Damaged goods. That would probably be the first thing that came to someone's mind when they laid their eyes upon Dallaslights, the young canine being promptly deposited at the edge of town. The boy – Dallas, as he liked to be called – was a german shepherd, although you wouldn't think it by looking at him. Instead of thick dark brown and black fur, he had a coat of pure white, with the occasional faint patch of light golden blonde mixed in. Not only that, but he wasn't nearly as large as your average german shepherd. Part of this could be attributed to the fact that he was still growing, but a larger part of it could be attributed to the fact that he was malnourished, having only been surviving on the occasional scraps or puddle to get himself by when it was needed. Sure, technically he had lived with a gang that could get enough food when they needed it up until recently, but even then he hadn't eaten much, instead opting to push his food towards others so that they would be more well fed than he. Some would've called it selfless, but honestly the canine just didn't think he was deserving of the meals, especially when there were others who could benefit from them. In addition to his scrawny and boney figure, the male also didn't look as if he was in the best health, with his left front leg messily bandaged up with linen, and what looked to be the scars of bite marks along his spine. Really, the only nice thing that Dally possessed was the small necklace that hung around his neck, bearing a small pendant of St. Christopher made of silver. It was his most prized – and pretty much only – possession, so his silver-blue eyes darted around wearily whenever people came near it, worried they wanted to steal from him.

So, why was such an unlucky and hostile canine currently sitting on the edge of the main town of Tanglewood? Well, that could be attributed to Adelaide. Dallas couldn't exactly remember why he had decided to leave his old gang, really. They weren't actually that much of a gang, since he was really the only one who actively went looking for trouble, but they were more like a family, and to anyone besides himself, it probably would've loved crazy for him to leave like he had. Hell, even to him it had seemed a bit crazy. But he just... he needed to move. He had been getting that restless itching feeling again, especially around one member of the gang in particular, so he had just... needed an escape. So, he had wandered. With nothing but his own body and his smokes, Dal had chosen a random direction to trot off in, passing through the wilds absentmindedly as he fought to stay alive. He met a couple of less than friendly people along the way, but eventually, he ended up meeting Adelaide. He had just been wandering around lazily, a cigarette hanging from his muzzle as he struggled to light it with a match, his necklace, and his paws, when suddenly footsteps had caught his attention. Initially he had been nervous, hostile and on guard because he thought it was another loner looking for a fight. But no, instead it was just the excitable maned wolf currently residing in Tanglewood, her curious gaze scanning over him before filling with concern. The conversation afterward had been brief, to say the least, but somehow it had ended up with Dal snapped up in Ad's jaws, being carried all the way to where Tanglewood resided. At first Dallas had flailed a bit, insisting that he didn't need help, but eventually he had stopped, figuring it was no use. It wasn't like he was going to lash out at Ad's face – she hadn't actually done anything to piss him off. In fact, she was just trying to help him. He just wished that maybe she could've helped him a little less forcefully.

As soon as he was put back down on the ground, he shook himself out, maneuvering his paws back underneath himself and getting to his feet. Glancing around, the male frowned a little when he noticed several curious gazes turning towards him and Adelaide, many of them wondering who this dirty pup who didn't smell of any of the major groups was, and why he was here. Dal just glared back at them, before he turned to Adelaide, barking with a small frown, "So this place is Tanglewood, eh? It doesn't seem as great as y'made it out t'be..." As he turned to face back towards the town, he was fairly sure he could hear Ad responding to him, but it was already too late. His attention had been stolen away by the structures ahead of him, along with the strong swampy scents and the Tanglers moving all around him. He took a few small steps forward, just allowing himself a chance to let his surroundings sink in. It was certainly a lot different from the gang's old hollow, as well as very different from Tulsa or New York, but that didn't inherently make it bad. Hesitating for a moment, Dal let his claws sink a little into the soft ground beneath him, taking a breath before he mumbled, half to himself and half to Ad behind him, "What am I... s'posed to do? Just... take a buildin' or somethin'...?" The notion of such a thing just seemed absolutely ridiculous to the canine. What, you could just join this place by showing up? And just take some random house to be your home? That kind of shit would get you killed in some places, and Dal wasn't very keen on being yanked away from his wandering just to end up dead.

( [member=10457]ADELAIDE[/member] )

When she looked at Dallas, she didn't see broken pieces that couldn't be put back together. She didn't see a male who had shut himself off to the world. No, she only saw someone who needed help, someone who needed a shoulder to lean on. Being the kind soul she was, she was willing to help. How could she deny him something like that?

Truthfully, she hadn't expected much to go on that day. She was a little frazzled after the whole thing with the jaguar, the scene a little too violent for her liking, but she figured it could have gone worse. As in, someone could have died. But everyone got away alive so it was alright! She guessed. Still didn't mean she liked any of it. Now she was questioning just what Tanglewood had been doing, even though she didn't really know anything about the opposing group, the Pitt.

She was just taking a walk, wanting to clear her head and maybe find some plants, or herbs as they called them here, when a scent hit her nose. It didn't smell of the swamp. Assuming that it was someone from outside their borders, she follows the smell, careful in her approach. She wasn't too eager to be the victim of some fire-ball thingy like that jaguar.

She watches the male for a silent moment, doing her best to stay out of sight with her ruddy fur, a color that didn't blend in very well with the swamp. But he hadn't noticed her yet, so that was a good sign.

He didn't seem like he was mean, either. He had no intent in the way he moved, so, taking her chances, she stepped out into the open and greeted him. He, too, seemed on edge, and she couldn't really blame him. She would be if she was in a strange place, too. The only reason she had been so open when she first joined Tanglewood was because she didn't quite grasp the dangers of this world, even with the wounds on her flank made by an aggressor's claws. They had been healing quite well.

They spoke very briefly, Adelaide asking him where he was from and what he was doing out here, casual until she noticed how unwell he looked. Then she frowned, worry on her face. After an exchange of a few more words, she realized that he probably wasn't going to be coming willfully, not at first. So she took the initiative to grab him by the scruff and start dragging him off back to camp, not thinking about how he would react. She could handle a few more wounds, could patch them up herself, even.

She brought him through the marsh, making sure to avoid traps and pools of deep water where gators might have lurked, until the buildings of their town broke through the crowd of trees. Once they reached the outskirts, she set him down on the ground, huffing at the exertion of dragging him all the way here. But they were at their destination and she could help him! And get others to help, too! A few friendly faces would hopefully cheer him up a little.

"It may not look like much, but it's cozy, I promise! The people here are nice, too! Well, most of them." she could think of a few faces that may not be very susceptible to their new face, but she hoped it didn't deter him, or worse, make him leave all together.

Adelaide smiles brightly at the way he looked around, hopeful that he would settle in well. But maybe it was a little much for him to process.

So she steps up beside him to be a comforting presence. "Yeah, pretty much! I have my own place, if you don't feel comfortable with being on your own, though! I wouldn't mind some company, even if it's only for a little bit." she says, not wanting to pressure him but letting him know the option was there. Now she would just wait for people to come up and start introductions.

New people weren't uncommon. Sam was apparently new, by many standards, but she was a returner. Despite being uncommonly gaunt and malnourished herself, she managed to get her ass up and drag it out of whatever house she was normally confined to. However, this wasn't orthodox by any means. She should NOT have been moving, much less dragging herself around the dirty town, getting what little wounds she had cleaned dirty again.

Did she give a fuck? No, duh.

Sam dragged herself towards the newcomer and the rather hyper.. was that a maned wolf? Whatever. One of them belonged, the other.. didn't necessarily belong yet. She huffed and puffed her way over, looking rather awkward. You could see her coming from a distance, her deer-legs still very useless. Not enough meat. Her eyes narrowed as she made it, pushing herself into a respectful sitting position. "You here to stay?"

"SPEECH"

Being cared for in any way was... odd, to Dally, to say the least. He had been cared for somewhat in the gang, sure, but he had mostly shrugged that care off, figuring he was undeserving of such sweet attention from anyone. No, the last time he could remember truly feeling cared about and not feeling guilty about it was... well, it was before his Mom died. He had been so young then, and so innocent and full of hope. Looking back, he wasn't sure if he missed those days, or was just ashamed of himself for being so naive and feeling like the good times could last forever. Either way, it was almost uncanny how much Adelaide managed to remind the canine of his Mother, and she already honestly had a way of getting under his skin with her words. When she spoke of the town and the people who resided within it, Dallas blinked before letting out a soft snort, shaking his head a bit. He barked as he glanced around, his gaze almost daring anyone to step forward and try to pick a fight with him – even though they'd very likely win, given his scrawny state, "Hmm... well, don't worry, if I end up runnin' into any of the asshole ones, I'll be sure ta teach 'em a lesson they won't forget." He shot a crooked smile back at the maned wolf, his nearly pure white tail wagging a little bit just at the prospect of an exciting fight. However, his usual hotheaded nature was once again subdued when Adelaide stepped up beside him, giving that already uncomfortably usual feeling of his Mother watching over his shoulder. He blinked slowly at her for a moment, clearly hesitating, before he barked softly, I'll... uh, I'll think about it, okay? I guess... f'now, stayin' with ya wouldn't be that bad. I mean, just until I can find a place've my own." Okay, so maybe he was making up a bit of an excuse just to stay with Ade because she was comforting. Whatever, it wasn't as if he would never leave. It was just... temporary. All of this was just temporary.

As if being able to hear his thoughts, on cue stepped someone new out of the crowd, evidently intent on introducing herself... or at least grilling him about himself. Sam didn't exactly... look great. And yes, Dallas was hardly in a space to talk about how others looked when he was barely subsisting off of what little meat and muscle was still on his bones, but he just couldn't help it. She looked sick, and tired, and pretty much like she was just dragging herself around. That wasn't even mentioning the fact that she was some odd hybrid of creatures that made Dal pause and stare for a moment. She had strange little deer legs that were obviously too scrawny at the moment, not to mention the unnaturally colored little horns... Dallas tried not to make it too obvious that he was utterly confused by what she was, but he had never really been the most polite or subtle person. Thankfully for the canine, Sam decided to speak as she plopped down into a sitting position, her voice gruff and to the point, and Dallas wasn't sure if that was specifically because of him, or just how she usually talked. Upon hearing her question, Dal opened and closed his mouth, caught a little off guard. He didn't plan on staying, since he didn't really think he deserved what seemed to be the kindness, compassion, and hospitality of this place, but also seemed pretty damn rude to just come strolling in and tell them he planned to eat their food and then fuck off. So instead, he just nodded his fluffy head, barking as he pawed at the ground below him, "Er... yeah, I guess I'm plannin' on stayin' here. I'm Dallaslights, but y'can just call me Dallas, it's much simpler... or Dally, but m'friends call me Dally." He wasn't actually trying to be rude with that little particular jab, he just didn't really consider people he had just met to be friends. He was pretty sure only people like Adelaide could do that.