Chirp, chirp, chirp. The birds sung melodiously in the early morning. They all gathered on one tree and looked curiously at one man. Other animals were attracted by their chirps and gathered around. They found Dylan leaning against the tree trunk dead asleep.
The stray dogs in the area looked at each other. A mutual understanding was tactfully exchanged amongst each other. Must. Protect. Friend. The five dogs surrounded Dylan. Some laid by his feet, others beside him and an especially brave one slept directly in his lap.
Encouraged by the actions of the dogs, some of the birds flew down from the trees and perched themselves on Dylan's soft and fluffy hair and broad shoulders. The man radiated warmth and friendliness, it impossible to not approach him. Soon, he was completely surrounded by the animals in the area, looking like Snow White.
A local child that had visited the park early that morning happened to witness this moment. She watched as the handsome man was buried in animals like a fairytale prince. "Wow." She exclaimed. The girl then ran off to tell all her friends before they missed out on the sight.
A particularly excited bird chirped beside Dylan's ear. The melodious tweet awoke Dylan from his slumber. "Fir?" He muttered, eyes heavy and not fully open. "...You're not Fir."
Dylan realised that his entire body was covered by small animals, trapping him under their bodies. He smiled and pat the dog that slept on his lap. He had always been loved by animals so whenever he slept outdoors, this would often happen.
"He's awake!" The high pitched voice of a child drew his attention. Dylan looked up and saw five kids staring curiously at him. They wore clothing made of cotton and an unknown material. The children were well groomed and looked like they've never worked a day in the fields. Nobles, Dylan thought to himself.
Hmm? Dylan suddenly tilted his head. He felt like he was forgetting something important, something that was even more important that his own life. Maybe it was something to do with why he was sleeping in the outdoors and Fir's absence.
"Are you a fairy, mister?" One of the younger kids, Fiona asked and interrupted his thinking. Dylan looked at the small girl with a bob cut with confusion. Unfamiliar yet strangely familiar words came out of her mouth fluently but he couldn't understand her. The other children also spoke but he couldn't understand them either.
"Sorry, but what did you just say?" Dylan asked. They tilt their little heads and couldn't seem to understand him either.
The children spoke amongst one another and glanced at Dylan from time to time. He was playing with the dogs and was surrounded by singing birds. It truly was an intriguing and fascinating sight.
"I think we should just leave him alone. I mean, his clothes are weird and he had a sword!" Frank whispered and suggested. He was tall and lanky but dopey looking.
"But big sis said that we have to help people that are in need and might just be a cosplayer." Diana protested. She was the one who had called them all to gather. Diana was a little chubby and had cute and squishy cheeks.
"But stranger danger." A timid voice butted in. George was a petite little boy with a short bob cut. Due to his young age, it was a little difficult to discern his gender.
"I think we should move him to the bench for now." Another voice suggested. Yasmin was more mature than the rest and they all seemed to have an immense trust in her as they all quickly agreed.
"Mister, you shouldn't sleep here. Come, there's a bench over there." Diana told Dylan even though she knew he couldn't understand english. She pointed at the park with her left hand and following her finger, Dylan saw a wooden bench.
Overloaded with information, Dylan was confused and felt numb to everything around him. He noticed that the buildings and structures around the area was different to the ones that he knew. They were more clean and sturdy looking. Metallic and colourful. There were some strange ones, twisty and flat and tall. There were even random poles sticking out of the strange black ground. Even the air was weird, it had a slightly unpleasant smell to it, dirtier than what he was used to but still bearable. The magic was also strange, it was thinner and impure. If he wanted to use it, he would have to purify it first.
Still bewildered, Dylan gently moved aside the animals and followed the children to the wooden bench. Stepping onto the hard concrete, he observed it curiously. This looked like rock but it wasn't rock. It was solid and large in size. How peculiar. He continued to walk along the concrete path and very quickly arrived at the bench where he was told to sit.
"Here, have some water." Frank retrieved a plastic water bottle from his bag and kindly handed it over to Dylan. Dylan grabbed the clear and weak thing that seemed to contain water in it. It was clear and a pretty shade of blue. The bottle was made of an versatile material that he was unfamiliar with and felt cool to the touch.
As Dylan stared blankly at the water bottle, Frank continued to pass out bottles to the other children in the group. They received the bottles with gratitude and drank from them straight away. Dylan look notice of how they opened the strange thing and immediately put what he learnt into practise. The bottle with opened with ease and Dylan drank with relish.
"Thank you." He expressed with a refreshing smile on his face. The children also smiled. They didn't know what he said but they could tell that it was something good.
"He looks like a good person." Fiona commented from the side. The other children nodded in agreement. "I wish we could help him..."
"I know! We should call Sherry, she'll know what to do." Fiona exclaimed.
"Sherry! Why didn't I think of that earlier?" Diana chimed.
Dylan's ears perked as he heard a name he was familiar with. Sherry, the name of his most loved one. Sherry.
"Sherry? You know Sherry?" Dylan asked with excitement, standing from the bench and accidentally spilling his water.
The children heard him repeat Sherry over and over and flinched with shock. "Is he Sherry's friend?"
"I think you should call her and tell her to come." Frank told Yasmin, the only one among them that possessed a phone. Yasmin quickly called her number. After a few rings, a clear voice was heard on the loudspeaker.
"Hello?" Sherry sleepily greeted.