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 finished.
***
Coco was running through the park with Scruff clinging on to his back. "Wheee!" he squeaked.
"Hey, do ya think I can jump over that tree stump?" Coco said.
"Yeah!" Scruff answered. Coco ran towards the stump and jumped clean over it.
"Uncle Coco, that was great!" Scruff yipped, hugging Coco's head. Coco blushed.
"Should we do it again?" Coco asked.
"Yeah!" Scruff agreed. Coco kept running, jumping over every stump or rock he saw, but he didn't notice that he was getting closer to the woods. Eventually they jumped into the woods and kept going. Coco didn't notice the high ledge that he was getting closer to. Coco jumped over another stump and skidded towards the edge of the ledge. he slipped of it. He grabbed onto the edge and tried to pull himself up, he couldn't. Scruff was hanging onto Coco's legs. He was really scared and started calling for help. The screams reached Tangerine back at the Junkyard.
"Scruff!?" Tangerine dropped the bone she was holding in her mouth and ran towards the screams as fast as she could. She made it to the two dogs. She noticed that the part of the ledge that they were holding on to was cracking. Coco and Scruff were too heavy for it to handle! Tangerine gulped. "Hold on, Scruff, I'm coming," Tangerine said. She stepped towards them and reached out her paw. But as she stepped on the crackly part of the ledge, it just cracked some more. "What do I do?" tangerine thought frantically. Suddenly, she got an idea. "Coco! Swing your legs and toss Scruff up to me!" Tangerine said. Coco did as he was told and swung his legs. Scruff let go and clung on to Tangerines stretched out paw. "Hold on Scruff, I'll pull you up," Tangerine said. Scruff was slipping and tears were falling out of his eyes like crazy, it hurt for him to hold on and eventually, he couldn't hold on anymore and fell down. "SCRUFF!" tangerine yelled in fear.
"TANGIE!" Scruff yelled back. Coco clambered up just as the crackly art of the ledge broke off and fell down after Scruff.
"I have to get him back!" Tangerine took a deep breath and jumped, but Coco grabbed her neck scruff and pulled her back.
"Don't. He's- he's gone," Coco wept.
***
Scruff opened his eys, he had passed out before he'd hit the ground. He found himself staring up at a white wolfdog. he jumped up and backed away.
"Hold it, fella," The wolfdog said as gently as he could.
"How did I get here?" Scruff asked, shaking.
"I caught ya. You were falling down a cliff and I thought I'd catch ya," He said.
"Cool," Scruff yipped. "But can you take me back up?" Scruff asked.
"Sure, no sweat," The wolfdog shrugged. Scruff climbed on the wolfdogs back and he carried Scruff towards the top of the ledge.
"Oh, Coco, I never even told him I loved him," Tangerine sobbed into Coco's fur.
"Tangie!" A familiar voice called out.
"Scruff?" Tangerine frantically looked around her. She saw Scruff on the wolfdogs back. She rushed over and hugged Scruff tightly. She looked at the wolfdog and recognised him.
"Zero?" She cocked her head in shock at Zero saving a pups life.
"You guys?" Zero rolled his eyes.
"Yep. He saved me. He's really cool and knows all these great moves and he's free to do whatever he wants!" Scruff said. "I wanna be just like him."
Tangerine's eyes widened. She didn't want to let Scruff out of her sight, she wanted to be with him forever. "No, you won't," Tangerine argued.
"It's really cool," Zero urged, laughing slightly.
"You keep your fur out of this!" Tangerine barked. She turned her head to Scruff. "And you. how could you. You went into the woods. You promised me you wouldn't,"
"I'm sorry," Scruff whimpered.
"Hey, don't upset the kid," Zero chuckled.
"Shut up!" Tangerine growled. "We're going home. She looked at Zero.
"You, get out of here." Then she turned to Scruff.
"You, owe me an apology. Then she looked at Coco.
"And you, Junkyard, now!" Tangerine, Scruff and Coco went back to the junkyard, while Zero went back into the woods.
***
A few days later, Tangerine was licking Scruff clean."Tangie, can I go outside today?" He asked. Tangerine thought about it for a while. He thought that Scruff had learned his lesson about going into the woods and agreed. Scruff went out of the bin and walked towards the park. He took one look at the woods and bounded over to it. But Tangerine had given him strict instructions not to go in the woods. he hesitated, then ran into the woods...then ran back out of it again, and he did the same again. He repeated this for a few times. All the running around and panting, woke Bandit up, who was taking a nap under a nearby tree. He walked over to Scruff and the wolfdog pup stopped running.
"Uncle Bandit, please don't tell Tangie that I'm trying to go into the woods. It'll make her so upset.
"It looks to me like you're trying to stay out of the woods," Bandit said. "What you need is a boost!" Bandit said.
***
Bandit wasn't kidding when he said 'boost' Bandit made a catapult out of two tree branches, tied together to shoot Scruff into the woods. Bandit had gotten Coco to help him. "Okay, are you ready?" Bandit asked.
"Yeah!" Scruff laughed.
"NO!" Tangerine suddenly appeared and marched over to take Scruff away from the catapult. "You are deliberately trying to get Scruff into the woods!" Tangerine yapped.
"But you said that it was only Zero that couldn't encourage him," Bandit said.
"When I say wolfdogs, that means dobermans, too!" Tangerine shouted at Bandit. She looked into Scruffs eyes which were welling with tears.
"I'm sorry, Tangie, but I just have to go into the woods. It means everything to me," He said.
"Does it mean more than I do?" Tangerine said, with her eyes wide.
"Hey, Tangerine. I think you should move out of the launch zone?" Coco said, still holding onto the edge of the catapult.
"Just let go of that!" Tangerine said.
"But-"
"NOW!" Tangerine snatched that branches out of Coco's mouth, but she was in the launch zone, so, the branches sent her flying into the woods. Scruff ran after her. Scruff weaved his way through trees, jumped over logs and jumped through the tree's until he found Tangerine deep within the woods. She was against a tree, unconsious. Scruff grabbed hold of her hind paw and dragged her back to the wood entrance. She gained consiousness a few minutes later.
"Am I dead?" She asked.
"Nope. Scruff saved you," Bandit said.
"Wha- how!?" Tangerine asked.
"I went into the woods after you, Tangie. Now I'm brave enough to run free!" Scruff giggled.
"You did WHAT!?" Tangerine gasped. the other two dogs congratulated Scruff. Tangerine drooped away. Scruff noticed and started crying into Bandit's fur.
***
That night back in Tangerine's dustbin, Tangerine was laying down on her cushion, which was next to Scruffs. Scruff was laying down next to her.
"Tangie? Could you sing me one last lullaby?" Scruff asked.
"You mean before you go?" Tangerine asked.
"No I didn't-"
You don't need me to sing you a lullaby," Tangerine got up and headed towards the hole in the back of the bin. "You obviously don't need me for anything," She wept. She left the grabage can and ran off. Scruff rested his head on his pillow. He was really sad. He'd never been so sad in his life. He was going to get the thing he most wanted, but Tangerine didn't like it. He started crying. He cried all through the night while Tangerine sat on top of the junk pile staring at the stars trying her best to ignore Scruffs upset weeping.
***
The next morning, Scruff was with Bandit, Travis, Coco and Zero at the entrance to the woods. "Okay, Scruffy, when you feel like it, run into the woods and be free," Zero said.
"Be careful," Travis said.
"I'll miss ya," Coco said. Scruff went over to Bandit.
"Where's Tangie. I can't leave without saying goodbye to her," Scruff said.
"She's probably just busy with her bones," Bandit guessed.
"Yeah...her bones..." Scruff sniffed.
***
Tangerine was busy with her bones, she was digging frantically. Saying over and over again: "Where is it!?"
***
"I think you should go now," Zero said. He hated waiting. Sruff nodded. He hugged Bandit and then ran towards the woods.
***
Tangerine suddenly found what she was looking for: Scruff's bone that he was saving for her. She ran as fast as she could towards the woods.
***
Scruff was right by the entrance.
***
Tangerine tripped over a rock, hurting her paw, she limped as fast as she could.
***
Scruff ran into the woods, to the sound of the other four cheering. Suddenly Tangerine ran onto the scene
"Wait! Scruff! Don't go! I've changed my mind! You're brave and strong and you can take care of yourself! Just-don't...go away...Scruff. She had missed him, she couldn't believe it. She started weeping silently to herself. She placed Scruffs bone at the foot of a tree and walked away from the woods. She sat down on the bridge that went over the pond in the park and stared at her relflaction. After a while she noticed that hers wasn't the only reflection in the pond, next to hers was a grey wolfdog puppy with a bone in his mouth.
"Tangie!" He yipped, he hugged Tangerine tigthly. Tangerine did the same. Both of their eyes welled with tears of happiness.
"Didi you ever think I'd leave without saying goodbye to you?" Scruff asked.
***
That night while the stars were out, Bandit and Travis were sitting on a matress at the foot of the junkpile. "I can't wait to see Scruff again," Bandit said.
"It's strange because at first I thought Tangerine didn't like Scruff," Travis cocked his head.
"Well, Travis. Sometimes people care more than they should. It's called love," Bandit said. Travis perked his ears up.
"Do you think we should tell Tangerine?" Travis asked.
"No point. I think she already knows," And the two dogs looked up at Tangerine who was sitting on top of the junkpile staring in the direction of the woods. suddenly a howl could be heard in that direction and Tangerine smiled as she knew that it was Scruff. She howled back.
Flashback Ends
"And that was the last time I saw him," Tangerine finished.
"Great story," Bobo said.
"Tree's done!" Bandit and Travis chorused. Bandit and Travis carried the 'tree' outside and then up to the top of the junkyard pile.
"Oh, snap!" Travis stamped his foot on the ground.
"What?" Lola asked.
"We forgot the most important part of the tree: The star. Every Christmas Tree needs a star on top!" Bandit said.
"I still think it looks nice," Dash comforted.
"It just doesn't feel right," Travis frowned.
"Suddenly, the gang noticed a light shining up from behind the tree and the junkpile.
"What is it?" Coco asked.
"I think it's a shooting star," Tangerine cocked her head.
"There's no way that's a shooting star. Zero rolled his eyes.
"I'm not sure what it is," Kali shrugged.
"It's getting brighter," Bandit pointed out.
"Let's make a wish anyway," Dash said. Most of the dogs all thought of a wish. Then Tangerine spoke.
"That's no shooting star it's- it's...SCRUFF!" Tangerine gasped. Scruff was at the top of the junk pile carrying a light bulb. He carefully placed it on top of the 'tree' the he rushed down towards Tangerine. They hugged eachother tightly.
"Tangie. I've missed you so much," Scruff yipped.
"I've missed you, too," Tangerine said through tears of happiness.
"I think that Tangerine's wish came true," Bandit whispered to Travis. Then the dogs all sang carols around the junk pile, while Zero went home to spend Christmas with his family, and everyone had to agree that it was truely a Very Merry Christmas!
(Merry christmas to all and to all a good night!)