The demon could no longer feel the the tips of the fingers on his stolen body. Burns and blisters climbed up his arms and torso, discoloring his pale complexion and stripping off layers of skin. His fair curls, a refined feature of the carefully chosen corpse he inhabited, now hung lifelessly, speckled with blood and snow.

Movements, he realized with a groan, were out of the question. The effects of the holy water stopped him from using his demonic powers, and simply sitting itself was painful enough. Even if he managed to summon the strength to rise from the dark alleyway, the streets of London were swarmed with the queens pesky excorsist and their meddling ways. Walking out in a tattered tailcoat and burnt body would attract the attention of every exorcist near by, and the demon had no desire to become the subject of another one of their “demon hunting” spectacles.

“It’s terribly cold”the demon grumbled as snow descended upon his shivering hands.

He would have never had to inhabit a mortal body for so long if that witless imp hadn’t messed up his chances at a contract. Now he would have to wait a full night in agony until he could leave the wretched body behind.

The air was thick with the smell of smoke and manure, but something else caught his noses attention as the stench grew stronger. A mutt! He could recognize the wet, dirty smell of one anywhere.

The alleyway was simply lit with flickering gas lamps, covered in a veil of smoke and fog. It wasn’t until it was only several feet away that the demon could see it clearly.

A hellhound, standing three feet tall with its head hung high, slowly approached the demon. It’s mangled fur coated with thin snowflakes dragged across the slick cobblestones. It’s red dialated eyes shone beyond the fog, and its teeth pointed outwards, like two tusks.

The demons gaze narrowed, suspicious of the creature who did not bite nor bark. “What are you doing just staring?” His teeth clattered no matter how hard he grinned them. “Be of assistance, or be gone.”

The hellhound didn’t move, nor show any sort of reaction to his words. Perhaps it doesn’t understand human language, the demon thought. But even if he attempted to speak in the infernal tongue, a human body simply wasn’t capable of it. It didn’t have the right components to do so, not at all!

“Are you going to report me to your master now that I’m in such a condition?”, the demon asked, a bitter smile on his cracked lips. “If I were in my true form you wouldn’t look down at my like so.”

The hellhound snarled, as though the idea of finding the demon threatening in any form would be insulting.

“So you do understand me?” The demon, hating how desperate he sound, followed up by saying “if you understand me, then shoo and bother someone else.”

He thought he had finally gotten through to the hellhound after a long silence. But instead of going away it did quite the opposite. It moved closer.

The demon flinched, craning his head back. His body responded with a pang of pain through his neck.

“Get away! Go back to your master.”

The hellhound stepped closer.

“Didn’t you hear me? Your worse than an imp!”

When the hellhound stood a foot away, it stopped. It’s glowing eyes searched the piles of trash, then with its two sharp teeth, it dragged a few rotting wood scraps and placed them beside the demon.

“If this is your way of communicating with me, there’s much left to be desired” the demon said, bewildered.

It was already dusk, and the snow was falling heavier than before. His wounds would only worsen with the cold. Understanding that, the hellhound let out a breath of fire, igniting the wood.

The warmth was a soothing balm to the demons chilled bones. The flames danced and crackled, illuminating the stone walls and the already fiery eyes of the hellhound.

With great pain the demon stretched his frozen feet towards the fire, wincing with ever inch he moved.

Why would the mutt help me, the demon wondered? Perhaps it would ask the demon for a favor later. Or it’s master had sent it with an ulterior motive. But in a freezing state where the source of warmth was the mutt, the demon could only dare to mutter “I am in your debt.”

Ignoring the demons words, the hellhound sauntered back into the fog, disappearing like a stray ember.

The next morning, the demon shedded the mortal body and returned to his regular routine. And though he would never admit it, he found himself searching for the hellhound in every alleyway, hoping to meet again.

_I was going to write a cute story about ghosts but it got deleted on accident_

\\(￣^￣)//

_Enjoy some demons instead_