Call of the Drongo
(Special Guest Star C.J. Byrnes)
Somewhere in the Pride Lands, a jerboa was gathering up some roots to have for lunch and just as she was about to eat she, heard something coming from the bushes.
"Mmm, mmm, you look tasty," a familiar voice said through the bushes as the jerboa looked around nervously.
"Wh-who's there?" The jerboa asked nervously.
"I'm Makuu the crocodile," Makuu said through the bushes. "And I'm gonna eat you."
The jerboa gasped and ran away from the area, screaming.
Meanwhile in another part of the Pride Lands, a hare was munching on some leafy greens until she heard a voice coming from the bushes.
"Mmm, mmm, you look tasty," a familiar voice said from the bushes which stopped the hare in her tracks.
The hare gulped nervously as she recognized that voice. "R-Reirei the jackal?" she stuttered.
"That's right," Reirei confirmed from the bushes. "And I'm gonna eat you."
"Help!" The hare screamed as she ran off to find help.
Meanwhile, Muhangus was by his den and eating some bugs that he had left over until he heard a very familiar voice coming from the bushes.
"Mmm, mmm, you look tasty," a voice said from the bushes, causing Muhangus to stop and look around. "I'm gonna eat you." The voice said as Muhangus realized who's voice that was.
"Janja the hyena!" Muhangus exclaimed before running away, screaming.
As the Lion Guard went about their morning patrol, they heard terrified screams from three different animals. Soon, from three different directions, came a visibly terrified Muhangus the aardvark, along with a hare and jerboa, all of them stopping in the Guard's path.
"Help!" the jerboa cried.
"Lion Guard!" the hare exclaimed once she saw the group.
"Thank goodness," Muhangus sighed.
"What is it?" Kion asked, looking at the three animals. "What's wrong?"
"Makuu!" shrieked the jerboa.
"Reirei!" screamed the hare.
"Janja!" exclaimed Muhangus.
Kion looked over his shoulder to his team. "Lion Guard, we need to split up." He told them. "Fuli, you and Ono take on Reirei." The Keenest of Sight and Fastest nodded. "Kufu, you and Beshte go after Makuu." The Slyest and Strongest members shared a glance and a smile. "Bunga, you're with me, we'll go after Janja." The Bravest member punched his palm and grinned. Kion turned back to the three frightened animals. "You three, take us to 'em. Till the Pride Lands' end..."
"...Lion Guard defend!" The rest of the Guard called out as they went after their targets.
Bunga and Kion followed Muhangus to his den.
"OK, where was Janja?" The lion prince asked the aardvark.
"R-Right behind my den," the old aardvark stammered.
"Don't worry, Muhangus," Bunga assured, patting his head. "We'll take care of him for ya." The Bravest and Fiercest carefully snuck up to the den, before Bunga jumped right over the rocks. "We gotcha now Janja!" He yelled.
"Huh?" Kion blinked, looking around. "There's nobody here." He glanced down to his honey nadger friend who was just as confused.
The jerboa led Beshte and Kufu towards the river. "He was right around here." The small rodent shivered, hiding behind the lion cub's foreleg.
"It's OK," Beshte soothed, a smile on his face. "The Lion Guard's got this."
Kufu nodded in agreement and stepped over the jerboa, hunching his body low and rolling his shoulders. He glanced at Beshte beside him and mouthed. "One...two...three..."
The pair jumped over the grass and stood tall. "All right, Makuu! Show yourself!" The Guard's Slyest snarled, baring his teeth and protracting his claws.
The area around the river was completely empty.
"Hello?" Beshte questioned. "Makuu?"
Kufu sniffed the air before lowering his nose to the ground. He took a few steps, before raising his head and quirking his brow,
"Hmm, that's weird. I don't smell Makuu's scent anywhere," Kufu said.
"Oh no!" the jerboa gasped, getting the two Guard member's attention.
"What is it?" Kufu asked as he and Beshte stood above the rodent.
The jerboa's big ears fell to the sides of her head. "Makuu ate all the roots I was having for lunch." She answered with a sniffle.
"What? Makuu doesn't eat roots," Kufu said in confusion. "Something smells weird and it ain't Pumbaa or Bunga." He added, looking up at Beshte.
The female hare stood by a small, bare bush. She let out a scream when Ono landed in front of her.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." The Guard's Keenest of Sight apologized. "No sign of Reirei from above." He informed.
The hare let out another yell when Fuli sped up to them. "I just searched around every tree in these woods." The cheetah said, "Not a Jackal in sight."
"But my leafy greens are gone," the hare noted, looking at the bare plant. "The jackals must have eaten them."
"Hmmm," Ono pondered, raising his eyebrow.
"Well, at least they didn't eat you," Fuli chuckled.
Kion sniffed around Muhangus' den. "There's no trace of Janja and his hyena's anywhere around here." The Guard's leader told Muhangus.
Bunga jumped down from a nearby tree. "I didn't see anything from up there." He informed Kion. "They must've heard us coming and ran off!"
"I didn't even catch their scent," Kion added. "And believe me, if they were around, you'd smell 'em."
"But they were here!" Muhangus exclaimed. "They've eaten all the bugs that I was gonna eat for lunch!"
"Hey, the crocodiles ate my lunch too!" The jerboa informed as she, Beshte, and Kufu rejoined the group.
"And the jackals ate mine!" added the female hare as she, Fuli, and Ono came out of the tall grass.
"Did you find Makuu? Or Reirei?" Kion asked the other Guard members.
"Nope," Kufu shook his head.
"Uh-uh," Beshte informed.
"No," Fuli spoke.
"Nothing," Ono sighed.
"Strange," Kion noted. "Janja wasn't here either."
"Like I said, I bet Janja, Reirei and Makuu heard us coming," Bunga repeated with a wide grin. "See, that's just how good we are. We just show up and all of those baddies run off."
"I'm not so sure," Kion rebuffed, sniffing the ground again. "I didn't even find any hyena tracks." He added, "No sign of Janja at all."
"Hey wait, I didn't see any jackal tracks either," Fuli remembered.
"Did we see any crocodile tracks?" Beshte asked Kufu
"Nope, not a crocodile in sight," Kufu answered. "I also didn't catch Makuu's scent around the river either."
"And last I checked, none of them eat roots or leaves," Ono added, perching himself on Beshte's back.
"Right, and Janja doesn't usually eat bugs," Kion agreed before looking to the trio of animals who yelled for help. "Are you sure it was Makuu, Reirei, and Janja you saw?"
"Well, I didn't actually see Janja," Muhangus informed with a weak smile.
"I didn't see Reirei either," the hare shook her head.
"I didn't stick around long enough to see Makuu," the jerboa gripped her ears. "But I sure heard him." She shuddered. "He said, 'Mmm, mm, You look tasty. I'm gonna eat you!'"
The female hare let out a gasp. "That's what Reirei said."
"And Janja," added Muhangus.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Wait a minute. Makuu, Reirei, and Janja all said the same thing?" Kufu raised his eyebrow, glancing to Kion. "Something weird is going on here."
Kion nodded in agreement. "You're right, Kufu." He agreed before glancing to the egret on the hippos back. "Ono, scout the Pride Lands. See if you can find Makuu, Reirei, and Janja."
"Affirmative!" Ono saluted before taking off.
The sound of hyena laughter caught Fuli's attention. "Hold on," the cheetah halted. "Do you hear that?" She asked, raising her ear.
A voice in the distance cackled again. "We got you now!"
"Sounds like Janja," Beshte noted.
"Janja?!" Muhangus repeated with another terrified scream. He and the two smaller animals huddled together.
"It came from this way," Fuli motioned behind her.
"You three wait here," Kufu advised the three frightened animals. "The Lion Guard will figure out what's going on."
Fuli then walked up to Kion and stood beside him. "Lead the way, Ki, we're right behind you." She said with a smile and a wink.
Kion met her glance and a smile crossed his pale-gold muzzle. "Till the Pride Lands end..."
"...Lion Guard defend!" the rest of the Guard finished as they ran towards the sound of hyena cackles.
They ran across the grass plains and well into a small grove. "I don't hear Janja anymore." Fuli noted as the Guard came to a halt.
"I can't see him either," Ono informed, flying over the others.
"Well, he couldn't have gone far," Kufu said.
A rustling in a nearby bush made everyone jump. "Shh," Kion whispered. "Janja, come on."
The Lion Guard stalked towards the bush, keeping low and quiet, while Ono flew above them. "Wait!" Ono alerted, hovering over the bush. "It's not Janja!"
Inside the bush was an adult bird with feathers in a dark shade of blue with green eyes. "No, no, no. No, I'm not." The bird agreed. "I'm Tamaa, the drongo!" He introduced, extending one of his wings and bowing.
"A drongo?" Kufu questioned as he stepped up next to Ono who was now perched on one of the bush's branches. "Now why do I feel like I've heard of that name before?"
"Well, don't worry Tamaa," Kion assured, standing next to Kufu and Ono, all three animals looking down at the bird. "We won't let Janja hurt you."
The dark-feathered bird blinked. "Why would Janja hurt me?" He asked before letting out a small gasp. "Oh, right, you heard him just now." He remembered, not making direct eye-contact with the Lion Guard members.
"Yeah," Beshte confirmed. "And he sounded close."
Tamaa nodded. "Oh, they were, very close indeed." He informed. "But then he and his hyenas ran off. They went..." he looked around nervously. "Eh...that way!" he pointed his wing to indicate the direction.
"Thanks, Tamaa!" Kion gave the bird a smile before turning back to his Lion Guard. "Till the Pride Lands end..."
"...Lion Guard defend!" the other five finished as they all ran in the direction Tamaa indicated.
"Good thing that drongo actually saw where the hyenas went," Beshte noted.
"Yeah," Fuli agreed with a sigh. "He's the first one to see anything."
Ono pondered on that for a moment before realization hit him. " Hapana! Tamaa's a drongo!" He exclaimed, halting his flight and hovering above the ground. "That explains everything!"
"Ono?" asked Kufu who had stopped running once he noticed the egret. "What're you talking about?"
"Follow me, quick!" the Keenest of Sight urged. "I've figured it out! Come on!" He circled back and flew towards the bush where Tamaa was hiding.
"Any idea what he's talking about?" Kion asked, stepping up beside Kufu and Fuli
"I honestly have no idea," Kufu answered with a shrug.
"Me either," Fuli shrugged before running their avian friend.
A hyrax gathered a few nuts and berries for its next meal, but suddenly froze when he heard the sound of the hyena.
"Mmm, mmm, you look tasty," the 'hyena' said from the bushes. "I'm gonna eat you." The small rodent ran away bleating. Out of the bush flew Tamaa the drongo who landed near the small food pile with a chuckle.
"Works every time," Tamaa said as he moved to eat one of the berries, when suddenly a light-colored paw stepped on his tail feathers.
"Not so fast," said the Lion Guard leader.
Tamaa gulped as he looked back, seeing the Lion Guard right behind him. "Un-bunga-livable!" gasped Bunga. "You sounded just like Janja."
"That's because he's a drongo," Ono informed, landing on the ground, standing opposite of Tamaa.
"Of course, now I remember where I've heard of drongo's. My moms told me all about them." Kufu said as he gave a look towards the drongo. "And they told me that drongos can make their voice sound like other animals. Isn't that right?" He narrowed his eyes slightly as he stared down the other bird.
"Yes, it's true," Tamaa confirmed. "I can make my voice sound like other animals, any other animal in the Pride Lands, really." He chuckled. "It's my little talent."
Kion's eyes narrowed. "Which you've been using to scare animals all over the Pride Lands." He stated.
"Admit it," Fuli growled, glaring at the drongo.
"Who, me? No, I never," Tamaa defended, only his voice sounded like Janja's. The Lion Guard just continued to glare at him. "I mean..." he cleared his throat. "...it wasn't me who.." this time his voice sounded like the crocodile leader. "I can explain," and that time his voice sounded like the female jackal. Tamaa sighed, knowing he'd been caught. "All right, kids. You got me. I pretended to be Janja, and Makuu, and Reirei." He admitted. "But so what? Is there any harm in that?"
"You would scare little animals so they'd run away," Fuli deduced as Kion removed his paw from the bird's tail.
"Is it my fault that my performances are so convincing?" Tamaa asked with a dramatic flare. "It's a compliment, really."
"But you did it to steal their food," Beshte noted.
"Steal? No, no, no, it's an act, it's a show, it's all in fun." Tamaa chuckled. "I do some voices, and if my audience happens to leave me a little food as a reward, well, is that so wrong?"
Fuli and Kufu exchanged a look. "Uh, yeah," the two felines said in unison.
"Who do you think you are?" Ono asked with a glare.
"Who do I think I am?" Tamaa repeated, standing in the middle of the group. "I'm the..."
Tamaa:
Bird of a thousand voices
Yes indeed
Bird of a thousand voices
Yes it's me!
It's all in fun
It's just a game!
Tamaa the Drongo
That's my name!
Bird of a thousand voices
Yes, it's me!
Tamaa imitated various animal noises in between his lines, flying all around the Lion Guard, putting on a dramatic performance.
Tamaa:
When I was just a baby bird
I learned I had a skill
To imitate both night and day
You know it was a thrill!
But when it came to hunt and peck
It wasn't all that great
I had to find a different way
To earn the food I ate
That's why...
I'm the bird of a thousand voices
Yes, indeed!
Bird of a thousand voices
Yes, it's me!
It's all in fun
It's just a game!
Tamaa the Drongo
That's my name!
Bird of a thousand voices
Yes, it's me!
Tamaa imitated a lion's roar as he flew up behind Ono, startling the egret, who then rolled his eyes in annoyance as he flew over to perch on Kufu's back. The dark-feathered drongo continued to mimic the animal sounds made by the other Guard members.
Tamaa:
So imitating bad guys
Is my way to earn a meal
Nobody's ever harmed
All that hurts is how they feel!
Now listen very closely
You won't believe your ears
Cause doing other voices
Is a skill I've had for years!
Tamaa mimicked the sounds of the three predators as he flew around the Lion Guard once more.
Tamaa (mimicking Janja):
"Better look out! Janja's here!"
Tamaa (mimicking Makuu):
"I'm Makuu! Cower in fear!"
Tamaa (mimicking Reirei):
"Reirei here! I'll give you what's for!"
"And let me tell you, kids, I got plenty more," he chuckled, striking a dramatic pose in the center of the Guard. "Cause I'm the...
Tamaa:
Bird of a thousand voices
Yes, indeed!
Bird of a thousand voices
Yes, it's me!
It's all in fun
It's just a game!
Tamaa the Drongo
That's my name!
Tamaa (mimicking Reirei):
Bird of a thousand voices...
Tamaa (mimicking Janja):
Bird of a thousand voices!
Tamaa:
Bird of a thousand voices
Yes, it's me!
Bird of a thousand voices
Yes, it's me!
He posed once more before bowing. "Thank you, thank you very much."
"Poa!" Beshte exclaimed with a wide grin.
"Can you do an imitation of me?" Bunga pleaded with wide eyes and an even bigger smile.
"Bunga," Kion cast a narrowed-eye glance to the honey badger.
"Right, you're the leader of the Lion Guard," Bunga nodded. "Imitate Kion first, then me." He corrected, looking back to Tamaa.
"Bunga, focus," Fuli said sternly.
Kion stepped forward, looking the drongo in the eyes. "Tamaa, tricking others and taking their food upsets the Circle of Life." He informed. "If I had an amazing talent like yours, I'd use it to do good."
Tamaa sighed dramatically. "You're right. Of course you're right. Why? Oh why did I never think of that?" His voice was laced with drama which made Kufu and Ono exchange a glance and quirk their brows. "The food I snatched from the beak snaps amounts of the innocent. The heartbreak, the pain, I feel so ashamed." He hung his head low.
"Poor little guy," sighed the Guard's Strongest, feeling sympathetic towards the bird. Again, Kufu and Ono exchanged a glance, and this time let out low groans.
"You buying this crap, Ono?" Kufu asked in a dull tone
"Negative," Ono answered also dully.
"Tell you what!" Tamaa perked up, "From this day forward, I'll only use my own voice. I promise." His voice cracked and sounded like Janja. He cleared his throat, and this time said, "I promise," in his own voice.
"Hmmm," Kion muttered, thinking it over for a moment, "OK."
The sound of hyena laughter got everyone's attention. "Ono," Kion looked to the egret on Kufu's back who nodded and took off.
Ono focused his eyes and located the trio of hyenas. " Hapana! Janja and his crew! The're about to attack a herd of impalas!" He alerted the rest of the Guard. "And this time, I can see them!"
Kufu glared down at Tamaa. "And yet we're here wasting our time talking to you!" He hissed. "No. More. Imitating." He enunciated each word to get his point across.
The dark-feathered bird held up his wing. "Drongo's honor," he agreed.
The rest of the Guard ran after Ono who flew in the direction of the hyenas and impalas. "I still wish you would've done my voice." Bunga huffed. "Now I'll never know how I sound like."
"Hurry up Bunga!" Fuli called back. The honey badger rolled his eyes and ran after his friends.
The impala herd ran for their lives as Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu were chasing after them.
"Hey, don't run away, we just wanna invite you to dinner," Janja said as they continued to chase after them.
"We do?" Cheezi asked.
"Sure," Janja said with a sinister smile. "They're gonna be the main course."
"Heh, heh, good one, Janja," Chungu laughed.
"Yeah," Cheezi laughed.
The three hyenas continued chasing after the impalas who were now running around the Lion Guard as Beshte stepped up to block the hyenas' path, and they ended up running right into the hippo, abruptly cutting off their laughter.
"What's so funny, hyena?" Fuli chuckled as she ran up to Kion's right.
"Uh..." Cheezi stammered, "...nothing." He shut his mouth, his tongue hanging out the side.
"Don't you remember? Janja made that great joke about eating the impalas," Chungu laughed. "Wait, how did it go again?"
Janja clamped his paw over the muscular hyena's mouth. "Stuff it, fur brain," he growled.
"I'm gonna give you hyenas to the count of three to get out of the Pride Lands," Kion warned, staring down Janja.
Chungu blinked. "You can count to three?"
Cheezi burst out laughing. "Ooh! I wanna hear it!" He got right up in Kion's face before being yanked back by Janja.
"Nice seeing ya, Kion," the hyena leader said casually. "Love to stay and chat but, uh, we were just leaving."
"We were?" The two other hyenas questioned.
Kion's amber-brown eyes narrowed. "One.." he started counting down, "...two..."
"We're going," Janja complied, him and his two clan-mates running away from the Guard.
"The faster, the better," Kufu huffed.
"That was a close call," Fuli sighed as Kion rejoined them.
Beshte nodded. "You said it. We were so busy searching for phony crocs, jackals, and hyenas, we almost miss the real hyena attack."
"Let's just hope Tamaa keeps his promise, so we don't any more false alarms," Kion said. "For now, lets get back to our patrol."
"Somehow, I highly doubt Tamaa will keep his promise," Kufu muttered before the Guard continued their patrol.
Meanwhile, Tamaa was flying around the Pride Lands and trying to find some way to get some food without causing any trouble and getting the Lion Guard back on his tail, and then he saw a striped grass mouse eating some grubs, and so he flew down towards them.
"Hi, how you doing?" Tamaa greeted the rodent before looking at the grubs. "Ooh, that's a nice pile of grubs you got there."
"Um, thank you," the mouse said before continuing eating the grubs.
"So, uhh, you think you are gonna eat them all?" Tamaa asked.
"Probably," the mouse answered.
"Cause, I wouldn't mind eating a bite or two, if you got some to spare. I'm feeling a little peck-ish," Tamaa said before chuckling. "Ha, get it? Peck-ish, I've got a beak, see? I peck things with it." He chuckled at his own joke, "Pretty funny, right?"
"Uh, yeah," the mouse said in an uncomfortable tone before continuing eating the grubs, but Tamaa wasn't giving up that easily.
"Seriously, do you have some food you can give me? I'm really hungry," Tamaa begged
"Sorry, but these are my grubs," the mouse told the drongo. "You'll need to find your own."
"I bet you wouldn't say that to Janja," Tamaa muttered.
Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu continued running before they stopped near a bush so they could catch their breaths.
"You know," Chungu spoke up, "Sometimes I think the Lion Guard doesn't like us." He said, stating the obvious.
"I know, right?" Cheezi nodded in agreement before looking at Janja. "So, now what are we gonna eat, Janja?" He asked.
"Mmm, mmm, you look tasty. I'm gonna eat you," Janja's voice was heard.
"Me?" Cheezi asked in shock before giving a nervous laugh. "Did you just say that you're gonna eat me?" He asked in a nervous tone.
"What, no," Janja said in confusion.
"Does that mean you're gonna eat me?" Chungu asked nervously.
"No, fur brains, it means that I didn't say anything," Janja told the two hyenas before his eyes narrowed. "But somebody did."
"Yeah, it sure sounded like you," Chungu pointed out.
"Yeah, he did," Janja nodded in agreement. "And he also sounded like he's over there." He added before the three hyenas headed towards the direction of the voice.
Meanwhile, Tamaa was hiding in a bush and mimicking Janja's voice to scare the striped grass mouse, and luckily for the drongo, it's working.
"Mmm, mmm, did you hear me?" Tamaa said in Janja's voice as the mouse made a run for it. "I said, I'm gonna eat you."
"Yeah, I heard ya," a voice said as Tamaa turned around to see Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu standing right behind him. "Grab the bird." Janja ordered.
Tamaa let out a shriek and tried to fly away only for Cheezi to grab him by his tail as the three hyenas surrounded the poor bird.
"Wait, don't eat me," Tamaa begged in Janja's voice before clearing his throat. "I mean, wait, don't eat me." He begged again, now using his normal voice.
"He's a little small," Chungu said, "hardly enough to go around."
"If he helps us with my new plan, maybe we won't eat him at all," Janja said smirking evilly at the drongo.
"Wh-what do you want me to do?" Tamaa asked nervously.
"Oh, you'll see," Janja said with a smirk.
Pretty soon, the three hyenas took the drongo to a heard of impalas who were grazing around and eating some grass, and didn't notice the hyenas hiding near a few rocks.
"Now, just say what I told you to say but make it sound like you're Kion, got it?" Janja told the drongo.
"Got it," Tamaa said, smiling nervously. "But I don't think I can, because I've never done Kion's voice before."
"Oh, is that so? That's OK. I got ya, no problem," Janja said in a calm tone. "How about you say something in your own voice?"
"Sure, I can do that," Tamaa said with a smile. "what do you want me to say?" He asked.
"Say, goodbye," Janja said in a threatening tone. "Because if I'm not eating impala today, I'm eating drongo." He threatened as Tamaa gulped nervously.
"You know what, now that I think about, it maybe I can do Kion's voice," Tamaa said with a frightened chuckle.
"Good, now get to it," Janja ordered.
Tamaa really didn't wanna do it, but he also didn't wanna be hyena food, so he had no other choice, but to do what Janja said.
"Impalas, it's me, Kion, leader of the Lion Guard," Tamaa said in Kion's voice. "The hyenas are back in the Pride Land, so you better run to the Outlands." He said, but the Impalas didn't move as Janja gave the drongo a look before Tamaa spoke again. "Impalas, what are you waiting for? Hyenas are coming! Escape to the Outlands! Right now."
Thurston, who was nearby, overheard and started to panic. "You don't need to tell me twice. Panic and Run! Panic and Run!" He said as he panicked and ran.
This caused the impalas to panic and they all ran towards the Outlands with Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu chasing them from behind until all of the impalas went into the Outlands.
Janja then gave a successful laugh. "Let's go, boys, our dinner is being delivered."
"I sounded good, didn't I?" Tamaa asked in a proud yet nervous tone. "Would you believe I've never done Kion's voice before? You gotta love it, right? So can I go now, I did what ya asked."
"Hmm, not yet, you might still come in handy," Janja said, much to Tamaa's disappointment. "I think I'll keep you around for a while." He said with an evil chuckle as he made his way down the ledge of the Outlands.
Cheezi then let out a chuckle much to Tamaa's annoyance. "Could you at least stop breathing on me? I've got sensitive feathers." Tamaa told him.
"Heh, heh, sensitive feathers," Cheezi said with a laugh as he and Chungu followed Janja while Tamaa looked on in concern, and he hoped that the Lion Guard would save him and the impalas.
"Guess Tamaa really is keeping his promise," the Guard's Fastest noted as she sat under a tree and licked her paw before rubbing it over the bridge of her nose.
"No sign of Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu either," Ono reported, landing between the two lion cubs.
"For now, that is," Kufu said.
"Kufu's right, we need to stay alert in case there's anymore trouble," Kion told them.
"Yeah, the trouble that's gonna come from you."
All six members of the Lion Guard groaned in annoyance as they turned around and saw a smug-looking Kopa heading towards them with an annoyed-looking Dalia walking beside him.
"What do you want now, Kopa?" Kion asked his rival in annoyance.
"Nothing, I just wanted to make sure that the next Scar isn't causing any trouble," Kopa said in a snarky tone.
"So, that's why you didn't let me take a calm stroll around the Pride Lands alone?" Dalia spoke up in an irritated tone while giving her brother a death glare. "You just wanted an excuse to harass my friends again."
Kopa growled in annoyance that his sister called him out on that, and he was about to say something when all of a sudden another voice was heard.
"Panic and run! Panic and run!" yelled the voice of the zebra leader, Thurston, as he ran past the Lion Guard. "Head for the Outlands! They're the only safe place to be!"
"Whoa, what?" Bunga questioned. "No!" He stopped the panicking zebra.
"Where'd you get such a crazy idea?" Fuli asked with a quirked brow.
"From Kion," Thurston answered, looking at the cub in question.
"You told a bunch of animals to go into the Outlands?" Kopa growled at Kion.
"I never said that," Kion defended, his ears flattening against his head.
"Yes, you did," Thurston corrected. "I heard you say it to the impalas. And everyone knows zebras have the best hearing in the Pride Lands."
"You were saying, Scar Jr?" Kopa growled as he and Kion glared at each other.
"Kopa, would you shut up?" Kufu told the snarky lion cub before turning his attention to the zebra. "And Thurston, if you heard Kion say, 'Go to the Outlands' why didn't you go?" He asked the herd leader.
"I am going!" defended the zebra. "I just don't know where the Outlands are."
"Wait a minute," Fuli said as her eyes widened, realizing what was going on, "You said you heard Kion, but you didn't see him?" she questioned, looking the Zebra dead in the eyes.
"So?" Thurston huffed with a stomp of his hoof. "Hearing is believing."
"Not with Tamaa the drongo around," Ono noted, moving from the ground to perch on Beshte's back like always.
"But why would Tamaa fool the impalas into going to the Outlands?" Beshte asked.
Fuli rolled her emerald eyes and let out a scoff. "Sounds more like Janja to me."
"Maybe it was Janja," Kion agreed, "And Tamaa."
Kufu raised his eyebrow and looked over to Kion. "OK, I know Tamaa is a troublemaker, but you really think he'd help Janja?" He questioned his best friend.
"Maybe he didn't have a choice," Kion guessed. "C'mon, Lion Guard! To the Outlands!"
"Oh, you ain't going anywhere Kion," Kopa said, blocking the Lion Guard's path. "You think pinning the blame on someone else is gonna save you. I don't think so. I'm gonna let King Simba know about what you did." He said with a glare as Kion gave him a glare back before turning to Dalia.
"Dalia, do you mind?" Kion asked.
"I'm on it," Dalia nodded before she bit her brother's tail and began to drag him back to Pride Rock.
"Hey, what are you doing? Let me go," Kopa said as he tried to break free from Dalia's grasp. "Did you hear me, Dalia? I said let me g- YYYEEEOOOWWWW!" He screamed in pain as Dalia hit his tail harder.
"Shut up!" Dalia told her brother as she dragged him away from the Lion Guard and back to Pride Rock.
With Kopa now out of the way, the Lion Guard then raced towards the direction where the impala herd was last grazing, going from there straight to the border of the Outlands.
Back in the Outlands, Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu were still chasing after theiImpalas while Tamaa was struggling to get himself free from Cheezi's grasp, and then the three hyenas stopped as the impalas were now running towards a dead end.
Janja then let out an evil cackle. "That was so easy. I should've gotten myself a drongo years ago." He said before turning his attention to Tamaa. "You better get used to us, birdie, cause I'm never letting you go." He told him with a laugh much to Tamaa's shock.
Janja then made his way towards the impalas, leaving Cheezi and Chungu alone with their prisoner.
"You hear that?" Chungu asked the drongo with a chuckle. "You're never getting away from us."
Tamaa had a worried look on his face before his eyes widened when he had an idea. "Why would I wanna get away?" He asked with a smirk. "This is great."
"Yeah," Cheezi said with a laugh before having a confused look. "Uhh, what?" he asked.
"Well, I've always worked alone to get my own food," Tamaa told the two hyenas. "It's gonna be a lot easier now that I have a partner."
"Partner?" Cheezi asked.
"Sure," Tamaa said with a smile. "I mean, didn't you hear what Janja said? From now on, it's gonna be me and him."
"Just you and Janja?" Chungu repeated in shock and concern. "But what about us?"
"Oh, jeez, I haven't thought about that," Tamaa said in a fake concerned tone. "With me helping Janja, I don't know if he'll need you two anymore."
"He won't?" Cheezi asked.
"Not with me around," Tamaa said before smiling. "But if you two were to let me go..."
Cheezi and Chungu looked at each other before giving a stern look. "Uh uh," Cheezi said. shaking his head.
Chungu then snickered. "Heh, heh, nice try, birdie, but we ain't letting you go until Janja says so." He told the drongo.
"Is that a fact?" Tamaa asked as the two hyenas nodded. "I see" He said before clearing his throat and spoke. "Cheezi, let the bird go." He said in Janja's voice.
"OK, Janja," Cheezi said before letting Tamaa go and the drongo flew away from the Outlands.
"Uhh, I don't think that was Janja who said that," Chungu said as he realized what happened.
"No kidding," Cheezi agreed before showing a worried look. "Janja's gonna be super mad."
"What are we gonna tell him?" Chungu wondered.
"How about... Nothing," Cheezi suggested to which Chungu liked the idea before the two hyenas followed their leader.
Meanwhile, Tamaa was flying through the air and he was glad that he was finally free from the hyenas' grasp.
"Phew, my little talent sure got me out of that mess," Tamaa said with a smile before stopping and showed a concerned look. "But it also got those impalas into a mess. I've gotta try and help 'em." He said as he flew back to the Outlands.
Back in the Outlands, the impalas were looking around for a way out while not knowing that Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu were sneaking up on the unsuspecting animals, but then all of a sudden a voice was heard.
"That's far enough, Janja!" Kion's voice spoke out which caused the three hyenas to stop in their tracks.
"You hear that?" Chungu asked worriedly.
"We got you surrounded, hyenas!" Bunga's voice was heard from another direction.
"The Lion Guard is here now," Janja said in a panicked tone.
Unbeknownst to the three hyenas, it wasn't the Lion Guard, it was Tamaa flying around them, imitating the Lion Guard to keep them away from the impalas.
"There is no way out," Tamaa said in Fuli's voice.
"So we can do this the easy way or the hard way," Tamaa said in Kufu's voice.
"You better run away while you can," Tamaa said in Beshte's voice.
"Or prepare to face the Lion Guard," Tamaa said in Ono's voice.
"They're everywhere," Cheezi said fearfully as the three hyenas huddled together in fear.
Meanwhile, the real Lion Guard was rushing towards the Outlands, hoping to get there in time to save Tamaa and the impalas and stop whatever Janja had planned.
"Any sign of the hyenas, Ono?" Kion looked up at the egret flying above them.
"Negative," Ono replied. "I don't see them."
"This is your last chance, hyenas!" A voice said In the distance which caught Ono's attention.
"But I do hear something," Ono said as the Lion Guard stopped and listened.
"Leave now or we're gonna come get ya!" The voice became clear and it was a member of the Lion Guard.
"Hey, that was Kufu!" Bunga exclaimed, the brown-furred lion cub looked down at the honey badger beside him. "But wait," the Bravest member looked up at the Slyest. "Kufu's right here." He pointed his claw to the feline beside him who rolled his eyes.
"It's gotta be Tamaa," Kufu noted.
"C'mon, Lion Guard!" Kion motioned for the rest to follow him down into the gorge below.
Back in the Outlands, Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu were still huddling around each other and looking around fearfully as Tamaa kept on flying around them, imitating the Lion Guard.
"Alright, you asked for it, we're coming in," Tamaa said in Kion's voice.
"Unless you leave now, growl," Tamaa said in Fuli's voice.
"Which way are we gonna run?" Cheezi asked his leader nervously. "They're all around us."
"I don't know, uhh, maybe we can..." Janja stopped himself as he noticed that Cheezi didn't have Tamaa with him. "Hey, why isn't there a bird in your mouth?" He asked with a glare as Cheezi chuckled nervously.
Janja then realized what was happening and then he looked around until he saw black feathers from behind a rock, and then the three hyenas made their way towards the rock.
"You're running out of time, Janja," Tamaa said in Kion's voice, but then he turned around and was startled when he saw Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu standing right behind him.
"Nice try, but we know the Lion Guard ain't here," the hyena leader chuckled as he glared at the drongo they cornered.
"That's what you think!" Kion called.
"Oh, he's really good. That time, he didn't even move his mouth," Chungu grinned, thinking it was Tamaa imitating Kion again.
"Back away from the bird, Janja!" Kufu growled, he and Kion standing side-by-side on a large boulder looking over the three canines.
The Guard's Fiercest leaped off the rock and tackled Janja to the ground with a growl.
"K-K-K-Kion?" Janja stammered, chuckling nervously. "It's not what you think. See, um, we, we were just helping out these poor lost impalas, you know, we thought we'd show 'em the way home."
"We'll take care of the impalas," Kion informed, stepping off the hyena leader.
Kufu jumped off the boulder and walked up to stand beside the prince. "So, why don't you three find your own way home?" He advised, letting out a snarl and his eyes set in a glare.
"We'll do that," Janja agreed, backing away from the two cubs. "Let's go, fellas." The three hyenas turn-tailed and ran back to their den with their ears flat against their head.
"And don't come back!" Tamma called after them, mimicking Kion's voice as he hovered over the two lions. He circled around and faced them and the rest of the Guard. "Sorry, I was on a roll!" He laughed.
The Lion Guard led the impalas back to the Pride Lands where they went back to their grazing ground.
"That was a brave thing you did back there, Tamaa," Kion praised once he and the Guard stopped, the drongo perched on a small boulder.
"You helped save the impalas," Ono added from his perch on Beshte's back.
"Yeah, we might've been too late if you hadn't distracted Janja and his crew by imitating us," Kufu followed, a small smile on his muzzle.
"But, just so you know, I don't growl like that," Fuli said with a chuckle.
"Noted, but still, thanks," Tamaa smiled back at the Guard. "It felt great to use my talent for good. And this time, I really have learned my lesson." He flapped his wings and took to the air. "From now on, I'm sticking to my promise. No more imitating others, unless it's for good."
"That's great," Bunga cut in, looking up at the drongo with wide eyes. "But could you imitate me just once before you go?" He asked, clasping his hands together.
"OK," Tamaa obliged, shouting " Zuka Zama!" in the honey badger's voice as he did a mid-air corkscrew before flying off.
Bunga nodded in approval with a wide grin. "I really do have a great voice." He said, only to realize his friends were already walking away. "Hey, wait for me!" He ran after them.
To be continued...
A/N: And that was The Call of the Drongo and, Fun Fact, just like Tamaa, I'm an impressionist myself, and I must say, I'm pretty good. Also, I hope you all don't mind that I've changed it to where Tamaa does an impression of Reirei instead of Goigoi, so I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter.
Up Next: Bunga finds out the paintings in the Lion Guard's lair can predict the future.
Here's the Cast List:
Max Charles as Kion; Caleel Harris as Kufu; Joshua Rush as Bunga; Diamond White as Fuli; Dusan Brown as Beshte; Atticus Shaffer as Ono; C.J. Byrnes as Tamaa; Andrew Kishino as Janja; Kevin Schon as Chungu and Thurston; Vargus Mason as Cheezi; Rider Strong as Kopa; Isabela Merced as Dalia; Blair Underwood as Makuu; Ana Gasteyer as Reirei; Khary Payton as Muhangus; Kari Wahlgren as Female Hare; and Jessica DiCicco as Female Mouse and Jerboa.