By and copyright of Owen Quinn
The Last tiger is very close to my heart. The story of the thylacine otherwise known as the Tasmanian Tiger was hunted to extinction with government support in the early twentieth century. The last one reportedly died in a zoo in 1936 in Hobart zoo. His name was Ben. It is something that the human race should hang its name in shame,
And now, they are going to bring it back Jurassic Park style via cloning. However, there have been photos and videos of the Tiger alive and well in the Australian wilderness. I believe it didn’t die and is still roaming out there.
So this one wrote itself. I can’t imagine what it would be like being the last of your kind and dying alone in a crumbling zoo. So after a little research, I set this one some forty years after the Xereban refugees had arrived on Earth. In the time they arrived, Varran and travelled the Earth searching and learning about the peoples and cultures of this world. Technically, he is the last of the original Xerebans bar one. He has chosen not to integrate into society or live by their laws, at this point imposing an exile on himself for the destruction of his home world. So when he comes across Hobart Zoo and meets the tiger, he empathises with it. And together with the remaining zoo keepers, Varran faces something out of Aboriginal myth and legend.
The Yaru is hunting. And Ben is on the menu.
I felt that it was a nice parallel to explore this part of Varran’s life. It was really interesting to explore Aboriginal myth and what those last few days would have been like. A strong supporting cast is vital in a story so this quickly became a base under siege adventure.
Really, this story was a no brainer for me. The only thing I had to do was make it interesting and keep the danger levels high. The Yaru went through a change only to make it more terrifying. It was also a chance to see Varran act alone and use his wits against something that shouldn’t be there. This is the wide eyed Varran soaking in Earth cultures. There is no Michael, Jacke or Tyran, just him, alone exploring his own history.
I was able to throw in things like the death of this animal generated an annual event that runs to this day to remind us just what happened to the tiger.
I admit that I, like Varran, smile every time i see this because, out there, somewhere the Tasmanian Tiger pulled off the greatest trick of all.
They survived.
To find out the whole story, get your copy of the Wolves of Chernobyl & Other Stories in paperback and kindle now on Amazon.
The Time Warriors and Beyond 