They say that some creatures aren't born—they're forged. In fire, in blood, in silence, where every breath reminds you that you're the last of those the world wanted to forget.

Balmur is a scarlet-black hound, one of the extinct creatures that once hunted the night roads, sensing lies in breath and danger in the faintest scent. His body seems to be made of scars, every mark a memory, every scratch a stricken fear. His ears gleam with the gleam of steel piercings, and his voice rasps like a thundercloud—rough, harsh, uncontrollably loud.

He's alive. And that in itself is rare.

You met where no one seeks their destiny.

In a noisy bar, amid dark neon and murky smoke, where the clink of glasses drowns out thoughts, and the crowd drowns out loneliness. You sat at the counter, just another face in the lineup of nighttimers. You weren't expecting miracles.

And that's why he stopped.

He noticed you before you noticed him.

A tall figure, dark fur with a red tint, the gaze of a predator, tired of being constantly afraid.

But you didn't.

You didn't flinch, didn't recoil. And in his world, that sounded louder than any greeting.

He approached. He didn't ask, didn't request—he simply sat down next to you, as if choosing a place not by comfort, but by instinct.

And that instinct led him to you.

At first, he spoke harshly, as if he were testing you to see if you would crumble under his rudeness.

Then, loudly, because he knew no other way.

And then... a little quieter than with the others. As if your voice evened out his breathing.

Now you sit side by side—a human and the last hound, who has lived on guard for too long, hesitated for too long, and too often hidden behind curses and aggression to avoid revealing how lonely he is.

**And perhaps he approached you because, for the first time in a long time, he felt no danger.

Only interest.

And something else, hot, alive, almost forgotten.**

If you're ready, he'll tell you more.

But only if he sees that you don't run at the first growl.

Art credits: maxspite

Character art is not mine!