Swala

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Swala
Meaning	Gazelle/Antelope
Gender	Female
Species	Gazelle
Home	Mbali Fields, Pride Lands
Alignment	Good
Affiliations	Swala's Herd Pride Landers
Voice Actor	Tunisia Hardison
Nicknames	Gazelle (by all)

“	Leave it to us. She'll need help, ladies. Who's with me?	”
–Swala, The Mbali Fields Migration

Swala is an adult female gazelle that resides in the Pride Lands. She is the leader of her own herd.

Appearance

Swala is a tan gazelle with a white underbelly which extends to her chin and the underside of her tail. A line of fur on her chest is slightly longer than the rest of her coat. She has white markings on her face, with a defined black stripe over each of her warm brown eyes and other black markings near her rump. She has black eyebrows, unlike the rest of her herd who don't have eyebrows at all. Her inner ears are white with a black marking inside. Her feet each have black hooves and a small patch of white just above. She has a black nose and gray horns.

Personality

Swala is an argumentative gazelle who does not initially trust Kion. Over time, she comes to accept him as a leader and puts her faith in him. She is hot-tempered and quick to blame but learns to put her quarrels with Muhimu aside to help her give birth to a son. She is sarcastic and will resort to physical violence if she needs to.

History

The Mbali Fields Migration

Swala battles Muhimu

Swala's herd of gazelles and Muhimu's herd of zebras are battling each other. Swala pushes Muhimu and mocks her, but the Lion Guard arrives to break up the fight. Kion orders them to stop and growls, causing Swala to gasp. He demands to know what's going on, and Swala and Muhimu explain that they were fighting over the grazing grounds. Swala becomes enraged when Muhimu declares the grazing grounds to belong to her herd, but Kion tells them that the grazing grounds belong to both of them. When the Guard learns of how little grass there is, Beshte observes that the two herds are just hungry, and Swala agrees, admitting that she gets cranky when she's hungry. Kion decides to find a place with enough grass for both herds. Swala asks him if he can do that, and he goes to ask the king for advice.

Ready to go

Later, Bunga races around the Pride Lands, announcing to the herds that the Lion Guard will be taking them across the Pride Lands to a new grazing ground, Mbali Fields. Swala listens to Kion's announcement that he and the Guard will be leading the two herds to Mbali Fields. Both herds are satisfied and cheer for Kion. The migration begins, and as the Guard keeps everyone in check, the Trail to Hope begins, with everyone looking out for each other as they move across the Pride Lands.

"What are we waiting for? Let's run!"

Eventually, they wind up in a canyon. By this time, both of the herds are hungry and show signs of fatigue. Kion encourages them to continue, as Ono promises them that they're close to their new grazing grounds. He also expresses his concern over an impending storm. The herds soon see Mbali Fields, and Muhimu cannot wait any longer. She and her herd rushes ahead down the canyon, and Swala decides to run after them, leading her herd forward.

"I blame the zebras for this."

The Lion Guard attempt to stop them, but a large pile of rocks plummets into the canyon, blocking the path to Mbali Fields. In the meantime, Kion realizes that their path is no longer going to work, and thus asks Ono to scout out a new pathway for them to continue their journey with. Swala remarks that she blames the zebras for the problem and Ono returns with some disappointing news - that the only way to Mbali Fields is now going to involve a trip through the Outlands.

Kion saves Swala from the floodwaters

As they make their way across, the storm erupts. Swala speaks negatively of Kion's leadership, saying that if Simba had lead the migration, they would be there by now. Suddenly, a huge gush of water comes flooding through. Swala tries to escape the flash flood but is swept away by the current. She cries out Kion's name, and he climbs onto a branch that reaches above the waters, grabbing her by the horn and dragging her to safety, allowing her time to recover.

Swala and a zebra confront Kion

Once everyone is safe, Swala once again expresses her opinion that Kion's leadership is poor, pointing out that while he saved her, he was the reason she was in danger in the first place. When Kion approaches her, she confronts him, angrily reminding him that he promised them that the trip would end with enough grass for everyone. He reassures her and tells her to trust him, and she comments that she isn't sure that she does. A member of Swala's herd declares that he agrees with her, however, Muhimu speaks up, telling everyone that it was her fault for starting the stampede, if she had not, they would not have had to change course. Swala listens to Muhimu's words, and when Kion announces that the Lion Guard will do their best to lead the herd safely through the Outlands, she cheers along with the herds.

Swala helps her friend

The herds enter the Outlands, but soon after, Muhimu enters labor. Kion sends Beshte, Fuli, and Ono ahead and tells them to keep leading the herds whilst he and Bunga stay behind to help her give birth. The Guard isn't sure of what to do, but Swala tells them to leave it to her and a number of female zebras. She stands beside her friend and reminds Bunga that Muhimu will want privacy, but Muhimu wants the honey badger to stay. Soon Muhimu gives birth to a son. However, he lets loose a loud neigh, which draws Janja, Cheezi and Chungu's attention. The three hyenas soon arrive and slide down the ridge, causing Swala and the zebras to panic and run.

"Hyenas!"

Muhimu orders them to compose themselves, and Swala rushes back to her friend, helping to form a protective circle around her and her son. At first Janja, Cheezi and Chungu taunt them, though they soon launch an attack. Janja approaches the zebras and Swala, who all pull back a little, though Muhimu's son kicks Janja in the face, throwing him away at the same time Bunga and Kion finish with Cheezi and Chungu. The hyenas flee, leaving Swala and the zebras safe and unharmed.

The remaining animals finally make it to Mbali Fields, with everyone happy and safe at last.

The Trail to Udugu

"Something's coming!"

Swala and her herd are trying to climb a large clump of rocks up to some grassland. Ono notices this and relays the information back to the Lion Guard and Simba, who is temporarily leading the Lion Guard whilst his son searches for Udugu. Since Simba realizes how unstable the rock is, he orders the Guard to follow him to Swala.

When Swala notices the impending lion, the dust being kicked up blurs her vision. Since she is unable to see what is approaching her she panics, and she and her herd start to run up the unstable rock formation. As they do so, the rocks tumble and fall, narrowly missing Simba beneath.

Listening to Ono

The herd then start stampeding on the high ground, right for Mbuni's Herd and their eggs. Soon, Ono swoops down to her and requests that she slows down. Due to the stampeding hoofs around her, she is unable to hear and asks Ono to speak up. He does so, but it's still not enough. Annoyed that she can't hear his words, she abruptly stops and demands that her herd do the same so that she can hear him. They calm down and Swala asks Ono to repeat what he said, but since Ono was just trying to stop them anyway, he tells her not to mind and flies away.

Fire from the Sky

Swala can be briefly seen during the musical sequence "Height and Sight".