Yurg

Name:	Yurg
Species:	Tiger
Gender:	Male
Age:	Unknown
Specialties:	Hunting, Tracking, Combat
Alliances:	Simon's Team

Yurg is a tiger that is also a TEL (although he is mistakenly identified as a biomechanoid for most of the journey), with the intellect and intelligence of a human being. He was originally created by the controllers with the mission to destroy Birash at all costs, and then anyone else that his masters so chose to send him after. However, an unfortunate series of events leaves Yurg owing Birash many, many life debts that he desperately tries to repay, but is unable to. Being that he is very honor bound, this forces a truce between the two parties until those are repaid. However, in the course of his travels with Birash and Simon's team, he eventually grows to love them, and even becomes best friends with the one he was once sworn to kill. He eventually becomes a regular, full time member of Simon's team, and even one who will die to protect them if need be.

On several occasions he demonstrates this with unswerving bravery and tenacity, even to the point of suffering severe, debilitating injuries in doing so, almost to the point of dying. Later on in the course, Yurg becomes an advisor to the team, often providing them with very valuable insights into the world they're traveling through, and much more. He also become a primary food supplier, a guide, a tracker, and many other things, all done willingly to aid the team. In doing this, he indirectly protects not just the lives of his new friends, but also hundreds of other racers, as his failure as a killing machine and ultimate weapon, as well as his rebellion against his creators, prompts the controllers to withhold the release of other tiger TELs like himself to undertake nearly identical missions to the one he was sent to do.

After the events of Offworld, but shortly before Simon and the others arrive on Offworld to begin their adventures on Ember, Yurg learns that there were 11 other TEL tigers like himself. However, due to his failure to completely his assigned mission (the one he was created for by the controllers, and not the one that Maul ultimately sent him on), the other 11 tigers were exterminated before Maul was able to rescue them. Yurg is therefore the only one of his kind in existence. Angus finds out about this and befriends Yurg, as he too suffered the same fate, as did his brothers, as they too lost family in the same way. He iterates to Yurg that the controllers initially held their mates captive to force them to obey, then later slew them before Maul could save them.

In the end, Maul was only able to save Angus and his brothers, as they were away from the lab at the time the others were slain, in the same way Yurg was when the rest of his pride was exterminated. In sharing this fateful loss of family, both of which occurred in the same way, with the same end result, Angus and Yurg become the best of friends, as they have a common past, and experience.