Heroes of Disney #1: Rise of the Firebird

Ch. 19: Streets of Gold

Roscoe and DeSoto came closer, baring their teeth at me, growls resonating deep within their throat.

Dodger growled back and stood his ground. The two doberman pinchers circled around Dodger, Roscoe going right, DeSoto going left.

And both were coming straight toward me.

I knew what I had to do. Use my ring. I managed to defeat Ursula and Shan-Yu with it. With fireworks. I wondered how much more my ring could do. I decided to test it out. These two dogs were getting on my nerves.

I pointed my ring at them. "Come closer. And you'll wish you hadn't."

The two dogs stopped advancing toward me. They hesitated, mid-stride. Dodger circled around and stood in front of me, showing who was boss by growling, almost letting out a howl of some sort.

"You think you can scare us, boy?" DeSoto said threateningly.

"We've been informed about the ring. We know what it can do." Growled Roscoe. "But that doesn't mean you can catch us." And then, as fast as lightning, Roscoe pounced.

I didn't react in time.

"Agaaaahhha!" I yelled as the large dog landed on my chest, knocking me over so I fell on my back, hitting my head on the concrete ground. Roscoe lay on my chest, his razor sharp teeth not inches away from my face. His breath smelled like dog kibble. And blood. I definitely smelled blood.

I was looking into the eyes of a cold-blooded killer. And I was next on the menu.

He barked into my ear, enough to make me pee my pants.

Dodger tried to knock Roscoe off of me, but DeSoto tackled him, throwing him against a dumpster that had been in the ally.

As if to prove who was the dominant fighter, Roscoe again barked, louder, and more fiercer this time.

He growled, and opening his mouth so his teeth were in full view, ready to puncture from everything to a balloon to my eyeball.

I sat underneath the heavy dog, barely breathing. It was a mixture of Roscoe's weight cutting off my air flow to my lungs and fear.

Roscoe breathed on my face. I whimpered. Yes, I know. Heroic.

"Hahaha! What a pathetic "hero" you turned out to be. I'm shocked Ursula and Shan-Yu couldn't even take you down. I would rip your throat out right here but my boss wants you alive."

Dodger was still trying to get past DeSoto, but it wasn't working. DeSoto was just too fast.

And I didn't want to become a large chew toy. Or some prisoner. So there was only one thing I could do.

I sucked up my courage and spoke. "You know what, Roscoe? I never really cared for dogs. Truthfully, I'm more of a cat person. Plus, you need to brush your teeth." And then I quickly lifted my arm, and as fast as I've ever thought before, I shot a firework at the dog on top of me. It worked. He went flying. Into the dumpster.

Wow. Fireworks seem to work well on Disney Villains, don't they?

I could hear faint doggy whimpers coming from inside the dumpster. But I didn't care about that right now. I was mad. I was no one's doggy bone.

I aimed my ring at DeSoto, and before he could even react, I sent a ball of roaring fire at him. It hit him full force in the chest, throwing him into the far wall, left of the dumpster. He wasn't on fire, but I could tell he was in massive pain. Fire does that to a guy.

And then I played my final card. I used my to create a large whirlwind that caused the dumpster containing Roscoe to flip over to the left, so that the top was lying on the ground, with the bottom of it in the air, right on top of DeSoto. Now not only were they locked inside the dumpster, but a bunch of trash was piled on top of them. I could hear them howling from the inside.

I kind of felt guilty, but not really. They deserved what they got. Sort of.

Eventually some nice human being would come and flip the dumpster over, letting the two howling, whining puppies into the open. I could only hope they learned their lesson. Never, ever, mess with Jamie Herinson. It should be a law.

Dodger looked at me amazed. "Wow, Jamie. Good job. I thought you were dead meat."

"Well, I try." I grinned and brought my ring up to my mouth, pretending to blow on it, and rub it on my shirt.

Dodger laughed. "Let's go."

"Hold on." I told him. "I want to ask them something."

I walked over to the upside down dumpster and kneeled beside it, resting my hand on the warm metal, heated by the kissing sun rays.

"So. Roscoe. DeSoto. Who are you working for?"

The howling stopped. "Why do you want to know, Earthling?" I couldn't really tell who said it. Roscoe, I think.

"Let's just say that it would kind of help me a lot with what I'm trying to figure out."

One of them laughed. Well, it was more of a combination of laughter and groaning from the pain. "We'll never tell you anything."

I started getting angry. "Look. You two are stuck underneath a dumpster that I put you in. I'd imagine there is a dog catcher somewhere in this city. So you can either tell me what I want to know, or you can stay in there until someone else gets you out. Which could take hours. Days. Weeks. Soon you're suffer from starvation and thirst but there will be no one to help you."

Nothing. No growl, whine, moan, or voice resonated from within the trash dispenser.

When I was beginning to think that they were dead, I heard one of their voices.

"We'll never talk, Earthling. We won't betray our comrades like that."

What was this, Animal Farm?

Angry, but losing patience, I told them, "Fine. Suit yourself." Then I got up and motioned for Dodger to follow.

And, ignoring the bawling of Roscoe and DeSoto, Dodger and I continued on our way down the sidewalk, as if nothing had happened.

But I still had unanswered questions.

Lots of them.