A boy and his dog

The house was being devoured by smoldering, flickering flames, eager, hungry, rampaging, sweeping cinders and ashes into the air, thick, wild smoke choking the sky and anything near its cankerous claws. The scorching beams which held the house up began to shake and scream, the roof collapsing and adding more fuel for the ravenous flames down below, as the house pleaded for its pain to end it broke and fell down with a clap of thunder. The flames continued to roar and consume its remains, more pluming smoke rising into the sky above, the trees around that surrounded began to catch as the fire clawed and bit at their branches.

Large, hazel eyes watched the ghastly scene before him, the immense heat reaching out to the small child and blowing smoke and ash into his face, black smudges appering anywhere bare skin was. The boy, Theo, coughed and covered his eyes with his gloved hands trying to stop them from burning, he took a few step backs as giant St. Bernard suddenly trotted to the young childs side, nudging him and whimpering knowing that it wasn safe to be here any longer. Theo shook his head as tears formed and fell down his ashy cheeks, dampening the earth underneath him and spoke with a brittle voice.

"N-not now, Leo...Mommy and Daddy aren't outside yet..."

The dog let out a blustering bark and began to nudge the child harder, Leo knew that his owners never made it out and that it was now his responsibillity to care for their pup. Theo kept pushing back as the smoke and fire kept pulling him in with shapes and images of his parents, sometimes it looked as though they were trying to crawl out of the Hell and reach for Theo to help them but the St. Bernard knew better and grabbed the pups jacket between his teeth, pulling back with a sharp thug. Theo had lost his hope and gave up on fighting back, letting his beast of a dog lead him along the cold, dirt path, they had a long way to go if they were going to find any help and with winter already here with sharp wind to bite at them, it was going to be hard. But, Leo wouldn't stop until he got his owners pup to safety and Theo wouldn't let his only family go, they were a team and always have been. Theo and Leo, Leo and Theo...a boy and his dog.