Thylacine Alpha Ch. 02

Thylacine is the name for carnivore marsupials in Australia known as Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf. Possibly the best known is its cousin the Tasmanian devil, with his knife and fork in the Bugs Bunny cartoons.

This story concentrates on the Tasmanian tiger, now extinct, and their still living cousins the Tasmanian devil. Being marsupials they bear no relation to dogs or wolves, but are only similar having what is called convergent evolution. Being called tiger was only because of stripes on their back and not related to the big cats either. Tassie devils are found only in Tasmania in the wild except for sanctuaries or zoos. There is a virus cancer threatening the devil population in Tasmania so they hope to keep the species alive in isolation.

The closest to an Australian canine is the dingo which reportedly arrived from Asia thousands of years ago. Were-Dingoes also make appearances later in the story, although I have limited them to the eastern half of the continent.

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 the early stages as it did not lend itself to the lustful side of life. Perhaps more will cum later.

This story is about Were humans. I will call them interchangeably as, for example, Were, Were-Tiger or Tiger. Capitals denoting the shape changer. Lower case tiger refers to the marsupial animal, in this particular case it is the Tasmanian tiger, not the Asian cat.

Hope you enjoy the story.

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THYLACINE ALPHA

PART 2

Unlike many Were species and communities throughout the world the Thylacines did not have archaic beliefs or ceremonies. European man had only been in contact with the native Australian animals for a relatively short time, counted in a couple of centuries, instead of the millennia found elsewhere. The Aboriginal Weres may have something but they maintained a separation from the European settlers and thus are unknown. So the Tasmanian communities brought their human customs from Europe when they settled the area.

Burials are a simple affair for the pack as they do not keep religion to cloud what is happening. The early Weres were generally misfits from society and religion was considered a tool used to control them. Just surviving the harsh conditions was enough to occupy day to day life. They did not forsake all forms of civilisation, maintaining basic rules of behaviour. Being part animal laid the groundwork for the strongest to lead the weaker, preveinged total anarchy taking control.

David Thylan stood by the grave side with his head bowed and eyes closed, as the dirt was returned to the holes covering the wrapped bodies of his parents. He had always known his brother was a prig with a power pole stuck up his arse. Reggie barely had a nice thing to say about their parents, rushing through the burial as though it were an inconvenience to his daily schedule. Deep into his thoughts he ignored anyone else nearby. The majority of the pack members had been silent through the burial ceremony, preferring to keep out of the way of Reginald. They knew what he was like and how his 'assistants' helped him keep order. Had they all worked together as a cohesive group then Reggie could not have taken the provisional lead position, at least as easily as he had. However the man was good at manipulation and knew how to keep people cowed and worried more about themselves than for the group as a whole. Nobody had the strength or conviction to stand up to him and thus lead the others.

Reginald had taken it upon himself that he was now the rightful heir to the position of Alpha, even though there was a ceremony to confer this honour to the right person. The rightful Alpha also had to be conferred by the majority of the pack. He still needed to pass the ceremony and gain pack approval. David hoped Reggie could become a good Alpha, but he could not see this happening especially in light of recent events with what he suspected. The alternative may be that Dave himself would have to step up, and that filled him with dread. He did not want the responsibility, having been more than happy living as the spare heir. Of course he considered that there might be a hidden talent within their ranks who could assume the leadership. Strength and power were not always the necessary requirements, they just made it easier. The aptitude and willingness to be the leader was just as, if not more, important. Reggie had the willingness, but lacked the other requirements. He had no personal muscle strength, enough Were power to be Beta strong, and certainly not the suitability. Dave sighed as he came to the unwanted conclusion to his musings.

Reginald had run roughshod over everyone in the pack, pushing to be accepted as the boss. Of course the group of sycophants who surrounded Reggie also happened to be bullies of the first order. Anyone who looked like they might object were silently pulled aside for a 'talking to'. Dave noticed what was happening but shrugged it off as the way his brother had always done things.

David was deep in thought about his parents, remembering them as they had been throughout his life. For the most part he recalled them during his adult years as his Alpha and Beta. The marriage to an Alpha bestowed increased strength and power to the partner. Normally only a strong woman would be attractive to the Alpha male, needing to be strong enough to stand beside him in leadership. The Alpha was the one person who lead the pack, needing to be strong enough to force his will when necessary. His partner needed similar strength to stand on her own against any threats. During the bonding ceremony she gained this shared power. Joseph and Martha had indeed been a strong pair. Joseph was very much the strong silent type, whilst Martha was the outgoing type able to fill in the gaps left by her taciturn spouse. Joseph was not the strongest Were-Tiger Alpha, but Martha made up for this by being extremely intelligent and politically savvy. It was joked, when Joseph could not overhear, that he was the brawn to her brains.

Dave recalled memories of his childhood in flashes of pictures, words and feelings. He had been taught by his father on how to fight and hunt in human and animal forms. Solving disputes in his pack was easy as far as Joseph was concerned, he would just thump both parties and tell them to sort it out quickly. It was after these lessons in being a leader that his mother would then educate Reggie and himself on how to actually help with problems. Even here the brothers differed in their reactions to the lessons. Reggie hung on every word of their father, but grew bored listening to mother. David could always see that both approaches had merits, but mother's was less bloody and got lasting results more often than the other.

The decision to vacate their home was a long drawn out affair with all the pack Alphas debating each other. Debating between Alphas tended from physical posturing to bloody fights. While they were making a lot of noise and pouring out testosterone, their partners planned the exodus. Each pack had their own destination and new pack homes. It was important to define the boundaries and ensure each received an equal share of usable land to save later disputes. The actual move was easier and less fractious than the Alpha meetings leading up to it.

Dave remained alone by the graveside, long after the filling back in had been finished. He was joined by the two pack Betas, Nicola and Trent. Nicola was the pack medical physician and her partner Trent was the pack enforcer and managed the pack home. It helped having the enforcer as manager as there were rarely disagreements over what needed to be done. Very few Weres lived at the permanent camp needing to earn incomes amid the normal population. It was the destination for letting their inner beasts freedom to run and hunt away from normal people, and for the various pack gatherings. It still required the various house keeping, maintenance and provisioning duties. Only a handful of pack mates lived there full time.

Nicola spoke first as she placed a hand on Dave's shoulder, "They were a wonderful couple and your father was a great Alpha through some very trying times. Relocating here was a major triumph to keep us all safe. They will be missed by us all. He had kept the pack together for a century through the loss of our native cousins and the need to leave our home ground to come here."

Her sentiments were echoed by Trent from beside his partner as Dave nodded in thanks. They were both looking at the graves wanting to give their friend time to control his emotions. Keeping their heads down in respect for the dead and support for the living also gave them a measure of camouflage, hiding what they were actually about to discuss. Very few would want to eavesdrop on any emotional discussion.

She almost whispered, "I had time for a brief check on them in the short periods I was left alone overnight. Reggie's toads were always dropping into the clinic for silly reasons all night. Unfortunately the fire had wiped away most easily accessible evidence and I would have needed much more time and equipment to retrieve anything more. I did manage a cursory examination."

The sounds of vehicles starting back in the compound could be heard and the three looked toward them, watching the contingent of Were Devils leave. They were taking their own dead back to their pack home, having waited out of respect for the Tiger Alpha to be buried. Brian had told his friend David that he would see him back in Perth after they had buried their dead.

Nicola continued after the group had gone from sight, "The fire certainly killed them both, of this I am certain. Some injuries were as expected in a severe car crash."

Dave opened his eyes wide as he caught what was not being said and turned to face the doctor, "What are you not saying Nicola?"

She took a few moments collecting her thoughts into words, "I am unable to fully prove this without a full investigation by an expert, but the damage to your parents was not totally consistent with a car accident. I am very sure the fire killed them and they definitely had injuries consistent with an accident. I know you well enough that you need to hear this as plain as I can be. Stop me if I step over the bounds of respect.

"They had indications of severe injuries from a beating, and in some cases it looked like weapons damage. It seemed that different weapons were used as some were blunt force trauma, and others from various sharp implements. I even found what looked to be bullet wounds. There was enough damage done to severely incapacitate them while they recovered. Most likely they would have been unconscious. There was also fire damage within their necks, almost like they had their throats cut and open to the flames. Being as injured as they were, even for an Alpha, would have taken a long time to regenerate. The fire in the car would have been too much for them to bear. I could tell that the fire was intense to have caused the extent of burn damage. Your father would have been hard pressed to survive the fire even if completely healthy. As injured as they both were the flames were too much.

"I could only have a quick look under the burn damage, making certain my investigation could not be readily discovered. I also had to work fast as interruptions continued through the night. My cover of standing vigil for the night over the dead seems to have held. It also helped that none of the wimps could stand being with the dead for very long. The smell seemed to put them off staying around. They may all be bullies, but they're certainly gutless.

"I am sorry David to have had to tell you these things."

Trent spoke as Nicola finished, "Our Alpha, your father, and your mother were good leaders. I was unable to see the car as it was left wherever it happened, so cannot check how this occurred. I'm unable to definitively say who could have done this, but I can make a guess even though this pains me to think it. Without proof it has to remain as just wild theories."

David responded quietly to his friends, "Thank you to you both. You risked a lot to get this much information. Do not say aloud what you're thinking as to who may have done this. I'm coming to the same conclusion, although it disappoints me to think it, let alone believe it possible. I need to come up with some proof, but leave that to me. I don't want the pair of you to put yourself in harms way any more than you already have.

"You live here in the pack home and need to keep yourselves out of harm's way. Not much can be done until the next full moon when the new Alpha will be revealed and approved by the pack."

Dropping his voice even lower so his friends had to lean toward him to hear, he softly whispered with angry conviction, "I will avenge my parents murder. I will avenge the death of the Devils from the attack on the road. I will avenge the pain and suffering my friend Jess has had to suffer because of a cowardly attack against me. But I will get evidence of all who did these things."

Trent and Nicola could only nod in understanding of his promises.

Dave straightened his back, took a deep breath, squared his features and faced his companions, "Enough of this, I have things to do, places to go and people to see, as the saying goes."

Trent laughed quietly at his friend's words then asked, "Do you want to hear of my findings on the men who ambushed you on the road?"

"Not here, we have been long enough by the graves and I believe we are already suspected of thinking wrong thoughts about our illustrious acting Alpha. Fortunately we could not have been overheard out here, even with a Were's hearing. I can see some activity on the path to here, so we should get moving. I need to return to the city to check on Jessica at the hospital and return to my house. Perhaps the two of you could give me a lift back?"

The two Betas glanced at each other in silent query and both nodded to David.

Trent responded, "We can do this for you. I think we can take a day off from here although most of the pack are staying to get some run time. Our seconds can look after them for the day."

The trio stepped together on the path to return to the settlement, passing two men walking towards them along the way. Reggie's toadies stepped off the narrow path to allow the three stronger Weres passage. David gave a smile and a hearty greeting to the pair who were obviously trying to look as though they had only been there by accident. Returning a hurried and halfhearted response to the greeting they walked on quickly as though that indicated they had actually intended going that way. It was only by chance that the three had been down that particular path. The Betas shared a grin towards the backs of the departing underlings.

As they entered the settled area a small groan emanated from the three as they were met by most ardent arse-licker that hung around Reginald. Nigel sneered at them, but then that seemed to be his normal expression. He was normal height for a Were-Tiger, but lacked any muscle tone or stature and was very low on the power levels.

As they were passing him he barked out an order in his nasally voice, "You are to report to the Alpha immediately."

The three friends stopped and slowly turned to face him. All four knew that Nigel did not have any formal standing in the pack. Nor did he have the strength to fight one, let alone two Beta strength Weres or an Alpha strength Were. He actually flinched when confronted with the three powerful Were staring at him, the stares were laced with their innate power. Breaking out in a sweat as the force of their combined power pushed at him. They each allowed a small part of their power to bleed out as they looked at the weakling. Each of the three knew it was cruel to push like this, but the behaviour if this particular toady always got under their skins.

Generally the Were-Tiger community did not go strutting around flexing their power at each other, unlike many other Were types. It was a silent acceptance that in Australian pre-human history the Tasmanian tiger was the apex predator on this continent. No other came close to rivalling them although the devils came close. Their strength may not have been as great as the tiger, but being smaller and more compact, with a tenacity matched by none, they could give a very good account for themselves. The Were-Devil are similar to their native cousins. The arrival of mankind and the strutting dingo thousands of years before had a dire effect on the native fauna. Most likely contributing greatly to the disappearance of the tigers and devils from the mainland. Surviving only on the large southern island now called Tasmania. After Europeans arrived in Tasmania to live and farm the land, it did not take long for the native Tasmanian tiger to be hunted to extinction.

It was only by chance that some of the early convicts and settlers were susceptible to becoming Weres and came into contact with fresh DNA samples whilst they were badly injured or ill. Unlike popular perception in story books you did not need to be bitten to become a Were animal, although this is possibly the easiest and most direct. Sufficient contact with DNA samples from an animal whilst the person is severely ill or injured could be enough. Faeces or other sources like saliva entering the blood stream could be enough to set off the change. If you were not already compatible for the change then most likely death would occur if your were severely ill. Even if compatible for the change survival cannot be guaranteed. Thus only a very small percentage of humans ever get converted to Were.

Nigel was struggling to remain standing and managed to force words from his clenched mouth, "I. Not. Challenge. Alpha. Order," and at this point he fell to his knees having stopped breathing.

David relented, followed by the Betas, and said, "Next time, ask. My brother is not the Alpha yet. He is acting leader until the full moon ceremony. You would never survive a challenge. Do not forget that. Next time you fuck around with me, I will consider it a challenge. Hear me?"

Nigel nodded his understanding as he tried to breathe in enough oxygen, and David continued, "I am needing to return to the city immediately. Reggie can can catch up with me there if he needs to talk with me. It should be remembered that I have almost as much claim as he does to the title. I am still the Alpha's son, just the younger one. He is lucky I do not want the hassle he seems to crave. Got that? Now leave me alone."

The Betas remained silent as Nigel shakily got to his feet and scampered back to the hole he came from, err, back to his leader.

"Sorry to you two. Hope fatso doesn't take out that little display against you. Nigel has always pissed me off."

The Betas smiled in response, knowing any overt laughing would be noticed. They still had to live here, being an integral part of the pack structure. There was no sense adding more fuel to any flames. The confrontation was, however, witnessed by a large figure at a window in the main building. He tensed when Nigel was forced to the ground, and growled deeply when he noticed his demand for attendance was ignored. His companions in the room behind him tensed as they listened to the growl, keeping still and silent lest they be blamed for whatever made Reginald unhappy.

This small settlement was the pack home, but it was very lacking in the small comforts of modern living. The former Alpha liked the basic living standards, only allowing

The three left as soon as they could after Trent and Nicola grabbed some necessary items from their house. They took Trent's larger vehicle as it was more comfortable for three tall people. It also was fitted out with a larger engine and some body reinforcing allowing it to be a faster, more powerful, safer ride. Trent was the enforcer for the pack and occasionally needed protection above what his Were capabilities provided. On the way to David's house in the outskirts of the city Trent filled him in what he had discovered about the attackers in the short time available. It was not much, but was a start for David. Hired guns had to controlled by someone, and that would give him a starting point to get his proof.