The Very Real Cats behind Ohanko, the Mythic Black Jaguar

Here is how the goofy reality of my life dictated the logic of a legend.

If you haven’t seen the companion video yet, check it out on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. A fair warning: I am still in executive function recovery from the high-masking performance required to put my actual face on camera. But I did it because this story was worth the spoons.

In The Legends of Iron Spine, Ohanko is a mythic figure. He is a massive, powerful black jaguar, the sworn protector of my protagonist, Chaëlle Skysong. He is feared, commanding, and possesses a judgmental silence that can wither a grown man.

Where did this devastating predator come from? I did spend hours studying jaguar documentaries or modelled him on some historical war-beast.

The truth is much smaller, chubbier, and full of far more ironies. Ohanko is a pays homage to the two specific black cats who have ruled my life: Tilly, my previous female warrior, and Spooky, my current judgmental roommate.

The Original blueprint: Tilly (Persistence over Perfection)

Tilly was my previous void-space. She never fit the mold of a "perfect" predator. She was the absolute runt of her litter, staying a permanent, kitten-like size her entire life. She was part Manx, possessing only a stubby, little non-tail. Early in her life, she lost an eye.

She was not a good hunter. She never brought me a single trophy. In fact, my favourite memory of her is the time she managed to scale a three-tier guinea pig cage, hopped into the open top, and sat in the hay with two guinea pigs. I panicked, thinking I would have to break up a slaughter, only to find all three just sitting there, completely fine, ignoring each other.

Tilly taught me that persistence is not perfection.

In Renegade, I gave Ohanko Tilly’s missing eye. But I also gave him her original blueprint.

He isn't a flawless killer; he is a creature defined by his enduring, absolute commitment to his bond with Chaëlle. His scars don’t just make him look tough; they dictate how he survives, mirroring Tilly’s persistence over her own physical limitations.

The Judgmental Shadow: Spooky (Presence over Practice)

If Tilly provided the persistent heart, my current black cat, Spooky, provided the judgmental presence.

Like Ohanko, Spooky is a big boy. But he is not muscular. He is quite chubby, aggressively lazy, and possesses a devastatingly judgmental gaze when I disturb his third nap of the day. He also has, quite ironically, absolute shit balance. If Ohanko possesses "liquid silence," Spooky possesses "accidental thud."

Spooky is also a terrible hunter. He brought me a mouse once—but it was perfectly unharmed. He seemed more interested in showing me his new friend than proving his predatory skill.

But Spooky and Tilly’s gentle, non-aggressive natures encouraged me to look on the other side of the coin when worldbuilding for Ohanko. How could a massive, strong, and genuinely terrifying predator (a jaguar) have such a gentle, bonded, and almost human internal logic?

The answer was their bond. Spooky and Tilly were never "good hunters," but they were fiercely, absolutely bonded to me.

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The Merger: The Other Side of the Coin

Ohanko is the merger of these two realities. He is the physical, commanding size of Spooky, operating under the rules of consequence dictated by Tilly’s missing eye. He possesses Spooky’s judgmental gaze and lazy grace, but when he needs to hunt, he does so with Tilly’s fierce persistence.

The true secret of Ohanko isn’t his size, but his capacity for bonded strength. He is a paying homage to the cats who showed me that true loyalty doesn't need to be perfect to be profound. In dark fantasy, worldbuilding is archaeology with ink—you dig up the gentle moments of your real life and see what shapes they dictate in the fictional sediment.

If you want to see how these furry inspirations manifest in a world of rebellion, betrayal, and consequence, you need to read the first chapter of Renegade. Step into the Orbis Archives to see what happens when the logic of a chubby, judgmental roommate dictates the rules of a mythic beast.

🔗 Read Renegade: Book I of The Legends of Iron Spine – Chapter 1 Live.