Any encounter ideas for my Beastlands intrigue plot?

Quick recap: My level 4 players are journeying to an oasis in the Pridelands of the Beastlands due to an incident with portals that is displacing everyone from every plane against their will. In my lore, Queen's Pride (Lion King-esque monarchy that has other predators in their ranks) is the one that regulates how much hunting is done so they aren't killing off animals en masse. But since the portal incidents the factions within Queen's Pride have shifted.

The Herd is the prey counterpoint to Queen's Pride despite technically being under Queen's Pride leadership. It is mainly medium or large herbivores and omnivores but they have allies with animals like elephants, rodents, and small birds. They began fortifying themselves against predators and fighting back sensing a shift in power. Some want to be more proactive and kill all the predators outright.

Queen's Pride is run by two queens and one of them has entered a deep depression because her youngest sister is missing (suspected to be taken by the portals). The other queen is trying to run things and regulate hunting while also struggling because they are at the edge of war with The Herd.

The Cackle which is a clan of hyenas who have been vying to take over Queen's Pride for a while and are doing fine since they've managed to switch from outright hunting to scavenging. They were the ones to kidnapped the Queen's sister and haven't indicated to anyone that they're thinking of doing a coup.

The oasis my players are traveling to is the central meeting place so before they get there I would like them to have run ins with the factions especially because they have Beastfolk in the party (rabbit and wolf). Some other people but especially Beastfolk that were displaced chose to ally with a side. I like the idea that The Herd doesn't tolerate any predators into their claimed territory which they define as "a beast with a muzzle, fangs, and a taste for blood." (its vague on purpose).

But other than a few potential combat encounters, I'm dealing with writer's block trying to figure out other things for the players to run into that aren't just "You're eyed suspiciously by a water buffalo." I also don't want to scare the players off into leaving The Pridelands entirely.

Sorry if this was a lot I tried to trim the fat as much as possible.