It is interesting that Alma had barely arrived back in Zarahemla when the cry of alarm was heard that a large army of Lamanites had appeared in the land. This came as a shocking surprise since there had not been any invasion by the Lamanites for approximately six years.
Of course the big question was where would the Lamanites attack. In the previous years the Lamanite target had always been the city of Zarahemla, but this time the Lamanites headed for the borders of the western wilderness, bypassing Zarahemla.