The next character on our journey is Lucian, the fierce Thylacinian who defies the standards that most of his tribe follow. He is the Warlord of his tribe, and as such, has worked with Reivn for hundreds of years uncounted. His loyalty to his fellow Warlords precedes even the loyalty to the Council itself. Where his beginnings came from in my own mind is a much more incredible story.

Lucian, by personality, is defined as very animalistic, yet wise. His reaction to most things is fierce, but still tempered with crucial intelligence to maintain the logic so necessary to survive such a brutal existence. I first began to craft him years ago under a different name, but his character felt lacking in what I wanted to accomplish with him. The first incarnation of him was too gentle and too mellow for the wild, bestial side that is so much a part of the Thylacinian birthright. So I began to rethink him. I searched for a sense of reality for him among the people I had either known in the past or knew at that time. My answer came from the most unexpected source, and even when I tried to dismiss what I knew, it stuck with me until I finally realized I had found the perfect basis for this character.

I have known a great many people throughout my many years of life, and each and every one of them has touched my heart in some way... garnering respect, and in some cases anger, or even an intense dislike... in who they were or are as people. But one constant remained the same. Each of them contributed to my knowledge and growth over the years in one way or another. The same is true of the individual I patterned Lucian after. His name was Jaime. I worked with him for several years, and he had a wildness that could not be tamed. It made women adore him and men jealous of him. But he had such a keen intellect that he could carry on the most amazing and in-depth conversations on almost any subject matter you wanted, and keep you engaged in it for hours. He was a very well-respected and well-liked individual, and his life was cut brutally short.

Jaime found out he had an inoperable brain tumor when he was in his early thirties, and was told he would digress slowly, losing functionality in many ways before he finally died. He did not want to live and die that way, nor did he want his wife and child see him slowly fall from the strong man he was to become dependent on everyone around him for even the simplest of things. One night, while at home alone, he made a choice that impacted everyone who knew him in soul-shattering finality. At the age of 35, he hung himself. His wife was the one who found him, and his death rocked the community. All of us at work, most of whom had not even known about that tumor, found ourselves grieving from the loss of such a good friend.

Instead of thinking about how he left us, I have tried to remind myself of his philosophies, and how he always tried to stand by those he loved. It did not matter if you were his friend or the love of his life, his heart was fierce when it came to defending you from wrongdoing. I remember many a time when he was the first to jump to the defense of one of we ladies at the job when customers got rude, or how often he could be found offering a shoulder to someone when they were crying or just needed friendly advice. What I remember the most, however, was how much he loved the outdoors... camping, hiking, white-water rafting, and anything else that was labeled with outdoor life. Pretty much every vacation I knew about of his involved some sort of outdoor adventure, and the weather never even factored into them. What mattered to him was the adventure, the hunt, the freedom to break the chains of society for those briefest of moments, and the spark of pure joy even just telling us about it always brought to his face. To define that is to define passion in its purest form.

Lucian embodies that passion, that loyalty, and that thirst for living life to the fullest. He embraces his wild side and does not hold it back, and yet he knows how to temper it when the need called for careful consideration before acting. When in battle, Lucian fights with wild abandon, embracing the bestial nature in him that connects him so closely to the animal kingdom, but when in counsel with the rest of his peers, he holds his own in the wisdom arena as well. He is a strong leader, and in spite of the ruthlessness he exhibits on the battlefield, he is compassionate and gentle where his kin are involved. Nothing makes this more apparent than his loyalty to Reivn and their friendship. Though many Thylacinians despise the Mastrics because they are so incredibly different from the Thylacinian's own beliefs, Lucian follows Reivn's banners and can often be found in his company, discussing matters of great import.

Through getting to know Jaime all those years ago, I came to know what the term "living on the edge" could mean in terms of life and never just existing. That vibrancy is what gave him such an incredible amount of charisma, and no small amount of respect from any of those who knew him. It gave Lucian his personality and his edge. But it gave me memories that have traveled with me throughout my adult life, and they are memories I will keep until my time here ends.

~ (Added 07/15/2018) Yesterday, I came across a young man who had befriended my son years ago, and in speaking with him, I was very much reminded of Jaime again. It was a bittersweet reminder of how bright those torches burn when their hearts carry the fire and passion for life. ~

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