she noticed the golden-furred prince was already there and waiting for her. Dalia smiled despite herself. Chiding herself sheepishly, she approached him. Kion's back was turned away from her, so she walked carefully, attempting to creep upon him. It would be payback for him barrelling into her on their first encounter, she thought. Unfortunately for her, Kion didn't even have to turn around before detecting her presence.
"I know you're there, Dalia," he said, back still turned. When he did turn around, his eyebrow was lifted in amusement.
Dalia laughed lightly before straightening out of her position. "How'd you know?" she asked curiously.
He gestured to her back paw. "Dalia, I'm the leader of the Lion Guard," he replied, his voice dripping with faux-arrogance. Even if his tone didn't give away the fact that he was joking, his cheeky grin certainly did. "Nobody can sneak up on me."
"Is that so?" Dalia questioned with a smile. She tilted her head up, cocking a brow. "I'll have you know that I fully intend to break that record."
"I sincerely doubt that," he responded quickly. After a beat, he laughed. "I'm kidding. I could tell you were behind me because your bandages rustled the grass."
The lioness gazed down at it and noticed that it did in fact catch other leaves when she moved. "Huh. Well, I guess I can thank you for that, Your Highness," she replied with a smirk.
He wrinkled his nose in disdain. "You don't have to call me that, you know."
Dalia leaned against the large acacia tree behind her. "I'm aware." After a moment of silence, she raised an eyebrow at him. "I've got some good news; infiltrating Scar's Army today seemed easy enough. Scar even gave us a personal welcome into his deranged little group."
"But, I've also got some bad news," Dalia added, quickly wiping the smile off Kion's face. She remembered Imba's idea from earlier today. We need someone else on our side, someone able to exchange messages between us and the Guard. "Today, Imba and I spotted a major flaw in our plan. We need someone who could exchange messages from us in the Outlands, to you guys here in the Pridelands."
Kion furrowed his brows. "I'll make sure to keep an eye out for that certain someone."
"That would be the wise thing to do," Dalia replied, unsure of what else to say. She debated whether or not she should cut the conversation short and head back to Kilio Valley. After all, she did in fact say everything she needed to.
After a moment, she blurted, "Oh— by the way, today was my first time seeing a dead lion speak, and it's given me all the more reason to be absolutely, positively frightened of this place."
And as soon as she said it, she cringed. Great icebreaker, Dalia! Insult his home even more, why don't you?
"A little fear's always healthy," replied Kion, somehow managing a fit response to her comment.
Dalia considered his words as they do have some merit to them. After a moment, she shook her head. She took a seat on the grass, gazing up at the stars.
The bright light of the moon gave the savannah an eery glow. Almost as if it was hovering with life. The whites of both their eyes are striking against their now-darkened fur. This had always been Dalia's favorite time of day — when everything was cast under that awe-inspiring lunar glow. She found that when she gazed up at the countless white stars piercing through the night, it felt as though all her problems were minuscule.
"On second thought, perhaps 'frightened' wasn't the best word." She looked up, trying to think of a better word. "More like disturbed. Once you're dead, you're gone. None of that weird 'coming back from the grave' nonsense. That's how it works everywhere else I've traveled. And if that Pridelands were a tad bit more normal, you wouldn't have to be dealing with your evil great-uncle."
Kion settled into the soft grass, rolling over onto his side. "There are pros and cons to everything. The Pridelands is a very spiritual place. Here, the dead have a chance to connect with the living. That way, death isn't so final, ya know? It's just another stage of life, nothing to be afraid of."
The lioness gave him an odd look. "But death is final. Everyone plays a role in the circle of life, and once you're gone, you're gone. It's a beautiful thing. You learn to cherish the value of life so much more because you know you've only got one shot." Dalia smiled. "Well, except in the Pridelands. Here, you could be dead for ages and still roar alongside a living lion. Don't you think that's a little strange?"
He gave a shrug. "Well, that's one way of looking at it. The way I see it, by connecting with those who have passed, they're still part of you. In a sense, they're still alive." He turned to his side to see Dalia's face. "And by the way, I'm sure there are other places that are similar to the Pridelands."
Dalia pondered his statement for a moment before nodding her head. "You're actually right." The prince's eyebrows raised in surprise, he wasn't expecting her to admit he was right. "When I was still traveling, I stayed at the Tree of Life for a little bit. I would say that the Pridelands and the Tree of Life are somewhat similar."
"The Tree of Life?" Kion echoed, quirking a brow.
"It's a place where all kinds of animals are welcomed, and they have some of the best healers over there." She turned her head to the side, meeting Kion's gaze. "I guess you could say I was in a rough spot when I came to the Tree of Life, and I met a friend there who managed to help me find my voice again."
"It sounded like an amazing place."
The lioness gave a nod. "It is an amazing place. You should visit sometime — you know after everything with your dead family settled down." She gave him her most coy grin. "If you decide to go, you can count on having the best tour guide at your service."
He gave her a smile in turn. "I might just take you up on that offer someday."
oOoOo
A hard shove snapped Dalia awake. "Wake up!" a gruff voice growled from above her.
She groaned, opening her eyes slowly against the piercing light. She stretched out, her body sore and joints aching. The charred ground of Kilio Valley proved an uncomfortable nesting area. Dalia yawned irritably. Her and Kion's late-night meeting last night left her exhausted, and she wasn't all too happy about her very rude awakening.
The lioness sat up, adjusting her gaze. She found Janja's resentful face glaring down at her. Her face flamed with annoyance. "What's your problem?" she asked with a bite in her voice. "Jasiri kicked your sorry butt again?"
Reirei giggled at the snipe somewhere across the clearing. Janja's eyes narrowed and he growled. "You're testing my patience, Newbie."
She grimaced in wry amusement. "And we all know just how difficult it is to wear your patience thin."
Another round of chuckles sounded from various different members of Scar's Army. It was Janja's turn to groan and roll his eyes.
"Enough, already!" he snapped, doing little to silence the jackal pup's snickers. He redirected his gaze to Dalia, who returned it with equal intensity. "Ushari dropped by this morning and told us that Scar would like both of us to meet him at the volcano." He narrowed his eyes. "Of course, you'd have known that had you not been snoozing."
She pressed her lips into a fine line. "Fine, I get your point. I'll be sure to keep that in mind in the future."
He shook his head. "And I'm in charge of chaperoning you. I'm looking forward to it already."
"You act as if I'm thrilled about the prospect," Dalia countered.
"Watch the attitude, kid," Janja called over his shoulder. He turned over to Imba and the vultures. "Hey, birdies! Why don't you tag along too?"
Mzingo cocked a brow. "Why? I don't recall Ushari informing us that Scar has requested our presence."
Imba voiced her agreement. "Yeah, what gives?"
"I'm gonna need you to watch out for the Lion Guard," Janja explained, his dark eyes darting around the area. "I've gotta feeling they're gonna try something sneaky."
"Sneaky?" Dalia repeated, hardly trying to mask the amusement in her voice. "I thought that was your job?"
Janja growled. "Watch it, kid." He jerked his head at his crew. "C'mon, let's get going!"
. . .
"Imba, calm down." Dalia cast a subtle glance at her winged companion and saw the dread practically written all over the bird's face.
Imba scowled before diving down to fly at Dalia's level. "Calm?" she whispered between gritted teeth. "You want me to be calm? We're visiting Lord Evilness himself, for goodness sake!"
The pair hung near the back of the group of Outsiders, Imba taking furtive peeks around the Outlands. Janja and the vultures were in the front of the group, Janja babbling on and on about an utterly pointless topic for what felt like forever. The group was collectively venturing deeper into the Outlands, preparing to meet Scar.
"Get a hold of yourself," the lioness reprimanded. "You won't be meeting him today, anyway. All you have to do is secure the perimeter with the vultures." She lowers her voice to a whisper. "Make sure you keep an eye out for the Lion Guard's messenger. And make sure the vultures don't catch you doing it."
Imba cast a glance at the vultures, and she frowned remembering their silly songs and rituals. She could practically hear Mzingo belting out the vulture's customary parliamentary anthem, All Hail the Vultures. "Actually, on second thought, I think I'd rather face Scar."
To this, Dalia could only laugh. "They're not that bad, Imba."
The eagle scowled once more. "Speak for yourself."
After a few more minutes of traveling, Mzingo looked down at Imba who was now riding on Dalia's back. "For the love of parliament, dear Imba, you are a bird. So would you kindly get off that lioness' rump and come with us?" He gestured with his wing. "We have arrived."
Imba grumbled something under her breath but took off nevertheless. Dalia looked up and realized that they had in fact arrived in front of a volcano. Of course, an undead lion would choose a volcano as his place of dwelling. A normal lair would be far too inconspicuous! She sighed and shook her head in disbelief before watching Imba and the vultures fly loops around the volcano.
"Keep alert," one vulture said to Imba from the sky.
"Got it," replied Imba, still circling the volcano.
From the ground, Janja turned to the lioness behind him. "C'mon, kid. Don't keep him waiting."
So Dalia stepped forward, "Lead the way."
. . .
The duo ventured into the volcano, Dalia finding the heat more and more unbearable by the second. Janja led the way, and Dalia could only hope that he didn't lead them on the wrong path. She wasn't exactly looking forward to the prospect of accidentally falling into a geyser because of an incompetent tour guide.
Eventually, Janja made his way to a clearing.
From what Dalia could see, there's a rocky walkway that hovers above a lake of lava. As she stepped closer, she noticed a symbol of a scar through an eye imprinted on the liquid fire. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a few multi-colored skinks skirting around the edges of the lake of lava. One small cluster of skinks was also stationed in the middle of Janja's path.
"Outta the way, skinks," Janja snarled. The hyena made no attempt to step around the colorful lizards, instead threatening to barrel through them.
The skinks glared at him, but they managed to hold their tongues.
Dalia, on the other paw, lept over the amphibians and landed on a nearby rock. "You could be a little less of a jerk, you know." She lifted a paw to wipe the sweat off her brow. "They're on our side after all."
"Yeah!" a red skink called. "Watch where you're stepping, Janja."
Janja shrugged. "If you're clever enough to spy for Scar, you can watch out for me."
The lioness rolled her eyes and strode forward alongside her hyena companion, the two of them approaching the walkway hovering over the fiery lake. Through the smoke, she could make out a cobra slithering about on the walkway overlooking the lava.
The cobra slithered forward to meet Janja and Dalia. "You two are late," Ushari hisses. "I was about to send out the skinks to find you."
Janja narrowed his eyes. "Don't go getting your scales in a knot."
"Spare me your sarcasm," the snake snapped. "And don't keep me waiting again." He glared at Dalia. "That goes to both of you."
Dalia gave the snake a once-over and could only smirk. The creature was a fraction of her size, and despite his venomous fangs, she was fairly confident that Ushari only needed a backhanded swat to send him flying. She ignored him with another roll of the eye and watched as Janja stepped forward and glared at Ushari.
"Back off, Ushari," Janja growled, "You ain't the boss of me."
Ushari looked like he wanted to say something to the hyena, but a low grumbling from deep within the earth shut him up. Then, from within the firey lake, a plume of smoke erupted. Soon, the smoke cleared to reveal the fiery ghost of Scar. And he didn't look happy.
"You're right — I am," Scar snarled. His gaze shifts between the snake and the hyena. "And I have no time for these ridiculous arguments."
Janja looked to the ground and swallowed thickly before looking back up. "Sorry, Scar. But he started it!"
Scar growled as Ushari opened his mouth to snap at Janja. "Enough! I didn't call the two of you here to listen to you argue."
"Well, what did you call us for, Scar?" Janja questioned, cocking a brow.
The firey lion glanced at Dalia, then back at Janja. "The two of you have the honor of carrying out my latest plan. It will bring suffering to the Pridelands and leave them weakened and begging to surrender. You two will take the rest of the hyenas into the Pridelands. Go to the rocky river bank above Hakuna Matata Falls. Wait for the cover of darkness. Then push the rocks into the river and block the water from flowing."
Janja nodded. "Got it. Push rocks in the river and stop the water." He looked like he was about to turn and leave Scar's presence, but then the hyena knitted his brows together in confusion. "Um, how come?"
"Use your brain, why don't you?" Dalia cooed with half-lidded eyes. "Tell me, Janja — aren't we in the middle of the Dry Season?"
Janja gave a nod of the head, but his lips turned down in a frown nevertheless. "Yeah, but I don't see how that has anything to do with it—" he cut off as realization hits him. "Ohhh, I get it now."
Scar cackled malevolently. "The Pridelands are about to get very thirsty. And with thirst will come unrest, desperation, and chaos."
Ushari joined in on the laughter, and Janja chuckled softly as well. Dalia on the other paw set her mouth into a thin line. The lioness spent quite a bit of time in Hakuna Matata Falls with Imba, and she was fairly familiar with the main river that cut through the forest. While the river was the primary source of water to the Pridelands, it also provided water to certain areas in the Outlands.
In fact, the watering hole in Janja's territory was supplied by that river.
'How can the Outlanders be this blind?' she wondered to herself. 'I mean, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Scar doesn't actually give two mouse-tails about them.'
Of course, she didn't voice her concern. Instead, she turned tail and looked back at Janja. "C'mon, Janja, let's go. I don't want to spend another minute in this furnace."
The pair begin to make their way out of the volcano before Scar's voice halts them. "Hold on, Daila. I would like to have a few words with you." He looked at the hyena beside her. "You are dismissed, Janja."
Janja glared at the lioness through narrowed eyes but didn't make a protest before making his exit.
Dalia managed a straight face and started walking back towards the ledge. "Yes, Scar?"
He grinned. "Dalia, do know why I've been so very welcoming in regard to you and your friend?" Dalia shook her head. "I recognize the potential in you. When you addressed my army, I saw something in you that I don't often come across. You reminded me of a certain lioness I used to know. I believe you could be very beneficial to our cause, special lioness."
"I'm flattered," said Dalia.
Scar gave a nod of acknowledgment. "I have high expectations for you, Dalia." His voice turned icy. "Don't disappoint me."
The lioness barely concealed a shudder. At that moment, Scar sounded so much like... like him. A sudden surge of anger coursed through her and something ached deep within her chest.
She managed to reply with a resigned, "I won't, Scar."
Suddenly, the red skink let out a gasp. Immediately, everyone turned their heads to the source of the cry and found the lizard narrowing her eyes and pointing a digit to a nearby rock. Following her line of sight, Dalia could barely make out the shape of a lizard-looking creature.
"Someone's there!" the skink cried.
"Who dares spy on me?" Scar roared.
Dalia hardly concealed a grin. So this was Kion's little spy — a chameleon. Smart. With a gasp, the amphibian broke out into multiple colors and started fleeing the scene.
"Stop the intruder!" shouted Ushari.
The skinks immediately took off in hot pursuit, and Dalia looked up to Scar, unsure of what to do.
"What are you waiting for? After them!"
Feeling strangely embarrassed, the lioness took after the group of fleeing lizards. She needed to isolate the chameleon and get it to safety. All the while avoiding getting caught by the skinks, Janja, or Mzingo and his parliament. Easy.
She darted out of the volcano, following the skinks, when she bumped into Janja.
The hyena turned around and glared at her. "What do you want? You already stole my thunder, what do you want now? My lunch?"
Dalia felt her fur bristle. "While lunch would be nice, I've got more important things to worry about. Like following Scar's orders to find the chameleon spying on us."
"Scar's orders, eh?" Janja echoed with malice. He knitted his brows together. He let the nomad upstage him once; he was not letting it happen again. Not on his watch. "Stay here, kid. I'm getting the lizard."
She felt affronted at first and opened her mouth to argue. And then, it dawned on her. The lioness' mouth closed before spreading into a grin. "Of course, Janja," she replied in a silky voice.
Janja eyed her strangely for a moment, but then he started running. As Dalia watched the hyena dash and then disappear behind a rocky corner, a smile spread wide across her face.
What a fool.
Janja had now made it infinitely easier for her to get the chameleon to the safety of the Pridelands. He had provided her an alibi. So when Scar questioned her, demanding how she could let the lizard get away, she'd discretely pin the blame on Janja.
So after making sure Janja was out of sight, the lioness turned and ran in the opposite direction. Using her feline ears, she could detect a pattern of footsteps from across the canyon. She decided to take a shortcut. Dalia ran and ducked behind a boulder and waited to hear the pattering of footsteps draw nearer. She peeked her head around the corner for the briefest second to see Janja running amongst the skinks.
She returned to her hiding spot only to hear a skink from around the corner hissing, "Watch out, you big oafish brute!"
Dalia grinned and guessed that the hyena was close to trampling the red lizard, just as he had back in the volcano.
Then, Janja's voice snapped with, "The lizard is mine. You back off!"
"I don't know why this is so hard for you to grasp, but we're on the same team!" the lizard fired back.
Then, when the moment was just right, she pushed the boulder with a heave, watching it roll into the canyon and effectively block the path. From the sound of it, she knew that Janja was the first to run into the boulder, soon bumbling into the skinks he nearly crushed earlier. A series of 'ow's and 'get off me!'s sounded from the canyon, and Dalia could only hope that the distraction was enough to allow the chameleon to get away.
Sure enough, after a few seconds, she spotted the chameleon slip away from a crack between the boulder and the canyon wall.
Dalia lept out from where she was hiding, and she caught the lizard between her paws, and darted back to her hiding spot. The lizard gave a small shriek but immediately calmed at the sight of the lioness, and Dalia knew that Kion must've told the lizard who to look out for.
The lioness didn't dare speak — not with Janja and the skinks so nearby — but gave her a silent nod of the head. The gesture spoke just as loud as any verbal command. It practically screamed: run and warn Kion.
The lizard silently tipped her head into a similar nod and took off in a different direction, making sure that nobody would be able to follow her. As soon as the chameleon was out of sight, Dalia turned tail and headed in the direction from which she came. Scar was not going to be happy about the chameleon getting away, so this was Dalia's perfect opportunity to start her slow rise to the top.
And she intended to take full advantage of it.