Holiday Light In A Heart Of Darkness
By
Eternal Sidekick
(The author formerly known as Brisco County, Jr.)
Chapter One
The Feathered Serpent Returns
In a mountain range not far from Agrabah, there lies a dormant volcano. Not long ago, it was once used by Aladdin, Rasoul, and the rest of the palace guards to imprison a powerful creature who had threatened Iago.
A loud crack of dried lava and stone announces to anyone within earshot that this creature has finally broken free.
A cloud of dust swirls violently, tossed this way and that by the swooping actions of a pair of giant wings. Suddenly, a massive shape bursts straight upwards from the rolling mass of dust and dirt. It reaches a height of 500 feet and then levels off. It performs a few tight loops and aerial corkscrews to blow off the accumulated debris before it lands on a neighboring outcropping of rock. Once it has settled upon the stone, it stretches its purple scaly-feathered serpentine frame to its full 50 foot length, groaning as it does.
"Oooooooh, man. That feels so good." Those words are spoken in an almost unnaturally low voice. A voice that carries a distinct accent, one that is common south of the border.
It is the voice of the King of the Rainforest.
The voice of Malcho.
As his pale green eyes scan the surrounding area for movement, he mutters to himself, recalling the events that led him here.
"All of this because of one upstart of a parrot. First, that feathered pest, Iago, attaches himself to that foppish bird, Thundra, who just happens to possess the magic amulet and the mystical book for controlling the weather. When she leaves, she proves that love is both blind and stupid, as she entrusted both of those objects to that flying rat. As soon as she departed, I was able to finally liberate them and take my rightful place as El Jefe of the weather. I should have destroyed Iago at that very moment, but he was a cunning adversary, who made me believe that he could assist me as my lackey. Soon afterward, I had Thundra and that genie of his set up for the kill. But Iago talked me into using a certain combination of spells which trapped me in a tomb of ice. Once I had broken free, I discovered that I was banished from my warm comfortable Rainforest to the icy cold of the frozen North."
Malcho paused his monologue for a moment as he shivered in recollection. No, it wasn't just that. There was a noticeable chill in the air. Not nearly as bad as the plummeting temperatures of the North, however. Shaking off those bitter memories, he continued his monologue, the edge on his voice growing sharper and more menacing.
"So, I flew south, to Agrabah, carrying a large portion of my icy prison with me, until the sunlight melted it enough that I could shatter it in midair. Soon, after slithering through the menagerie of the palace, I discovered that Iago was indeed there. I spent a good portion of that afternoon devising a nasty revenge that would haunt Iago for the rest of his life, which would last until I would simply eat him. But time and time again, my plans for revenge were thwarted by the ruler of Agrabah, that young heroic sultan, Aladdin. It was he who finally tricked me into letting my guard down at the volcano."
Malcho glared in the direction of the city of Agrabah and hissed in anger.
"So now it is simply a matter of whom I wish to exact my vengeance upon first. The parrot or the hero."
Malcho held out his wings before him, the pinfeathers forming individual digits.
"The parrot?" Malcho looked at his left wingtip, which slowly closed into a fist, as if grinding Iago to dust within its grasp.
"Or the hero?" Malcho looked to his right wingtip, which closed slowly in a similar fashion.
Malcho was about to let out a laugh, when a number of unexpected scents assailed his nostrils. Instantly, he swiveled his head in their direction, and began to salivate. It has been quite some time since he last ate. With a few powerful flaps of his massive wings, he was airborne in the direction of his next meal.