Thylacine Alpha Ch. 01

Thylacine is the name for group of marsupials in Australia. The best known is probably the Tasmanian Devil, with his knife and fork, from the Bugs Bunny cartoons.

This story concentrates on the Thylacine known as the Tasmanian Tiger, or Tasmanian Wolf, now extinct, and their still living cousins the Tasmanian Devil. Being marsupials they bear no relation to canines or wolves, but are only similar having what is called convergent evolution.

Yes, I am Australian. So bear with the non-US speech and spelling.

I have set this in Western Australia, but paid only basic attention to the real place. Sometimes reality gets in the way of fiction.

There is very little sex in this part. It did not lend itself to the lustful side of life.

This story is about Were humans. I will call them interchangeably as, for example, Were, Were-Tiger or Tiger. Capitals denoting the shape changer.

Hope you enjoy this story.

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THYLACINE ALPHA

PART 1

David and Jessica had sweat pouring from them as they entered the final stages of coupling. She loved being pummelled from behind and he was the perfect partner for her. He may not be muscle bound, but his strength and stamina knew no bounds where she was concerned. As with most of their dates it was now about five in the morning, and except for a couple of loo breaks and the odd bottle of water they had been non-stop. That lame party she had to attend for work was just a dim memory from the evening before. Dave was the ideal date for just such an outing, he was better at smoodging the higher ups than she could ever be.

Moaning loudly as he found her good spots, she thought, "Dave can outlast any other stud I've had, and as always I've lost count of the orgasms. Just how many times can he let loose in one night? Certainly more than I can cope with. By myself anyway. Hmm maybe next time Cindy could join us. She can certainly pack them away, and we might find the limit of this ever-ready bunny. What a perfect fuck buddy he is, aside from being the perfect date partner. Six feet of slim muscle, handsome as all hell and a cock that never ends. Not to forget smart, sexy, funny and did I mention sexy. Haha. Shame we'll never be together, he's a great guy."

Further thought escaped her as David picked up the intensity of his pile driving, sending Jessica into orgasmic space. Concentrating on the winged tat on her lower back enabled Dave to stave off his own orgasm.

Deciding to try to end the marathon effort he grabbed her hips as hard as he dared and got serious about moving. Her sweat slicked dark skin was almost impossible to get a good grip on, so he satisfied himself with applying pressure with his palms.

Her screaming started as Dave thought, "Hope this is the last for her. God she can take some punishment. I don't know if I can keep this up any longer. The last hour has been like I'm running on vapour. My dick's about to fall off, has been screaming for ages for a break. Glad we're outside of town. Her screams could wake the entire neighbourhood. Guess this means she is at least enjoying herself."

Jessica flopped down onto the sheet in silence as a phone by the bed trilled its warning of an incoming message. Dave knew it was his phone as the sound was of his past pet cockatiel screeching.

His companion turned her head to view him out of the corner of one eye, "God that's loud. You could've turned it off or down until after breakfast."

"Sorry Jess. Forgot about that, although you can't hold it against me too much. We were a bit occupied with each other last night to think about phones. As I recall I was too slow getting undressed and you were screaming at me to 'hurry and fuck me'," he mimicked the last bit with her voice as best he could.

"Funny ha ha. Well if you weren't so damn good at it. That big cock of yours gets me going every time. I just love the way it pops out of that big ol' sheath you got there. Just so damned cute. You really are one in a million, Dave."

Dave laughed at her comments as he too rolled to the bed letting out a deep breath. Then as he watched her eyes stare back at him, with a little prayer for the answer to be no, he asked, "So what's next my little dynamo?"

A groan and humph was all he got in response at first, then, "Big boy, I am gonna have to ask for a rain check. I couldn't raise a tit to save myself," adding a smile, "You've finished me off. Again. Sleep time."

With that she dozed off, barely getting her eyes closed in time for some soft snoring to start. Dave watched her face assume the calm look of the sleeping. Before losing consciousness he smiled at his date from last night seeing just how beautiful she was. He ran his hand down her side from chest down into her waist and up over the hip, stopping at the outer thigh. She was his idea of gorgeous female. The type he always sought out. Curvaceous or hourglass with an emphasis on the boobs that had to be the first part to enter a room. Jessica was almost perfect in this regard. Her mammaries large enough to stand out, even without bras. Just enough sag to hold a pencil without filling in the space where the tummy could be. Nipples obvious enough without thinking, 'dinner plates'.

He gave a little giggle as a stray thought ran through his mind, "Regular Jessica Rabbit, and even fucks like a bunny. She is great, and the best friend with benefits I could possibly find. Just impossible to be more as she is not able to be changed." Dave then closed his eyes and fell asleep, not giving the phone message a second thought.

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A bit later Dave opened an eye to see he was alone in bed. The shower was just being turned on, so Dave stretched to relieve his tight muscles and rose to join Jessica in the bathroom. She was rinsing her hair off when Dave had finished his stuff and joined her in the cubicle. Calling the ultra large shower a cubicle was an understatement as it could easily accommodate four people.

Jessica said with a smile, "Not getting frisky I hope Dave, although it would be nice. I'm running really late for work, even though I doubt too many will even turn up today after the boozer last night. Besides it will take me a while to get over last night with you."

"That's okay Jess. I love just being with you, especially nude like you are."

"Flatterer."

They cuddled and smooched for a while until Jessica extricated herself from his arms and left the shower. He soon washed himself and they dried in silence. A few minutes later they were dressed and enjoying toast and coffee in the kitchen. David's phone buzzed again with a new message. He picked it up and was about to check it when Jessica asked.

"Dave could you drop me at home this morning? I need to change clothes and get my car for work."

Dave thought for a moment and responded, "Tell you what, I am just staying at home today, so why don't you take my car and come back after work. Give me an excuse to see you again and I can cook dinner for the two of us tonight. I have my bike if I need to dash out anywhere anyway."

"Thanks, you are a dear. Gotta go now, so see you about seven tonight. Okay?"

He nodded as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Grabbing his keys from the hook by the door she skipped out the front to where he had left his SUV. Dave followed her noticing Jess looking at his key set.

"Dave, does your car have remote unlocking and startup? It looks like the doodad here has a button for it."

"Yep, it does Jess. I just have never needed or bothered with it."

"Oh goodie, I just gotta try this," she squealed.

They were close to the vehicle when Jessica pressed the button on his remote. A moment before she touched the button Dave had dropped his phone and turned to bend down to retrieve it. He was wondering why he even had it in his hand. Messages weren't going anywhere and he could read them later. As he was grabbing the phone, his nose noticed an odd scent on the ground. Dave was curious about this when Jessica remotely started the engine..

The explosion and fireball did not even register until much later when he returned to consciousness and able to notice things. As his surroundings became clear he could hear the roar of a fire some distance away. Shaking his head he managed to sit up, take in where he was, and get over the dizziness from moving. This took a minute as his brain returned to some of its normal higher functions. The background roar was from a fire some fifty metres away close to a house.

He looked around himself recognising some debris that could have once belong to a machine. His phone had landed next to him and he absently picked it up on reflex. Another minute and he was shocked to recognise the house as his own, and the fire beside it was his car, or at least what had been his car. His brain was still returning to normal and looking down at himself noted he was almost fully naked. Clothed in rags, remnants of what he had been wearing. He may have noticed his skin red and blistering in patches, but this did not fully register. Nor did any pain from the burns intrude on his brain.

Then with a gasp, his memory returned. He slowly stumbled to as near the fire as he could, and stared at the wreck. Searching the vicinity he could not see any sign of Jessica, but then saw her lying a small distance from where he had landed. She too was burnt and bloodied, unmoving on the ground. He stumbled to her and knelt beside her uncertain whether he should touch her. His beautiful friend was like a broken rag doll.

Tears flooded his face as he finally tried to check her for life signs, giving a sigh of relief and thanks, when her chest moved as she took a shallow breath. Remembering his phone he called triple zero for emergency services.

The firemen found him sitting in the same spot facing his prone companion and administered first aid. They managed to subdue and extinguish the fire quickly as, by this time, it had almost burnt itself out. The ambulance arrived moments later and administered what first aid they could to stabilise their condition and stretchered the pair to hospital. Dave would have declined the visit to hospital except he had to remain with Jess.

He was impatiently waiting in a cubicle in the emergency section wanting to hear how Jessica was fairing. As he sat there uniformed policemen arrived to talk to him, followed by a detective in the required suit and tie. Detective Inspector Thorpe told the hospital attendees he would ensure Dave got treatment at a private clinic by a physician who had already been called. Unhappy, but unable to do anything more, they made sure that his burns were coated in antiseptic and the thermal cover securely wrapped around him. Dave was led to a quiet room away from the emergency room bustle where the policemen and detective tried to get Dave to talk to them. Dave had made it clear he would remain near Jessica at least until she was stabilised, even though he had not said anything else or even acknowledged anyone around him. He just stared at the ground ignoring the world.

The Inspector requested the uniform cops to stand outside the room's door to prevent anyone else entering, to allow him to question David. He gave clear instructions for no comments to be made to anyone outside.

After ensuring they were alone with the door shut tight the Inspector turned to David and banged his fist down on the table top. This sudden loud noise brought Dave out of his stupor. He was now dry eyed, staring at the man who had been his friend for years. D.I. Thorpe was shorter than average, but thick bodied bulging with muscles normally seen only in the gyms. His sculpted body was natural, not requiring any gym time to create the look. He only needed exercise to keep flexibility and strength at prime levels.

"Davo, good to seeya back with us. What the fuck happened. If I had to guess it looks like a fire bomb went off in your car. Almost a thermobaric bomb by the way it destroyed everything, strong enough to kill even one of us.

"Talk to me mate. Say something."

Dave slowly blinked and leaned forward to support his forehead in his hands, placing his elbows on the table. He spoke to the tabletop, "No idea Brian. Jessica was borrowing my car to go to work. She was with me last night and will return tonight. Oh god, no she won't return. Shit, shit, shit. What the fuck. Why would anyone want to do this to her?"

Dave then recited the night and morning events, sans details of his bedtime, "I heard nothing last night from outside the house. Are you sure it was a bomb?"

Brian nodded and checked a detail, "It was your car, correct, not Jessica's?"

Dave stopped and considered the question, "Shit, that was meant for me. Damn I am stupid, of course it was meant for me. Then who would do this and why? Killing me would bring the whole pack against him. Besides I am not that important. Reginald is next in line," and Dave stopped for a moment as his eyes opened wide, "Is my brother Reginald okay? Has he been attacked? What about mum and dad. Crap I need to contact them too. they need to hear about this quickly in case something big is going on."

Brian held his hand up to get Dave's attention, "Slow down Dave. I was already on my way to you when this went down. Is your phone switched on? You should have received calls earlier. Guess you were busy," he smiled after this, then became serious, "Dave I guess you have not taken any calls or seen messages?"

Dave looked at his friend and shook his head, "There were a couple of messages this morning. I thought I had my phone on silent overnight so we were not disturbed. For some reason the messages dinged this morning."

Somehow, again, he had kept his phone in hand. He pulled it around to check his messages which were from the pack's number, with only an urgent request to call them back. Dave looked at Brian with an eyebrow raised in question.

Brian gave a deep sigh and said, "I am sorry to tell you this, but your parents were both killed in a car accident sometime yesterday. Their car was found during the night. I don't know anything more at the moment, but details should be coming in soon. A team went out with Reginald to see what had happened, and bring them home."

David looked astounded at Brian, "How could they die in just a car accident?"

The news of his parents death had really shaken Dave out of his stupor as he came to grips with the implications. Brian could see the thoughts passing through his friend's mind as he came to the only possible conclusion.

"Brian, is their deaths tied to the attempt on me? Does Reggie have enough protection with him? He could be in danger as well, more so than me as he is next in line assuming no challengers come out."

"He should be okay. His group of friends are with him, and they took a few vehicles. Although he refused a protection detail from my alpha. Reginald was told of your close call, so they will be on the alert for any problems."

Dave nodded and relaxed slightly knowing his brother was as safe as possible. Brian made phone calls to police headquarters and to his own pack base. Dave rang his own pack base and tried unsuccessfully to call his brother.

They had not learnt much except that the crime scene police had found the remains of the explosive and confirmed it was thermal in nature rather than blast pressure. Dave wondered what damage they would have sustained if it had been pressure based as the thermal type tried to burn rather than damage. They did learn that Jess was out of immediate danger, but was in a medical coma until treatment could begin.

Brian and Dave left the hospital with two of Brian's pack as protection. Dave checked them closely noting that they were much better suited to fighting than his own pack. In their animal form they are much more squat and muscle bound, as Tasmanian Devils are built. Dave's own animal form as Tasmanian Tiger being more lean although containing no less muscle, just arranged differently. The two men nodded in greeting, keeping everything professional. Friendly interactions could wait for a safer place and time.

As they were leaving the hospital grounds Dave advised Brian, "Mate, I had better find somewhere so I can change. These burns are itching like buggery and a quick change would speed things up. I will also need clothes. These hospital scrubs are okay, but not exactly my style," Brian smiled at that knowing that the last thing his friend thought about was fashion.

Brian agreed and after telling their bodyguards of the plan, drove to David's house. All was quiet with all the people having left. Only the police tape was there being blown across the ground by the faint breeze. The car had been taken away by the forensics team for detailed analysis, as had all the debris. Just a blackened scar was left on the driveway and in the nearby garden to attest to the fire. As Dave went inside accompanied by Brian, the Were-Devil guards removed any rubbish left behind in the front yard, just to keep themselves occupied as they waited. Even doing this they never dropped their vigilance of the surrounding area.

Closing the blinds in his bedroom Dave removed his clothing and allowed the change to occur. It seemed to him that changing was more letting go of his human form, than consciously becoming his beast. He knew that others had a more difficult time changing as its ease depended on your strength, and Dave was one of the strongest. He found it harder to revert to being human.

His thylacine was a spectacular being with its long muscular body, striped back and tail, strong jaws and intelligent eyes. The major obvious difference to the natural animal was the size as Dave was about three times the size, and it is difficult to shed body mass. It was a distinct advantage to being a Were that you could repair almost all physical damage during the change. Your natural appearance being a part of your genetic structure that will always be the same when changing. Only extreme damage would not be fixed due to the energy required for the change, although for Dave this was more for the human than the animal. Had he been inside the car when it was destroyed the explosion and fire would likely be too extreme for repairs. He knew his animal came easier but he did not want to test how much damage he could repair.

Returning to human form Dave needed a rest, and decided to do this during the drive to his pack home. Brian had been busy as he waited for his friend and gathered some snacks and drinks together.

David allowed his thoughts to wander as Brian chauffeured him to the Were-Tiger packs home base. Dave would need to be there when his parents' remains were brought home.

Brian was unusually quiet on the long drive. He was trying to work out what was going on, but lack of information made this a frustrating exercise. Dave occasionally glanced at his friend in the driver's seat going back over their friendship of so many years. Being refugees from their home in Tasmania, they all settled in the remote parts of the country. The bounty on the Tasmanian Tigers had forced them to leave their homes as trigger happy hunters roamed all throughout the state trying to earn money. Not being able to transform safely for runs meant they needed to find safer grounds. Although not in the same danger the Devil packs joined their cousins in the move. There had always been a close relationship between the groups relying on one another to survive. The Were groups being different to their native animals in this regard. Now only the Devils survived as native fauna in Tasmania, the animal Tasmanian Tigers being hunted to final extinction.

David and Brian had formed a close friendship at kindergarten that has survived all their lives. It was a companionable silence in the car during the four hour drive to the forests south of Perth. It was in the midst of the tall trees that the packs had found their home bases in communities resembling the lumber workers towns of the area. The isolated communities allowed the groups to change into their beasts when the need arose, the forests affording them safety from view. Over the decades they had built up ownership or control of large tracts of forest land.