Bligh Lynch

Bligh Allen Lynch, called Wukwuff in the naming conventions of the Dogfolk, is the central character of The Dogs novels and Before Time After, as well as appearing peripherally in What A Horrible Night To Have A Curse.

Birth
The circumstances of Bligh's birth were unusual. He was born in the wee hours of West Virginia Day, 20th June, 1990, at the veterinary offices of Bernard Barnes III, DVM, the town veterinarian of Tempest, West Virginia. This was due to Bligh's mother, Susan Anne, experiencing a problem birth at the time -- this, coupled with flash flooding and the resulting blockage of roads, forced Bligh's grandfather, Pappy, to call on Dr. Barnes, the only available medical professional of any type, to help. Barnes duly opened his offices and, in a small room usually reserved for examinations and surgery, was able to perform an emergency Cesarean on Susan Anne, saving both her life and Bligh's. A little later, Junior Lynch donated a sizable sum to Barnes' practice in grateful thanks. But, as Barnes liked to tell his friends, so it was that little Bligh Lynch began his life in a vet's office, as though he were a puppy.

Early life
Named for a distant ancestor who went missing in 1877, Bligh was orphaned at the age of four, after his parents died in a car accident when Junior's Cadillac Eldorado veered off a cliff during a thunderstorm, an accident which Bligh miraculously survived.

He was taken in to be raised by his preacher grandfather, Gus Lynch whom the town of Tempest referred to as "Pappy" in pride after his grandson started calling him that at a very young age.

Bligh was, over the years, given a traditionalist upbringing, learning a plethora of folklore, songs, and woodsman skills. He proved to be extremely adept at hunting and, later, a gifted athlete.

From the time he was born, nearly, Bligh had been best friends with Andrew Lightfoot, the son of his father's best (and, it was averred, only) friend, Archibald Lightfoot. As the two grew up it became apparent that it was more than friendship, but actually love. However, living in fear of their small town's close-mindedness, and even more so of his grandfather's potential disapproval, Bligh remained quiet about his attraction, suffering in silence as Andrew befriended, and then fell in love with, the younger daughter of the Bernard Barnes himself, Betsy.

Starring

 * The Dogs: Not Exactly Night
 * The Dogs: Litany
 * The Dogs: Hand In Heart
 * "Ask Now the Beasts"
 * "Maketh the Day Dark"

Mentioned

 * "Thy Foot Shall Not Stumble"
 * "Before Thou Camest Forth"

Cameo

 * "Forests of the Noonday Sun"