Name: Charles DoughtonGender: Male
Age: 22
Physical Description:
Personality: Charles can be a war within himself, depending on what he's doing at the time.
When at work, he tends to be single-minded. He hates distractions, is stubborn, and methodical.
Among friends (When he has time), he is everyone's best friend, a boisterous and fun individual. He greatly enjoys spending time among other people, sharing stupid stories for a laugh. Rarely is he in a down mood and his heart is large and open, to a degree. This is mostly because he doesn't bring his burdens to anyone besides Messier and is far too willing to help anyone.
At home is a completely different story. Charles is somehow a strange mixture of older brother and father, willing to play with his brothers and sister if there is time, tucking them into bed and telling bedtime stories. It takes everything in him not to lose himself to worrying over his siblings' well-being or how much of a toll everything might be on his cousin. He does everything in his power to stay strong for them.
History: The Doughton family has been farmers and shepherds for generations. Sure, every once in a while there's a child that runs to find work in the cities or sea, determined to try finding a better, more successful way of life, but for the most part the family has worked the same land for years.
Charles is the eldest of Abigale and Michael Doughton. They shared farmland with Michael's younger brother David and his wife Laura. When he was 4 years old, Laura passed away giving birth to their only child, a daughter named Sarah. Uncle David was taken not long after, bringing Sarah into his family as more of a sister than a cousin. Six, eleven, and thirteen years later, the family was joined by Jacob, Ashton, and Emily.
When he was 18, the Doughtons lost their parents, leaving the children orphaned and in Charles' care. Overwhelmed and scared for the future, he used the powers that ran in his father's bloodline to summon a hell hound to help him protect what was left of his family.
Hound's Name: MessierGender: Male
Personality: Messier is as grounded a hellhound as you'll ever meet. He's mature, a bit stuffy, and tends to take his role as "Doughton family protector" very, very seriously. Not to say he loses his mind over scrapes and bruises, he knows better than that, but he does get rather agitated when one of the children goes off on their own.
Not one to really laugh or play, he finds Maffei's frequent attempts to get him to join in games with the children a mild form of annoyance, though he can't begrudge her efforts. He's actually very understanding with a very high patience level. Frankly, he much prefers simply relaxing as a pleasant pastime, greatly enjoying nights by the fire, listening to story-telling.
Despite being bonded to Charles, he tends to spend much of his time with Jacob. He trusts Maffei and Sarah enough to take care of Ashton and Emily as well as each other, and from his vantage point he can usually see Charles working in the field if necessary. But it's more difficult to see the grazing land from the field than vice versa, so he keeps near the young shepherd instead, mostly just keeping an eye out for trouble.
The Summoning: Upon the deaths of his mother and father when he was 18, Charles found himself not only the owner of an extensive farm, but also the sole capable guardian of his cousin and three younger siblings. Suddenly the bread-earner of a family of five, he was terrified not only for his ability at keeping the farm running, but also being able to protect the children.
At his wit's end, uncertain of if he should trust an outsider with the family affairs, he hoped for aid, for an answer to his problems.
One night, the soft ringing he had heard all his life grew louder than ever before, almost painful. Unable to stand it, he left the house to find the source, hoping he could figure out what was causing it and how to stop it. It drew him to a cave, writing on the walls of the entrance. He nicked one of his fingers on the wall as he read, a few drops falling onto the debris on the ground. The more he read, the less he seemed to focus, to the point he wasn't even sure what was happening anymore, what he was doing.
A glow formed at his feet, condensing into three separate orbs.
Well, this isn't exactly what I expected, but it is about time. The soft voice behind him prompted Charles to quickly turn, the orbs shooting away as the world snapping back into focus. A misty glow swirled before him, the turquoise orbs floating around it.
"Unbelievable..." Charles had heard stories of hellhounds, but stopped believing they were real when he was young. To have the portal they come from, having opened it... A glance at the wall found the words to have vanished, had they never been there? Just in his mind? "You're here to help me?"
You summoned me, so I suppose so, the voice replied, its, no his tone dripping with a dry humor. It was in that moment that Charles realized the hound on the other side wasn't actually speaking, but a voice in his mind.
"Can you help protect my family?"
I can try, and I will, if I can stay with you.
"Of course!"
The portal brightened for a few seconds and then... A puppy that was much larger than any puppy he'd ever seen sat down several feet from him, eyes glowing in the dark with the same color of the orbs that floated around it.
Unaware of just how big of a request this might have been, Charles and his new companion - whom he would come to learn was named Messier - returned home, much to the delight to the rest of the family.
(Bond/Sacrifice - In return for Messier's aid, Charles bond their lives together with his blood, so that Messier could remain in this world)
