Amongst the smouldering remains of a newly burned down building is a place you will generally be advised not to be. If the creature slowly shuffling around a barely recognisable chair had received any such advice, it had chosen to ignore it. A rather peculiar-looking thing. The creature, that is. Well, the chair was too, at this point, but that is irrelevant.
Anyway, the creature looked like something might if a cat, a polar bear, and a barn owl had submerged and somehow managed to make something adorable out of the combination. It was roughly the size of a toddler, and had light brown, almost beige fur on its body, a tail that was little more than a stump, pointy ears, and nimble, hand-like paws, the fingers being black, tapered, sharp claws. It's face was honest and aww-inspiring (and yes, I mean aww, not awe), with a tiny black nose and very large green eyes. It's chest was flecked with white spots, and it had a heartbreakingly tiny pair of wings on it's back, most likely useless in flight.
Having successfully avoided being singed by any of the surrounding objects, most of them still smoking, the creature approached the only four walls that were still in tact. tactful walls This, you would agree, was also peculiar, as the rest of the building basically lay in ruin. The creature tentatively opened the charred door..
The inside of the room looked exactly as it did before the fire, perhaps with the exception of a lack of ceiling. In the centre of the room there sat a shivering figure, arms wrapped around itself. It was a boy, with sandy hair and wide eyes, with which, having been startled by the sound, he cautiously regarded this strange thing approaching him.
"Don't be scared," it said. "not of me. I'm here to help."
The boy, still shaking, tried to decide whether it or not it was okay to trust the creature. It was not as if he had anyone else to trust..
"Dante. You don't have to be afraid anymore."
Whoa. It knew his name. But, suspicious as it might seem, it really seemed to be sort of honest. So he would trust it. For now. Just a little.
