Shouting Match
Vitani's Guard spent the morning responding to some commotion near the watering hole. Looking for whoever was causing trouble, they found an unusual creature who'd been snatching goods from animals when they weren't looking.
Unamused, Vitani held out a paw and sternly demanded the pup dropped the food he'd taken from the other animals. Begrudgingly, the pup plopped the assortment of berries and insects onto Vitani's paw. Disgusted at the semi-chewed pile wetly sitting on her paw, Vitani tossed them back towards the rightful owners.
The young boy introduced himself as Sauti, a painted dog. He revealed he was an orphan from the Backlands, in which food was harshly competed over due to the leopard population there. The leopards' ferocity when it came to sharing anything -- be it food or space with another animal -- made Sauti afraid to face them.
Vitani deeply sympathized with the boy, remembering she'd once been a food-insecure child who'd resorted to outsourcing for food at times -- including the very Pridelands.
She reminded Sauti that the Pridelands were not exactly friendly with sharing either, especially when it came to trespassers. She offered to escort him to the royals, who would help resolve Sauti's residence situation.
Upon taking Sauti to Pride Rock and explaining to the royals where the wild dog had come from, the Guard noticed the pup's ears twitch as he tilted his head. The Guard asked him what was wrong, and he told them he'd been picking up a strange sound coming from far away. Eventually, the soundwaves reached the Pridelands, causing the very earth to shake.
Concluding the situation to be unsafe -- and rather unnatural --, the Guard rushed to the source of the noise as the royals kept Sauti inside Pride Rock to protect him and bond with him.
____
The Guard traced the noise all the way back to the region that connected the Gorge and Mekundu Cliffs, where they spotted a pointy shape atop a cliff. It was yet another creature they'd never seen before, and another canine at that.
Vitani sighed in annoyance, "What is it with dogs today...?"
"Who are you, trespasser?!" Shabaha suddenly bellowed upwards.
"I'm called 'Kelele' by you Pridelanders," the canine introduced slyly, "I'm looking for the Leader of the Lion Guard..."
Vitani stepped forward, unsure of where this was going.
"Here, I am."
"Funny," Kelele grinned snarkily, "you look different from the paintings..."
"Paintings?"
"Indeed." Kelele cocked her head up proudly, "In my homeland, there are paintings of a powerful young lion who possesses the Roar of the Elders. Though, the lion looked red and gold..."
"Kion..." Vitani muttered, turning to the Guard, who'd silently agreed.
Kelele tilted her head, "Are you not the wielder of the Roar?"
"I'm one of them." Vitani flatly answered.
"T-Two Roars? Perhaps news spreads North longer than I thought..." Kelele muttered to herself before speaking towards the Guard, "Well, then, Roar-wielder, show me what you got against this!"
Suddenly, a piercing, loud cry escaped Kelele's throat. Seismic waves shook the ground and knocked the Guard off their feet. They all cringed at the unbearable torture towards their ears. Even Usiku, Tazama's friend and temporary seeing-eye bat, had fluttered away in a panic.
"Come on, Roar-wielder," Kelele grinned as she descended from the cliffs, "fight BACK!"
The wolf gave Vitani a chance to stand back up. Vitani took a deep breath, and conjured the Lions of the Past form in the clouds. Kelele was astonished to see the power in-person, eager to face the legend that stood before her.
Calling to the spirits, Vitani released a roar, letting the clouds roar with her in the form of a strong current. Kelele prepared to counter the powerful blast with her very own Sonic Howl.
The two were evenly matched for a good while, despite the noise of Kelele's howl being incredibly overwhelming. Eventually, Vitani was beginning to grow exhausted from producing such a prolonged Roar. When Vitani let go of the force she'd used to keep Kelele at bay, the wolf took advantage of the moment, and howled hard enough for the ground to shake and knock Vitani back down.
Growing frustrated, the Leader of the Guard used every technique she'd learned so far. However, Kelele seemed to predict her every move. Be it concentrated currents, geokinesis, or earthquakes, the wolf was prepared for it; trained to fight against each one with her lithe acrobatics and equally-matched sonic howl, which no one could stand anymore.
No point in hydrokinesis. There was not enough water in nearby streams, nor hardly any clouds today, and Vitani figured Kelele would dodge those moves anyway.
Collapsing the the ground yet again, Vitani groaned shakily as she shuddered from the deafening noise. Seeing this, Kelele cackled wickedly, claiming victory over the match.
"I've trained well, it seems..." Kelele grinned ear to ear, "Looks like you gotta come up with some new moves if you wanna defeat me!"
As the Guard got up and tended to Vitani, the wolf had absconded. The wolf's sudden cowardice after mercilessly terrorizing and harming the Guard infuriated Vitani even more.
After exchanging words of confusion with an equally-confused Guard about the whole interaction that had taken place, she'd stormed away after telling them to make sure Kelele didn't come back.
The wolf's impact on Vitani triggered a strong feeling of competitiveness within her. She was unique in the line of Lion Guard leaders for being one who never truly favored using the Roar, but now, she felt the need to learn more than ever about it.
She would have to turn to a certain Lion of the Past for advice...