If he received a dollar for every time a strange new face strolled right through the uninviting swamp and called out for attention, Beck would be a rich bastard instead of a thieving one. He didn't need to identify the approaching creature's scent to know they weren't indigenous -- their audible footsteps told enough, sinking into mud that the wetland's inhabitants learned to spread their toes out over like redneck snowshoes. An amused grin threatened to split his muzzle at the thought of the disturbance drowning themselves in their territory's sludge, yet his sneer dissipated as a thin voice reminded him that new blood to the ranks was desperately needed. Rolling shoulders back with a bony pop, the mangy cat slipped from his tupelo perch of a watchtower, neglecting to shake the forest debris from his pelt before creeping through the mangrove roots after the trespasser.

    Blurred eyes glimpsed coffee-colored fur through the reeds, although the poltergeist flinched at the creature's movement before realizing the softer shade of brown wasn't simply another patch of the mud that plagued the landscape. Only a breathy rasp escaped at his brief surprise, punctured and coarse. As the near creature spoke to unseen listeners, his glare weakened slightly as he recognized the soprano tones of a female, albeit not for longer than a nonexistent heartbeat. There weren't too many girls in Tanglewood as far as he could remember... in fact, the only ones he could remember clearly were Arrow and Delilah. Shuffling out of his stalking crouch to his full, unimpressive height, Beck slunk from the cattail thicket behind the demoness, owlishly tilting his head to the side in observance of her features as he responded to her greeting. "Hi?" His lonely word was a scratchy murmur, edged with uncertainty and hanging in the air as his ugly yellow eyes stared at Soleil. Momentarily forgetting what the standard protocol for persuading joiners, his disfigured jaw fell slack on half-exposed hinges, gaping like a beached fish as sheeny blue chemicals threatened to spill over his bloodless lip. The boy hadn't approached a possible newcomer alone before, save for the ones ensnared in his vicious creations. What exactly was he supposed to say again? Something welcoming, something clever. He could do that, right? After all, his wits were sharper than his razor-blade bite. "I like your no-ose," he blurted, scrunching up his freckles in immediate regret as bitter embarrassment flared in his tightening chest and tied his guts in a sloppy bow. It wasn't one of his common lies; as a matter of fact, he thought her twitching rabbit nose was somewhat cute, but cute in the way one looks upon a helpless pup: filled with pity. In an attempt to recover from his blunder, he cracked his head to the side and wheezed, glancing off to the side to avoid her gaze, "Um, I'm Beck, a-a medic, I guess. And -- and you're tre-espassin'." Hostility wormed back into his shrill voice as instinct coiled around his mind, baring his sharkish teeth towards the cute-nosed stranger deemed as a possible danger.