It was christmas eve and everyone in the gang including their friends Kali and Zero were at Bandit's hideout. Zero and Kali were sitting on the yellow couch while Elsie sang carols (Tangerine hated her singing) and Bandit and Travis were decorating an old potted plant they'd found with popcorn they'd stolen from a kid. Travis started putting it on and Bandit started eating them.

"Ya know. I know we're working hard with this tree but, we should've got more popcorn," Bandit said. Travis rolled his eyes. Elsie suddenly fell over and landed on Tangerine.

"Els, careful, your furs caught in my bracelet!" Tangerine winced.

"Why are you even wearin' one?" Elsie asked.

"Mind your own buisness!" Tangerine broked free and went to the enterance of the hidout. Suddenly the couch moved and a scruffy grey schnauzer hopped through and landed on Tanegrine.

"Get off, Coco!" Tangerine shoved him off her.

"Hey, I saw this wolf, said he was coming to see us and his name was Scraggy, no uh Shaggy, no..." Coco started.

"Scruff?" Tangerine's ears pricked up.

"Oh yeah, that's it," Coco said.

Tangerine started dancing around.

"Yeah! Scruff's coming!" She cheered.

"Tangerine. Who's Scruff?" Bobo asked.

"Who is Scruff?! He'd only the sweetest little pup I know!" She replied.

"Tangerine rescued him," Bandit said.

"Really? How?" Bobo yipped.

"Well, here's the whole thing from the start. It was near christmas..."

 

                                                                                        ***

Flashback begins

 

Tangerine, Bandit, Coco and Travis were out in the cold snow helping Tangerine dig up her bones.

"Have you got your paw warmers (plastic bags) on?" Tangerine asked. No one answered.

"Well?" She asked.

"Bandit, paw warmers?!" Travis hissed.

"I think I left mine in Tangerines house," Bandit said.

"Ah! I have to do all the work around here. This is my winter food rashion," Tangerine headed for the bin. Suddenly-

"HELP!" A voice yelled.

"What was that?" Tangerine looked around. The noise was coming from the park. She ran there, followed by the others. She saw a young grey wolfdog puppy stuck under a tree that had fallen over in the wind.

"Yikes! I've gotta save him. Bones, forgive me!" She called. She heaved the pup out from under the tree and took him to her dustbin, where her, the puppy and the others warmed up.

"Great job, Tangerine," Coco panted.

"But look around, the snow's messed up my house!" She said.

"I'm alright," The wolfdog puppy squeaked.

"Still. Now that we've got him what're we gonna do with him?" Tangerine wondered.

"Me, Coco and Travis'll take care of him," Bandit said.

"Ha! You three? I bet you couldn't even take care of a bone! I'll take care of him myself. I'm the only one mature enough to do this. He won't be any trouble," Tangerine said. The wolfdog puppy, or Scruff, threw a stone at Tangerines stomach. She winced in pain.

"Funny doggy!" He woofed in his squeaky voice.

"No trouble at all," Tangerine sighed, rubbing her bruise from the rock.

 

                                                                                ***

 

"Calm down!" Tangerine panted. Scruff was crying like crazy. Tangerine didn't know how to feed pups since she was too young and hadn't had any experience with them. She grabbed an old bottle and trickled the remaining liquid into Scruffs mouth. That calmed him down.

"Phew," She sighed.

"Thank you mommy," Scruff yipped.

"Mommy?! No! I'm Tangerine!" She corrected.

"Tangie!" Scruff barked.

"Tangerine!" She repeated over and over again. Scruff just laughed at her.

Bandit and Travis appeared by the enterance to the bin.

"What did you want?" Bandit asked.

"I need you to babysit Scruff while I sort out my bones," Tangerine said, then without another word she headed to the lid to leave. Scruff suddenly whimpered. Tangeirne ran back. Bandit and Travis both laughed.

"I think someones got attatched to the pup," Bandit mocked.

"What? Haven't you seen a baby cry?" She asked, rolling her eyes. "Just watch him. I'll be back in...half an hour!" She left Bandit and Travis alone with Scruff.

"Okay, Travis. Is there a rag in here somewhere?" He asked. Travis started looking and once he'd found a rag they started playing peek-a-boo with Scruff.

"I'm not sure about this. If someone sees us they'll think we're nuts!" Travis said, warily.

"Well. I remember my mom always rolling me around the floor when I was a pup," Bandit said. He started rolling Scruff around. Suddenly, Scruff rolled out of control and rolled out of the garbage can. Scruff immediately started running down the street. Tangerine dropped the bone she was holding and chased him. Scruff ran all the way to the woods. He looked around. It was fascinating. He climbed a tree and started playing with a leaf. Suddenly, he shook and fell off the branch. Tangerine caught him just in time. She took him out of the woods and placed him on the snowy ground.

"Scruff, never do that again!" She panted.

"But I like this place," Scruff argued.

"Well, I like you and I want to protect you. Do you understand?" Tangerine asked the young wolfdog.

"Yes, Tangie," Scruff answered.

"Promise me you'll never go in there again," Tangerine told him.

"I promise," Scruff yipped and he followed Tangerine back to the junkyard.

                                                                                          ***

The next day, Tangerine was teaching Scruff how to bury bones. Scruff was busy burying one. "Am I doing this right Tangie?" Scruff asked.

"Almost like a professional," Tangerine had gotten used to Scruff and loved him like her own pup.

Tangerine suddenly knocked her paw on something. "Youch!" She noticed a bone sticking out of the ground. "How did that end up like that?" She asked.

"I did it," Scruff said. "It was the first one I burried and I was saving it for you," Scruff yipped. Tangerine blushed.

"Thank you, but you have to be careful what you bury it like. Look, I stubbed my paw," She said.

"I'm sorry," Scruff licked Tangerines paw to ease the pain. Tangerine smiled and nuzzled Scruff.

"That's alright. Let's keep digging. Suddenly, Tangerine was knocked over.

"Hi, Tangerine. Just came to see if the pup wanted to come and play," Coco said.

"Yes, please, uncle Coco," Scruff yipped. Coco blushed at Scruff calling him 'Uncle' Coco.

"No way!" Tangerine argued. "I'm teaching him how to bury bones!" Tangerine argued.

"Tangie, please," Scruff begged, cutely.

"Yeah, Tangie, please," Coco copied.

"NO!" Tangerine yelled. "We're burying bones!"

"I'll help then!" Coco started wildly digging, un-burying all the bones.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Tangerine tackled Coco to the ground.

"What, am I makin' you look bad in front of Scruff?" Coco asked.

"You're digging up all the bones!" Tangerine panted.

"Oh," Coco blushed.

"Fine. you can take him, just keep him away from cliffs, water, cars, ditches, sharp objects, horse and carts, meteorites, earthquakes, wires in water, Reggie, high places, fire, tornados-"

"Hold it!" Coco stopped Tangerine. "I get it, keep him away from danger," Coco said.

"And above everything, the woods!" Tangerine

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