DATE: May 2017 LOCATION: Streets of L.A. Closed: @princeoflures
The familiar sight of a kitten donning scared eyes and matted fur pulled at Shibah’s heart, spurring her into action. Following a stray into the depths of an alley in the middle of Los Angeles had never held the notions of a good idea, but Shibah was never one to sacrifice kindness for logic when faced with the precarious situation of an innocent animal. Hazel eyes searched the alley for the dulled orange that colored the creature she was chasing, fluttering over the various trash bags and litter that occupied the dirty concrete of the alleyway.
Finally spotting a slivered sight of orange fur between the worn, brick wall and a rusted dumpster, Shibah crouched down low minimize any threat she may hold. “Come here, kitten,” she said, each syllable ringing with soothing sympathy as it echoed through the dingy alleyway. Offering her hand in a friendly sign of peace, Shibah waited for the shy kitten to acquire the barest form of trust. Once trusted, Shibah knew the stray’s curiosity would spur it forward into her caring arms.
“Come on, I won’t hurt you- Oh my god!” A shriek of surprise strained her vocal cords, each word jumping an octave higher than the one before it. Tired eyes stared back at her from the other side of the dumpster, watching her with an air of pained apathy. Forgetting her rescue mission of the poor cat, Shibah quickly made her way over to the prone figure sitting on the dirty floor of the alley. “Please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead,” she muttered as quick footsteps brought her closer to the man.
Distrustful recognition of the demon was quickly overtaken by her caring nature as she looked down on him. He looked sick, not menacing. “Are you-” she paused in her inquiries, knowing the demon was nowhere close to okay. Knees popping in protest as joint strained against her crouching down once more, Shibah regarded the man with a look of genuine concern. “We need to get you somewhere safe… and clean.” Her words held the same soothing tone previously present in her attempts at coaxing of the stray cat out of hiding. “Can… can you walk?”
