"No! I won't allow it!" yelled the brown rat from across the desk, flecks of spit flying out of his mouth as he spoke. Grace HopeBringer stood unshaken. The two were in a wide spacious office alone with the rat sitting on a chair with a ridiculously high back to it.
"Shamus, he's just a baby!" said Grace. "Babies never killed..." Shamus the rat stood up on his chair trying to look as intimidating as his short pudgy build would allow. Even after standing on his finely patterned chair, he still wasn't up to Grace's height, only reaching up to her chin.
"You forget!" snapped Shamus, interrupting the much taller polar bear in front of him. "He's an angel!" He said the last word as if it were a filthy object. "You do realize that the angels destroyed three of our major cities, right? Our port town is gone, our most heavily populated city is gone, and even our capital is destroyed! Now with this child we see them planting their filthy kin within us to start a new generation of terror! And never call me by my first name!"
"Of course Mr. O'Riley..." said Grace firmly, her anger starting to build. "I do know what's going on and it's terrifying really, but you can't punish a baby for actions he didn't commit!"
"Grace... you run an orphanage only because of the generous amount of money I put into it. It would be unwise to argue further with me! Keep that murderer-to-be out of your orphanage or I will take this to the courts!"
Grace inhaled and held her breath for a moment. As Shamus sat back down, wearing a sinister grin, as if he had won something great, she spoke again. "You won't win Shamus, I will keep the angel child!"
Penholders, inkbottles, and papers of all sorts flew in every direction as Shamus leaped onto his desk and pointed his stubby fat finger in Grace's face. "Your adventuring days won't help you here, missy! I'll see you in court!"
A month later, Grace found herself sitting in front of a high judge who was now reviewing the case that just took place. The aged wolf judge adjusted her glasses again and made small audible sounds denoting that she was thinking. Shamus looked across the room at Grace with a look of disgust. Grace simply looked towards the judge, ignoring the rat's glare. After what seemed like an eternity, the judge cleared her throat.
"After careful consideration, I have determined that the angel squirrel in question stay in the care of Grace HopeBringer of the House of Hope Orphanage." Said the judge. There were protests of disagreement throughout the court, but none were louder than Shamus O'Riley's. After about a minute of hammering to silence the crowd, the judge continued. "There are no laws that Grace HopeBringer is in violation of. However... I will set certain conditions. A doctor from city service will make regular visits, twice weekly to check on the behaviour of the angel and Grace will receive interviews monthly until either the angel leaves her custody or until further notice. There is also the question of the lack of records for the angel. Before we close, we need a name that the angel will be known as. Have you chosen one yet Mrs. HopeBringer?"
"James StarRunner." said Grace simply. There were a few audible gasps from the crowd. Even the judge hesitated a moment before writing it down.
"The name of a hero... Interesting."