No one knew the true story of how Jacquez Trouillefou lost his arm, but there were rumors aplenty. Some said it had been wrenched off in a fight against a fearsome opponent; others believed he had chewed through his own limb in order to prove that he was impervious to pain. In any case, the many rumors served to bolster his own sense of deluded grandieur. One-armed or not, he was surely a mighty king...
Dark eyes glittering with amusement at the world, Jacquez stood with his footpaws planted firmly on the sandy coastline, good arm resting on his hip as he scanned the new horizon. His thick mane of dark hair was tied loosely behind him, fringed ears folded neatly atop. His heritage was as murky as the tales of his origins; he had the lean muzzle of a collie, the broad build of a shepherd, the rich colours of a setter, the sharp claws and fangs of a terrier, and the heart of a lion. The cool breezes whipped through his tawny coat, the sun flashing on the multitude of hues - rich gold, terracotta red, dark brown, light cream, and on his muscular right arm, snowy white.
Tipping back his muzzle without warning, he barked a laugh, wicked grin curling onto his black lips. "This is where we stay! Long have we been homeless, the unwanted, the dregs of society. Here we will have a home! Here we will have each other! Long live the king!" His roaring voice echoed on the cliffs before him, fading into nothing. He had hoped for a rallying cheer of approval, but since his boat had been wrecked on the coastline days earlier, his followers were scattered. He himself had washed up further south, and had been walking since, his shaggy fur rimed with salt, throat parched and dry from dehydration. He still had not seen any of the rangy mutts that had left their homeland together... Quel infortune. But the job fell to him to round them up, his mongrels and mutts, his royal worms. He liked these cliffs. He would bring his strays here to stay. Sneering at the seagulls startled into flight, the king of strays began his journey into the Shattered Coast.
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