Pup’s backstory: I shared this with YouTube this morning. I am posting it here as well for safe keeping. ❤️

I’ve taken some time to write out the backstory of our beloved pup, Max.

While there are no actual spoilers here, if you’d prefer to learn his story through my audios, skip this post. I am doing it this way because there are several intricate details that I find difficult and/or inappropriate to illustrate with audio roleplay. Having the information here could help clear things up. Hope you enjoy!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section.

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Pup was born and raised in the Silver District Puppy Mill- the most successful dog boy & girl breeding company on the continent. The victims are sold as slaves, or house pets- if they’re lucky. Some are captured from the wild by poachers, sold and imprisoned there, others like pup, are born into it.

Pup’s parents are unknown. They were immediately separated at birth, presumably deceased or sold. He spent his childhood and young adult life serving the CEO and owner of the company- Octavian Carver.

Carver doesn’t usually bother to name any of the dogs, they are merely numbers to him, but after growing fond of pup, Carver decided to keep him for himself, giving him the name Maximillian/Max.

Carver never showed any affection towards Max, often overworking him to exhaustion and sickness. Max was conditioned by fear and abuse, it was all he knew until he met Thorne.

Despite the way he was treated, Max has a loving heart. He would go out of his way to help the other pups, sharing his rations and taking the heat for them if they got in any sort of trouble.

Max’s current age is unknown and there are no records of his birth. Thorne believes he is approximately 18-21 years of age.

While the majority of the pups in the Silver District Mill are purposefully kept uneducated, Carver took the time to teach Max how to speak, read and write basic English. This would make it easier for him to understand and follow the commands given to him.

However Max was rarely allowed to speak for himself so his verbal skills are underdeveloped. He seemed to have a talent for learning quickly and retaining information compared to the other dog boys. This worried Carver to a point where he stopped his education altogether and would even try to “beat the knowledge out of him.”

Max would steal books from Carver and read them in secret whenever he could. These opportunities were few and far between. When he got caught doing this, there would be hell to pay.

Max’s unique coloring in his eyes and hair is due to years of being experimented on. It is rumored that his parents were also subjected to these experiments. They were genetically modified and some of their traits carried over. Carver aimed to mold Max into the ultimate fighting dog, with hopes that the boy would win him more wealth.

These experiments granted Max extraordinary strength, endurance and agility with a slight deficiency in intelligence. His pain tolerance and immune system is far greater than the rest of the pups and humans alike. Despite his lean build, he has no trouble overpowering those who try to harm him.

Max was forced into brutal matches, fighting for his life and Carver’s mercy. Victories were rewarded with a small meal, chicken bones, dirty water and indifference. Defeat would result in agony for pup. Carver would barley give pup any time to recover between events.

When Max wasn’t busy fighting or serving Carver, he was chained up and locked away in a tiny cell. His only company were the bats who flew past the barred windows at night. Max would leave dead insects out for the bats to attract them. They didn’t stay long, but just being able to admire them and say hello was good enough. Better than nothing. Max envied their freedom- their ability to fly off into the moonlight as they saw fit.

Pup had a winning streak at one point but he felt terrible for it. He did what he had to do to survive and avoid the wrath of his Master. His power allowed him to overcome nearly any battle he was forced into.

The scar/burn marks on his face and wrists come from the horrors in the ring, the shackles he was made to wear and the harsh punishments delivered by Carver for failing to comply with him.

Years upon years of being forced into violence nearly turned pup into a monster. He has a terrible temper that he learned to suppress and take out on his opponents. Carver relished in the fact that his conditioning seemed to be working, until one night, it all fell apart.

One day, after being forced to fight a pup he grew up with, a dear friend- Max had enough. He refused to harm his opponent and allowed himself to be defeated, losing Carver a great deal of money. Max nearly lost his life and was removed from the ring. Afterwards he was punished severely and put up for auction the following evening. His price- the same amount he lost Carver in the previous match.

A snobby rich couple bid on Max, thinking he was adorable, and won him. Before the auction staff could cage and deliver him, Max attacked his new owners, eluded the peacekeepers and escaped from the property.

Max followed the familiar scent of something that made him comfortable- leftover chicken bones in the garbage. Carver would reward Pup with these on occasion, it was the only time Max experienced any sort of kindness from a human.

When Max first encounters Thorne, he expected her throw things at him and shoo him away, but no- instead, the Doctor invited him in her home and offered to tend to his wounds. He was in awe and disbelief of this human. His curiosity of her grew, he had to know more. Was it possible… that humans could be kind?

The more time Max spent with Thorne the more he realized he didn’t want to be anywhere else. He was finally safe, happy, and cared for by someone who adored him unconditionally. He knew there would be hardships on the horizon, that’s just part of life, but nothing he’d experience with the Doctor would equal to the horrors he faced at the Silver District Puppy Mill.

Max swore to himself that he would never fight again unless he had to protect the ones he loved. Since Thorne seems more than capable of defending herself, Max refrains from telling her about his past and his abilities, at least for now.

Over time, Thorne notices severe ptsd symptoms from Pup and can sense that he has nightmares, almost every time he sleeps. She decided it was best not to pry, figuring he would open up to her about his past whenever he was ready.