Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original Aladdin characters, nor do I own the settings involved with them. They all belong to their rightful owners. I only own Alisha, Jerky, Zadesh, Sabin, Brone, and Daniel.

Special Thanks: Thank you so much to Eternal Sidekick, for the amazing advise. You are so helpful and awesome. Again, thank you for that! Your pointers cleared my case of writer's block right up.

Enjoy! R&R!

Chapter Eleven: Encounter

Alisha, who looked away when debris fell like rain, slowly turned when she heard a distinct hiss. And there, shining through the dust from the explosion, were a pair of bright green and yellow eyes. Her mouth fell open. Was it...could it really be...?

With her, Zadesh stared at the eyes. A drop of sweat trickled from his brow, he swallowed something thick lodged in his throat. The eyes were directly on him, and he knew he had to act now before he lost the chance.

As slow and cautious as possible Zadesh reached his hand towards Alisha, who was too fixated on the glowing eyes to see. At the last second he grabbed her chains and yanked her towards him with great force.

But it was only for a moment.

As soon as he pulled her, something suddenly wrapped around Zadesh's ankle with an unbreakable grip and yanked him backwards. He helplessly hit the ground, his mind reeling back and forth from the breath escaping his lungs. And for a moment Alisha was close, so close he could reach a hand out and touch her, but in a blink she was so far; Zadesh was immediately dragged away by the ankle at a mind boggling speed. He skidded across the ground like a flat rock skipping across the surface of water.

He screamed as he desperately clawed at the ground in hopes to grab something that would somehow save him but his hopes were dashed, especially the moment he entered the dust cloud, dirt blinding his vision. Abruptly his body ascended from the ground just as quick and unexpected as he hit it only moments before, his hat stolen off his head by gravity. In the air, Zadesh knew there was nothing that could prevent what would happen next...

Silence fell when the dust cleared and their eyes met.

Dangling, the blood rushing to his head, he looked into the same glare he had received earlier, but now he finally saw what had given him that glare. Zadesh realized then that Daniel did not exaggerate, nor had missed any detail of the beast before him. It truly was just as he described. This thing was massive. Forty five, maybe fifty feet in length. And those wings!

But it was the beast's eyes that made his heart skip a beat. They pierced Zadesh with such fear, such horror.

No wonder Daniel was so terrified when he had described this thing to him. It was a heart-stopping sight. The shock of seeing Alisha for the first time was nothing compared to what he felt now. Never would he have imagined that such a creature like this existed in the world.

Sweat trickled down his brow and the back of his neck.

Malcho scented traces of Alisha's aroma on the human, causing his glare to deepen. Wrath boiled in his his cold blood.

"How dare you!" he hissed, parting the orange hair on the man's head, making him flinch. "How dare you lay your hands on mi amiga!"

This anger was a surprise to Malcho. He remembered that it was the same anger he felt after that hunter shot Alisha. In the past, when the Quetzalcoatl was angry, the creatures of the rain forest knew better then to step in his way, and felt the utmost sympathy for the unlucky soul who received it.

But this anger was darker, and burned brighter than it ever did in the past. The thought that this filthy human had harmed Alisha…!

From the side, Alisha, frozen by Malcho's words, gazed with rounded eyes at the serpent.

How dare you lay your hands on mi amiga!

Never before had she heard his voice sound like that. So…so ferocious and so threatening…. She was so use to seeing Malcho classy and reasonable, but this…this Malcho was different.

This Malcho made the harpy begin to tremble.

"M-Malcho…" her voice was tiny, nearly a whisper.

Is…is this really Malcho? No, it can't be him. He's never acted like this before. Not like…

"Alisha!"

She turned and found Jasmine quickly rushing beside her, her expression filled with concern and alarm.

"Are you alright?" she asked her, gently wrapping her hands around the shaking harpy. "Are you hurt?"

Alisha shook her head, "N-no."

Quickly she inhaled a deep breath in hopes to calm herself down. The Princess seemed worried enough, and the harpy didn't want her fear to reflect on her.

"What about you?" Alisha asked Jasmine, knowing Brone had dropped her when the quake occurred.

Jasmine, also taking deep breaths, gave her an assuring smile. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

"AAAAAHHHHHGGGGG!"

A spine-chilling scream caused both the girls to jump, snatching their attention effortlessly. Their mouths dropped when they saw Malcho holding a screaming Zadesh over his opened mouth, preparing to bite down.

His black eyes had widened to a point where they looked like they would fall out of their sockets. The beast's rancid breath overwhelmed Zadesh; he almost gagged. It was the only thing he could smell as he stared past its forked tongue and down that black tunnel of a throat, where he knew would lead to a very long and very painful demise.

Zadesh, his heart seconds from exploding, cried out a desperate plea for help.

Snap!

The serpent's jaws clamped shut right before his eyes.

A giant muzzle had suddenly appeared on Malcho's snout, shutting his mouth tight. His eyes grew wide. Where did this thing come from?!

"Nice try, snaky!"

Another hiss rumbled in Malcho's chest. He knew that voice! He shot a seething glare to the side and saw them.

They stood protectively in front of both Alisha and a señorita that Malcho did not recognize. Aladdin and the Genie stared fiercely at the Quetzalcoatl, with a purple fabric floating beside them.

The only one who Malcho did not see was Iago. But he knew that bird well, assuming the coward must have flown inside the palace for safety.

As soon as his eyes fell on the boy, all the shame and anger of being so foolishly deceived by him surfaced. He felt his predatory nature take hold of him, pushing away all thoughts that ran through his mind before. He'd forgotten all about the man — in fact, he tossed him away. Not even giving a glance at his scream or the loud thud he made when he crashed on the ground.

He glared at the boy, and he glared back.

"Genie," Aladdin whispered, "I need you to transform into something useful."

"You got it, Al!"

With a snap of his fingers, followed by a cloud of purple smoke, Genie transformed into a spear in Aladdin's hands.

From behind, as soon as she saw the blue weapon in his grasp, Alisha's heart began to race in her chest.

He's not really going to try and fight Malcho, is he?! She thought in horror. Meanwhile, Abu tried to unlock the lock of her chains with his many choices of keys.

"Jasmine," Aladdin said to her. "As soon as Alisha's unchained, you two get inside with Iago. Genie, Carpet, and I can handle Malcho. And Razoul should be gathering the other guards, too. He'll be outnumbered."

"Be careful, Aladdin." The Princess told him, worriedly.

"Always."

Alisha's conscious screamed at her to say something, but Aladdin charged at Malcho before she opened her mouth.

"Aladdin, no!" she cried.

But her voice fell on deaf ears.

As soon as he was close enough, Malcho attacked. He struck the boy with his wing, sending him flying.

Once he hits the ground…the serpent anticipated, planning out each movement. He had imagined these moments clearly in his mind for so long, Malcho almost couldn't believe it was happening. He was prepared to strike as soon as Aladdin fell to the ground, determined to finish him there, and then finally deal with that annoying Iago.

But his plans were shattered when the flying rug suddenly appeared and caught the boy in the nick of time. They shot over the serpent's head, heading for the sky, knowing there was a better chance of defeating him with forces attacking from above and below.

A strident hiss thundered in Malcho's chest, and his cold blood reached its final boiling point. Fueled by his rage he gained enough strength to break free of the muzzle with his jaws to let out an ear splitting roar. It engulfed the air around the palace like the roar of an erupting volcano. Aladdin quickly covered his ears to block as much of it out so it wouldn't destroy his hearing. Carpet even shook from the chilling velocity of his voice.

Alisha's eyes were glued to the serpent. His roar shook her to the very heart. Inside of it all she heard was hate. Pure, unmistakable hate. She could almost feel the rage in Malcho's roar, sickening her to her stomach. She never would have thought that past the compassion and kindness he had shown her, there was so much bitterness Malcho was concealing underneath.

Malcho…!

"Awright!" cheered Abu when he finally found the right key.

The chains around Alisha loosened and slipped off her and to the ground, freeing her from their grip at last. She rubbed her wings, feeling the cold chill of the metal slowly fade.

"Good job, Abu." Jasmine praised. "Now let's get out of here."

She got up, but found she stood alone. Looking down, she saw Alisha still sitting on the ground, gaping silently at the serpent. She followed her gaze and saw Aladdin and Carpet zoom by his head, trying to land a blow with the spear, but Malcho caught them and ducked. He was a heartbeat from flying after them when he heard the cries of the guards, charging at him with spears, swords, and chains in their hands.

"Kill it! Kill it!" they shouted. "Kill the monster!"

One guard got the first stab in with his sword and Malcho screeched out in pain. With lightening speed he retaliated with the back of his wing, sending the guard flying in the opposite direction. Then more of them joined in, ganging up on the Quetzalcoatl. One attacked after the other, either trying to cut him with a blade or a spear, or bind him with chains. Malcho hissed, striking them one by one.

Jasmine, knowing she and Alisha would just be in the way if they stayed any longer, reached down and took Alisha's wing. "Alisha, we have to go!" she told her. "Alisha!"

Hearing her name yelled, Alisha snapping her back to earth. Her eyes flashed towards Jasmine. Her wing was still gripped in her hand tightly.

"We have to go. Now!"

The harpy stood up and they ran, Abu by their sides. Alisha glanced back in Malcho's direction, and still he continued to fight off Aladdin and the guards. Alisha wanted to stop and run to him, to try to get Malcho to come to his senses, but she was too frightened by what she was witnessing to go near the serpent. So she turned away and continued running.

As they neared the steps, Alisha noticed Sabin and Brone and the young man were nowhere to be found. Along with Zadesh's whip and cane.

Good riddance.

Whoosh!

Both girls froze dead in their tracks when an arrow flew by them. Startled, Abu screeched and ducked behind Jasmine. Their hearts began to race faster, even more when they heard his voice call from behind.

"Hold it right there."

Alisha and Jasmine spun around, their eyes widening to see Zadesh surrounded by his three weapon-wielding lackeys. He was leaning on his cane, mangled from Malcho tossing him like a rag doll. His bare arms were scraped up, and a cut bled from above his left eye that he closed. It streamed a red trail down the side of his face.

But even cut up and wounded didn't lower his intimidation, especially as the girls looked over the weapons the other three were holding.

Sabin with a jagged edged knife, Brone with an axe fit for a barbarian, and the golden haired boy wielding a bow and arrow.

"And where do you think you're running off to with my harpy, Princess?" Zadesh demanded, grinning in her direction.

Jasmine pulled Alisha behind her, still holding onto her wing with an iron grip, determined to protect her from the maniac that stood before her.

"Are you insane?" she fiercely demanded. "We're under attack and you're still going to try and take Alisha?"

"Desperate times calls for desperate measures." He brushed some dust off his shoulder, giving her anger a cold and careless shoulder.

He shot a glare directly at her, his grin falling.

"Now, I am only going to tell you this once: hand over my harpy and we'll be on our way without causing any more trouble." Zadesh nodded towards Malcho, almost tauntingly as he said, "And from what I see, your Majesty, you have enough trouble on your hands."

Jasmine glowered at him, thinking over a great debate in her mind. Should she run with Alisha, or fight off the men herself? Both decisions frightened the Princess. She knew she could handle the scrawny man holding the knife, and the one with the bow and arrow, but the pot-bellied man…he was the one she was unsure about.

She tightened a hand into a fist, suppressing every ounce of fear in her heart. Now was not the time to be afraid!

"Well, Princess?" Zadesh pressed, raising a brow at the young woman. "Your choice."

Quickly, Jasmine scanned the ground before her. She spotted a large rock the size of a human fist and snatched it. Shining with fortitude, she moved into a fighting stance, staring down the man grinning in her direction.

Zadesh laughed quietly watching this. Did she really think she could take them? Ha! Ah, but she had grit, he had to give her that. What a pity…and all for that stupid monster, too.

He licked his lips, shaking his head. "Not a very wise choice."

"Jasmine, don't!" Alisha whispered to the Princess from behind. "You have no idea what they will do to you, let's just run!" she pleaded. It was obvious Jasmine had no chance against them, why even try?! There was no way Alisha was worth this! Her life wasn't worth Jasmine risking her own. It couldn't —

"Alisha, don't worry."

Her words made Alisha's eyes widen. Don't worry?

Then she turned her head and gave the harpy a smile. It was uplifting and confident. A smile she'd never seen before. And Jasmine only said:

"I need you to trust in me."

Alisha gaped at the human woman. She…she wasn't serious…. She couldn't be. I-it made no sense! Here she was about to face her demise and she tells the harpy to trust in her?!

Baffled, Alisha could only mumble, "Jasmine…."

"Take care of her, Brone." Zadesh ordered.

When the boar of a man took a step forward towards them, Alisha felt herself begin to panic. Her gaze flashed from Jasmine to Brone over and over again; her legs quaked.

She turned to the direction of the battling Quetzalcoatl. She watched him toss one of the guards into the air. Her eyes misted with angry and hurt tears.

Malcho...! Why? Why when I need you the most?

Alisha was about to try to protest Jasmine out of this, but she charged at Brone with her stone in hand.

"Jasmine, don't do it!" the harpy fretfully cried out.

Yet the Princess did not look back. She watched Brone move his free hand high above his head. Knowing he was about to strike, Jasmine braced herself and picked up her speed, determined to get the first hit. By his weight, his actions would doubtlessly be slow, giving agility and speed on her side.

…But she was wrong.

The moment his hand was in the air, it collided into Jasmine much quicker than she had anticipated. He swatted her like a fly, and she tumbled to the dirt, feeling the air escape her when she crashed. Jasmine's world went black almost instantly.

Alisha felt her heart jump. "Jasmine!"

She ran with Abu towards the still Princess before she realized it. She was only a second away from her until Brone stepped between them. He shot his arm out and grabbed Alisha, lifting her off the ground.

Horrified, she screamed.

It carried through the air, reaching the ears of everyone around. Aladdin and Carpet froze.

Unconscious guards lay around Malcho. He had focused his attention on only the boy until the sound of Alisha's scream caused his body to come to a complete halt. In a blink, the serpent's demeanor changed completely. His anger vanished, replaced by shock when he heard her scream.

"Alisha!" Forgetting all about Aladdin, he followed the sound of her scream and found her being carried over the shoulder of a pot-bellied human, accompanied by the same gringo who he was seconds away from beheading with his jaws. They were dashing for the entrance.

With anger seething in his blood, Malcho cried out. "Amiga!" and he flew in the air, blowing right past Aladdin before he had time to act. He was heading right for the human and his followers, determined to stop them before they went out the doors.

Daniel was the first among the others to see the serpent coming their way. "Z-Zadesh!" he fearfully warned.

Hearing the beating of the beast's wings and a shadow ascending over them he bellowed, "We can make it!"

Once they got to their carriage they would be safe, and nothing would —

With a single swoop, Malcho dove in front of them, moving as quick and as flexible as a string of ribbon. He blocked them from their path. Then, raising himself high in the air, he shot his wings out and hissed a deathly warning hiss. His threatening glare burned brightly.

Immedietly Daniel, Sabin, and Brone were running in opposite directions, Alisha was dropped in the process.

Wincing from the fall and rubbing her rib-area from being so fiercely grabbed, Alisha got back on her feet and looked up at the serpent. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"M-Malcho?"

He didn't respond. He glared at the only human standing before him, unlike his companions, he didn't run when Malcho let out that his. Even bruised and bleeding, the orange-haired bastard still had the gull to glare back at Malcho the Great.

Tension thickened layer by layer between them.

From the air, quickly shaking off the shock from Malcho zooming past them at such a tremendous speed, Aladdin and Carpet stared down at the snake and Zadesh, bewildered by what they were seeing. Not only was Zadesh staring Malcho down, but he was actually standing his ground without even shaking.

"What is going on?" Aladdin whispered, stunned. What had gotten into Malcho all of a sudden?

In a poof, Genie was back to his original form, just as perplexed as the other two. He rubbed the back of his head, unsure what was happening.

"Well, I know I'm speaking for all three of us when I say: I certainly wasn't expecting this."

Aladdin nodded. "You said it. Do you think they know each other or something?"

"Beats me, Al. All I know is, Senor Scaly must hate that guy a lot more than you, especially if he's going to trade a fight with you for him."

"It's possible…" Then Aladdin's gaze fell to the unconscious Jasmine sprawled out on the ground. His eyes shot wide as he gasped, "Jasmine!"

Carpet didn't have to be told to fly down there. He swooped down, rushing for her and Abu. As soon as Carpet was close enough to the ground, Aladdin leaped off and ran to Jasmine, scooping her up in his arms not a moment later.

"Jasmine? Jasmine?" he called her name again and again in hopes she would respond. When he gently lifted her head, he saw a bruise beginning to darken on the right side of her head.

"What happened to her?" Genie mumbled worriedly.

That was when Abu began to squeak as he jumped up and down, trying to get the group's attention. They turned to him and saw that he was pointing a finger in Zadesh's direction.

Aladdin clenched his teeth and glowered at Zadesh's back. "That scum bag." He growled.

Genie cautiously checked the Princess over, making sure (hoping) the bruise was her only injury.

"She's going to be just fine, Al." He told him, placing a hand on his tight shoulder, "Although, I'm not so sure about Mr. Psychopath over there."

All eyes watched Zadesh and Malcho.

Feeling the tension weigh down on her, Alisha nervously looked between the two.

Malcho could smell the human's fear. In fact he reeked of it. Yet he didn't tremble or cower away, like he knew all humans do when they were afraid. If he didn't want to bash his skull in so badly, Malcho might have praised him. This was the second human to brave against the Quetzalcoatl.

But he would sooner have his tongue sliced off then praise this gringo.

Then a question came to Malcho's mind, suddenly. His eyes narrowed; the human narrowing his as well.

"Alisha," Malcho began, never even glancing at her as he asked, "tell me, amiga, is this the human that did all of those horrible things to you? Is he the one?"

Alisha was caught off guard by the question. She looked at Malcho, but the voice that answered was not hers.

"So she's told you about me." Zadesh chuckled. "Why am I not surprised? Apparently she's been blabbing my name to everyone who she can find."

Malcho's glare deepened. His rage and hate for the man returned.

"Oh-ho my, what a dark look all of a sudden." He mocked in a laugh. "Seems Alisha's found a little soft spot somewhere in all those thick scales, hasn't she?"

Alisha's brow lifted in surprise at his remark. She turned to the Quetzalcoatl with question in her eyes. A soft spot…?

Malcho did not respond to Zadesh. Now knowing that he was the human responsible for all those horrible atrocities towards Alisha, his hatred grew with an unfathomable lust to hurt this man as much as possible. To hurt him just like how he hurt her.

He laughed again at the glowering serpent. "And for the record, I've heard a lot about you, as well."

He blinked at the human, surprised by his words.

"In a matter of minutes you butchered four highly trained monster hunters. I would have been impressed, but now that I look at you, it's not astonishing that you killed them so easily. Yet you still let one live…" he shook his head at the snake slowly. "Now that is surprising."

"You are the one who sent the monster hunters?" Malcho demanded.

"Indeed, I am." He answered without the slightest hint of guilt. "I sent them to retrieve Alisha, unaware that I was actually sending them to their deaths. But what is I find even more surprising is that you've taken the liberty as Alisha's body guard. Instead of viewing her as a snack you pitied her and decided to watch over her to make sure no harm befell the poor thing. Who would have thought that a beast as terrifying as yourself was capable of such a noble action."

He was beginning to get under Malcho's scales. Zadesh's sly comments and accusations were like nails on a chalk board; the longer he went on the more Malcho wanted to end it.

"Anyway," Zadesh said, "the more I was told about you, the more eager I became to meet you. And I must say, you are amazing at first impressions." He wiped away the blood below his left brow. He looked down at the red smear and his lips twisted into a smile, giving a quick chuckle.

"Very amazing, actually."

Malcho glanced at Alisha for a heartbeat; he scented her apprehension. Her fear softened his glare. A feeling took control over Malcho, so with his wing, he reached out to her and, very gently, drew the harpy close to his side. He could see it took her by surprise, even as he then wrapped it around her like a scaly shield of safety.

Malcho was just as surprised by it, but this time he wasn't giving it a cold shoulder like he always did before. He was determined to keep his amiga safe from this gringo, knowing he would have to be foolish to try and rip her from his wing.

Then his glare came back and aimed right back at Zadesh.

Alisha stared up at the serpent, her eyes filling back up with confusion. But the look he had given her assured her that she would be all right. She felt his will to protect her radiate from his feathers, overwhelming her to where her confusion faded away. Nothing could compare to her relief to have her Malcho here beside her and not that...that other Malcho.

Zadesh glared at the two. He had a feeling plan B was not going to be easy. Inwardly, he sighed. Looks like they were going to have to wing it….

Malcho lowered his head so that he and Zadesh were face to face. He set his gaze dead center on the human, and whispered in a hiss rolling off his tongue.

"Give me one good reason why I should not break your scrawny neck in two right now!"

The threat widened Zadesh's eyes, making him draw back from the serpent a little. Malcho thought he had him, until in a flash, he burst out with laughter.

It caught Malcho off guard — extremely off guard. No one had ever dared to laugh at the great serpent before, especially just after a threat. To attempt such a thing was pure suicide. And this human had the gull to do it right in front of him!

This not only tossed another match into Malcho's burning anger but…made a sudden chill crawl up and down his spine.

At his side, Alisha also felt a chill go up her back as well. Something was off — she could hear it in his laugh. She bit her lip, hoping she was just being paranoid.

"Now you, my serpent friend," Zadesh said, his laughter gradually dying down. "You know how to threaten someone. If I wasn't so impressed, I'd be shaking in my sandals! For a second there you had me, really you did."

Malcho was speechless, utterly flabbergasted. He was…impressed by his threat because it scared him?

"But to answer your malicious threat, alas, I have no reason. But…"

Zadesh paused, but only for a brief second. And in that second, the dark gleam in his eyes made its appearance.

"Leaving without Alisha is not an option. And hell or high waters — I am taking back what is mine!"

Then he shouted, "Now, boys!"

From Malcho's right, out jumped the scrawny human from the cover of the bushes. In his left hand were four sharp, thin blades. He moved so fast that Malcho had no time to react. With a thrust of his arm, the blades were air-born, flying straight towards him and Alisha.

Alisha gasped as she saw the blades coming at them. She pressed herself against Malcho, waiting to feel the sharp pain she knew they would bring. But in a heartbeat, Malcho wrapped his tail around her waist, pulling the harpy into his chest. Then he covered her with both his wings, engulfing her in darkness.

"Malcho!?" Alisha yelled out. "What are you doing!?"

But she heard no response from him. Although Alisha was blind and could not see anything, she was still able hear everything that was happening outside of Malcho's wings.

As soon as Malcho shielded the arpía with his wings, the blades struck his side all at once. He growled, swallowing back the sharp pain. He shot a deathly glare at the human and hissed at him. He used only one wing to try and strike him like he'd done to the one guard, but the human dodged out of the way, avoiding the attack completely.

Then another force struck Malcho straight into the back of his left shoulder before he tried to attack again. It cut much deeper than the blades did, and caused an even greater pain that made the serpent cry out in agony. It was as loud as a crack of wild thunder, carrying into the sky as a pain-filled echo that could not be missed by neither the living nor the deceased.

Alisha had to cover her ears it was so loud. But even covering her ears didn't stop her heart from racing. Her chest started to heave up and down from her heavy breathing, feeling herself nearing hyperventilation. She called out to Malcho again but she received only silence, which only made her worry grow at an alarming rate. She tried to pull herself out of the grip of his tail but with no avail.

Malcho had her tight in his grasp. And she knew he wouldn't let her go no matter how dire it was getting out there.

Tears burned in her eyes as guilt came down on her. She called out to him once again, begging, pleading, "Malcho, put me down!"

Suddenly, Alisha felt herself tilting. Her eyes grew wider, knowing straight away what was happening. He's falling!

The blow to his shoulder was so powerful it caused the serpent to fall over. But when he did, Malcho made sure he fell on his side, determined to not let his protective cage around Alisha fall. But which side he landed on was out of his control, and, as if to add to his agony, Malcho crashed on the side where the blades were imbedded.

But even when the gravity of the fall sunk the knives deeper into his scales, Malcho still kept a tight hold on to Alisha, guarding her from the crash. He prayed that he didn't accidentally jostle her, knowing how tiny and fragile she was compared to him.

Finally, he had no strength left. Digging through the ground had cost Malcho much of his energy, and the battle with Aladdin and the nearly endless stream of guards only made it worse. Now he lay on the ground, writhing and panting. His adrenaline was beginning to fall, exhaustion slowly sweeping over him. He felt blood trickled down from his shoulder, just as he felt it beneath him from the bared blades.

Alisha had braced when they fell, pressing herself against his chest closely when his tail secured itself around her waist. Now she lay on his wing with the other draped over her like a tent, yet still she clung to his chest. It heaved up and down under her wings, and she could hear its deep, rapid beat.

She found herself catching her breath as well from the panic that had snatched her breath away. Though it was mild, it still lingered inside her chest, ready to start up again any moment.

"Malcho…" she breathlessly whispered worriedly. This time she was able to break free of his grip; unwrapping his tail from around her waist.

As she gently pushed away the wing over her, she gasped, petrified to see him wounded and bloody.

"Malcho!"

She kneeled beside his head, gently wrapping her wings around his head. She followed a trail of blood streaming down his neck and saw Brone's giant ax imbedded into his shoulder. She covered her mouth to suppress the urge to scream.

Looking past it, she found Brone and Sabin standing beside each other with tauntingly triumphant smiles on their faces.

"A…Alisha…"

She heard Malcho's breathless voice say her name and she looked back at him.

"Amiga," he strained to say, "are…are you hurt?"

The question made tears well up in her eyes; her heart shattered right there in that spot. She couldn't believe that even now he was worried about her.

Silently she shook her head.

She heard him exhale a strained breath. "Bueno," he said. "For a moment there, I…I was afraid that I might have been too rough with you when I grabbed you, or when…when I fell."

Alisha stared at him with large eyes. Here he was Injured from protecting her...and he still worried about Alisha's safety... A touched smile blossomed on her lips, tears streaming down her face. The anger that she felt for him earlier was nowhere to be found in her heart.

"Oh, isn't this touching."

Their eyes snapped to Zadesh, standing with the blond haired boy beside him. He pointed an arrow in their direction, waiting to be released.

Malcho lifted his head just a few inches off the ground and hissed a very dry and weak hiss, focusing a glare in his direction.

Zadesh snickered. "Even after all that and the snake still has guts. Talk about a fighter."

He glanced at the boy beside him, "Daniel, fire on my command."

As soon as that order came out of his mouth, Alisha panicked. Suddenly, her body found movement on its own. She threw herself over Malcho's head. She held on to him tightly, with tears running down her face. He protected her, now she was going to protect him!

Zadesh sighed exasperatedly, "Oh, for goodness sake, Alisha. C'mon, the only one who you're fooling is yourself. Step back."

But she didn't move. She stayed by Malcho's side, giving Zadesh a pleading look.

"Zadesh, please," she begged.

"Move, now!" he ordered.

Alisha flinched at his ferocity of his order, but she stayed, refusing to let Malcho go.

He sighed again. "Daniel, hit her with an arrow, but remember my rule. Got it?"

Daniel gulped and nodded. Then his arrow shifted in Alisha's direction, aiming for her shoulder. He gulped again, sweat falling down the back of his neck.

C'mon, Daniel. C'mon, you can do this! He told himself. They're monsters. They don't deserve a human's sympathy. Just like you're grandfather showed you.

He took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, and then he pulled the arrow back.

Malcho's eyes shot wide with alarm. He glanced up at Alisha, but she never moved. She stayed beside him, her wings holding herself close to him. His heart began to drum.

No! No! Por favor, not again! Not again!

Daniel pulled the arrow back with his fingers, the bow's string followed without question.

"NO!" Malcho shouted —

Suddenly, plummeting like a rock, Jerky dropped out of the sky — literally! And the cushion of his fall was Zadesh's hat, swallowing half of his head and blinding him. The air filled with a tornado of curses as he tried to pull it off, but it was stuck tight, quickly changing from a tornado to a hurricane.

Jerky held on with all four paws, digging his claws into it so he wouldn't fly off.

Both Alisha and Malcho blinked simultaneously as they watched the scene before them, raising their brows in disbelief at what they were seeing.

Daniel flinched at Zadesh barking orders and curses at him, demanding that he help him get the hat off. He stood there with the look of a frightened and confused child for a moment or two, then, after Zadesh shouted "NOW, DANIEL!" he dropped his bow and arrow in a panic and reached out to pry the hat off.

When Jerky saw Daniel reach his hand out, he growled at him and attacked. The tiny mouse leaped at him, and they fell backwards. Pleas for "Help!" and "Get this thing off me!" added to the hurricane.

"Get him, Jerky!" cheered Alisha, never moving away from Malcho.

At last, after so much swearing, Zadesh finally pried his hat off. Then — POW! — Aladdin had caught him off guard at just the right second and punched him square in the face as soon as they locked eyes.

"That was for Jasmine." He said.

Zadesh, disoriented from the blow, stumbled a little, cringing from the unexpected strike. He dropped both his hat and his cane as he backed away with his face in his hands. Another storm of swirling, muffled curses started up.

He glared at Aladdin with pure rage. Blood was smeared in his hands. He turned his back on the two creatures.

Malcho didn't hesitate. He gathered enough strength and whipped his tail around, wrapping it around Zadesh's leg, and, like before, he tossed him. Hard.

Harder than he dared.

But instead of throwing him into open air, Malcho threw the man into a tree. He collided into it back first, hitting the back of his head against the solid bark. Zadesh crashed on his knees, until finally, he collapsed on the dirt.

"Boss!" Sabin and Brone cried. They ran past everyone and huddled around the still Zadesh, calling his name and trying to wake him up.

Now it was Malcho's turn to snicker, wincing from exerting his body. See if that impressed you, you loco gringo.

Jerky decided to be merciful and finally let Daniel go. As soon as the mouse walked away with his nose held proudly in the air, a mangled Daniel (there were tiny claw marks on his face, and his clothes were torn) scrambled over to Zadesh, grabbing his bow and arrow as he did.

He looked over him then heaved a heavy sigh. "He's going to hate me for this, but like we have a choice."

Quickly, they retrieved his hat and cane. Then Daniel reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny, grey ball. Thank his lucky star for having the sense to come prepared!

Aware of what he was doing, Aladdin ran at him. "You guys aren't going anywhere!"

Daniel threw the tiny ball at the ground. A giant cloud of thick black smoke erupted from where it shattered, swallowing everything in its path.

Aladdin quickly shielded his eyes and held his breath. Jerky curled into a tiny orange ball, covering his whiskered face with his paws. Alisha was able to protect her face with one wing. Knowing Malcho wasn't able to move anymore, she threw her other wing over his eyes, wanting to ensure he didn't get smoke in them.

"Hold your breath." She whispered to him.

The smoke engulfed them into total darkness. It was so thick that none of them were sure when it was going to lift. Alisha suddenly caught a loud "Go!" and, what sounded like, hooves against sand on the other side of where she was beside Malcho. The sound quickly faded into the distance.

Seconds ticked by, until finally, after a minute, the cloud started to clear.

Everyone peeked their eyes open just a little, and when they did, Zadesh and the other three were gone. Leaving not a single trace behind.

Author Notes: Hey everyone! Well, here you go, chapter 11. Wow, I can't believe that we're already at 11, or that you guys are enjoying this story so much. I honestly thought at first that no one would like my story, but how wrong was I? :) You guys give me so much support, and I can't even begin to describe to you how much you guys inspire me. Thank you all so much for that. Truly.