Captain Yu Song

Yu Song is a Sub-antagonist in The Forges of Dawn. He is a Maltese Tiger (called "Tigrisians" in-universe) and the leader of a crew of pirates. In the book's sequel, The Thousand Winters, he is set to be the main antagonist.

Biography
Yu Song was born to Ling and Shi-Kuai, two Tigers a part of a plot to take the power from the lions of the land and put it in their paws. He was an accidental child, conceived during a heat his mother couldn't resist, and treated poorly and harshly as a result. He had littermates, but they all die due to Ling's negligent and careless handling.

The details of his growing up are unexplored, but as some point he became a pirate captain and amassed a crew of lionesses and tigresses. He was a violent being, as evidenced by his various scars and missing eye. Yu Song was mated to a tigress called Ming Huo and later her half-sister Tai Yang when Ming left/was kicked from his crew of pirates. Somehow, he gets tangled up with the royal Indian lions, but Uhuru -- who is also captured and thrown in the dungeon with him -- is able to get him out with the help of the Houndified Tarute. Yu Song sees Uhuru despairing over Prince Lochan, an Indian royal, but tells her she's wasting her time. He bets the stone bracelet around her wrist that the male is just using her and doesn't truly love or care about her, a bet Uhuru pridefully accepts. They break out using Tarute's bulk and strength, save Lochan, and flee.

After they are free, Yu Song temporarily adopts Uhuru and Tarute as members of his crew. They go to a lawless island some miles away from India, where Yu Song and his first mate Tai Yang conspire where Uhuru cannot see, leaving Lochan will a healer. Yu Song reveals that bracelet Uhuru carries isn't just some flashy trinket. They are Fyre Stones and carry the destructive power of the ColdFyre within their depths. However, they must be handed over willingly lest they turn into simple stones, which is why he hasn't simply killed Uhuru and taken them.

As they talk, an underling of his called Navya finds them and tells them that Uhuru has gone rogue. Tai Yang kills the lioness for not telling them sooner and the two tigers make their way back to the ship, only to find Uhuru, Tarute, Lochan about to escape on a ship. Yu Song is willing to let her go, if only she gives him the stones first. Uhuru doesn't want to, but honors her words, however she doesn't put the stones in his hands. She throws them into the ocean, in the dead of night, meaning they will be nigh-impossible to find. Forgetting about her, Yu Song jumps in after the stones with a mighty splash.

Later, in the books epilogue, Yu Song is revealed to have gotten the stones. However, it costs his entire crew, which he forced to dive under the waves until all but one drowned.

Personality
Yu Song is a prideful and narcissistic tiger, who doesn't appear terribly harmless on the surface. He has a sense of humor, if somewhat dark and mischievous, and seems rather laidback, even polite and friendly. However, this is a front, for the tiger grows deadly cold and murderous when he is crossed. One wrong move or glance could inspire him to kill in this state, even an ally, including his mate and first mate Tai Yang. Murder is a casual thing for him as is torture and he has delusions of Grandeur.

Appearance
Yu Song is a large and hard-used tiger, with blue fur and black striped. The Stripes near the lower half of his body are particularly heavy, making it appear as if he is black with blue stripes. He is missing an eye, though covers the fact with an eyepatch. He wears iron armor, with bright, eye-catching feathers of every color plumming it.

Trivia

 * Yu Song -- correctly styled Yǔ Sōng -- means "frost" in chinese.
 * Yu Song is a Maltese, or blue, tiger.
 * Yu Song is a male "tigrisian" or a "Tigris".
 * Yu Song has legendary blood, if not magical blood.