Heroes of Disney #1: Rise of the Firebird

Ch. 21: The Firebird Suite

As our group continued walking through the Hundred Acre Woods, I saw many familiar houses and spots, most badly burnt, some just plain ashes.

The group hadn't talked for a while, so I decided to break the ice. "So....what exactly are we looking for?"

"Just anything that might hint as to what, or who, did this." Hercules said, without looking back at me. He was too busy searching through some bushes, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Besides the obvious, of course.

Dodger turned to me. He had been walking along beside me. "What Disney Villains can use fire?"

I shrugged. "Quite a bit, actually. Maleficent, Jafar, Dr. Faciliar....you think one of them could be the culprits?"

Dodger shook his head. "I don't know. You already said those are the strongest villains, and even they wouldn't have the magic or guts to destroy a place like The Pride Lands or even here."

We continued walking around, still searching, even though pretty much everything looked the same. Black. Burnt. It made me sick. Whoever did this to one of the most innocent places on the World of Disney was gonna' pay.

"Hey!" called Tiana from far off. "I think I may have found something!"

We all hiked over to where she was standing. The spot wasn't anything special. Just a clump of blackened grass. But there was something that stood out among the pile of grass.

A bright red feather.

I curiously walked over to it and picked it up. It was by far the biggest feather I've ever seen in my entire life. It was about a little more than half my size. It was blood-red, with a small stripe of orange racing from tip to tip in the middle. It was actually pretty light.

I was examining the frayed ends of the rough material when an idea struck me, almost like a slap to the face.

And this was one slap in the face that scared me half to death.

I dropped the feather and turned toward my friends, who had been watching me the whole time.

"Jamie? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." Tiana walked over to me and felt my forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

I shook my head. "I think I may have an idea about who, or at least who might be, behind all this." I managed to mumble.

Hercules leaned forward. "Really? Who?"

I gulped. "One of the strongest Disney villains ever and one I would have never seen coming if not for this feather."

They looked at me expectantly.

"The Firebird. The giant bird made of lava from Fantasia 2000."

<<<<<<<<<<

It was dark out. I was in a forest of some sort. I don't know which one, but it was lush and green.

I was flying through the air, touching every piece of nature I could. Trees, bushes, everything. And my touch was doing something to them. Making them grow.

But there was something strange about one part of the forest. I flew over it, expecting flora to grow onto the damp, bald soil, but nothing happened. Confused, I tried again.

Still nothing happened.

Even more confused, I looked up and noticed that I was floating near the foot of a tall mountain.