Max was born in the mountains surrounding Panty’s Landing, and for the first few years of his life he knew nothing but snow and frigid winds. His parents were two kind folk, hunters running a small settlement that rejected the notion of the city, viewing it as a dangerous criminal’s haven. But, from the day he was born, Max was a curious child who never really fit in with their strict and paranoid ways. They wanted to hide in the mountains, he wanted to leave them. They didn’t know what was out there but were scared of it, he didn’t know what was out there but was curious about it.

One day, after many nights of sitting outside his family’s shack and staring down at the bright lights of the city below, Max eventually wandered off in search of just what was down there. His family, unsurprisingly, didn’t come looking for him—even if they’d noticed he’d left, they were too afraid of what might linger in the unknown that they didn’t dare. He reached the city quickly, but realized it was not what it seemed. There was no peace in this place, and he had no idea how to regain those comforts he had back in his village. Before long he just wanted to go home.

But he couldn’t find his way back. All of the mountain paths were covered in snow and looked the exact same. So he wandered the city, eating scraps when he was given them and running from any adult who looked like a jerk—so every adult. These days are the worst he can remember, but when he met the gang, everything began to change.

The gang was a rag-tag group of dogs who had broken out of The Bowels and made their living by stealing whatever leftover food they could. Because of where they were from, they had been affected by the radiation and could actually speak and even walk on two legs. There were four of them, each named after their respective talents(Claw, Bite, Howl, and Run), and when Max met up with them, they decided to use him to get food. He’d bring people in with his childish charm and they’d rob them blind. Max obviously had no idea about this. He just knew they gave him food and they reminded him of the doggies back in the village. Soon he thought of them as his family.

But when he did learn the truth behind what they were doing, it was crushing. They were bullies, meanies, and he didn’t like them anymore! The dogs, knowing he was a sweetheart, showed their evilness by convincing him that he could save them by going out and retrieving a legendary candy called “euthanasia.” They claimed it would let them eat endlessly and stop the need to steal!

Wanting to help his friends be better, he made this his life mission. Little did he know that he would never see them again after this day.

He hunted this elusive candy, searching through places he had no reason to be and seeing things he had no reason to see. His curiosity kept him plugging along, inspecting the world, filling in the gaps himself because he had nobody to teach him what was what and who was who. During this time, he thought steak was another named for the candy because somebody referred to one as too rare. That’s how ill-informed of the world he was.

But, once again, this journey left him with no family and lonely.

That is until he met Lucia, the one person in his life who would end up staying through thick and thin no matter what. She, like him, was lonely, having wandered away from her family as well, and the two of them bonded over the fact that they needed someone to bond with. When he explained his story to her, the things he’d seen and been through, she vowed to always protect him if he always protects her.

These days he’s mostly forgotten about his family, and the dogs, and the quest he’d been sent on. Being with Lucia…it makes him happy. She protects him, she makes sure he always has food, and when he gets curious about something, she helps him explore that curiosity by screaming at any jerk who might pose a threat to them.

In return, he just tries to make her smile, because he remembers a time where she didn’t smile at all, and how horrible that was.

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TRIVIA

-His love for Puffers started while watching TV one day. He learned about these fish which puff up and can poison someone to death! He really wants one, and every time Lucia’s asked about it he simply mutters about them probably being “magic!” To him, anything poisonous is magic.

-Because he can be forgetful, Max keeps a journal where he writes down his days. He marks happy days with smiley faces and sad days with frowny faces and has a friend log which currently doesn’t have anyone in it. But that’s why he can’t wait to get home! To write about all his new friends! He forgot to include Kern in it after finding him in the dumpster.