This is Day Five
This creature is a(n): Plains Hippogriff
This is its story: This specimen is a tiercel (male) eyas (downy stage chick) of the species. Unlike others in the Griff biological family, plains hippogriffs do not lay eggs. They give live birth, and the young can run within several hours of delivery. However, the young are not born with feathers. These young have a shaggy down on their wings at birth. This down takes until the next Spring to grow out of when they shed their first Winter coat at almost a year of age. The formel (female) will feed her chick on regurgitated meat from her prey at first. Then she will share her kills until it is skillful enough to catch its prey. They will hunt a wide rage of creatures from prairie dogs to coyotes to pronghorns to big horned sheep. Most hunting is done individually, but larger prey will be taken by hippogriff families : mating pairs, learning juveniles, or young unattached males who band together. Adult plains hippogriffs will grow up to the size of large wolves, have up to a seven foot wingspan, and weigh up to thirty-five pounds. As with most predators, they have a fierce temperament, and have been known to attack humans.
This is Day Five
This creature is a(n): Harptaur
This is its story: The Harptaur lives in the plains like areas and forests of Duval. It has the head and neck of a bird and the body of a horse. Its tail resembles that of a bird as well. This creature stands at about 21 hands high at the shoulder when fully grown. The Harptaur’s diet consists of insects, berries, seeds and rodents. It is a fast runner and has been clocked at speeds of 40 mph. This creature also has keen eyesight and hearing that enable it to evade most predators and find its prey easily. Not many be a few specimen of this strange creature have been found with wings. Further research of this creature will have to be done to determine if the specimen with wings are a new species of the Harptaur.
This is Day Five
This creature is a(n): Drovathun pithatacene, also known as the Qwarth hooved pithere, or just pithere
This is its story: The pithere's closest relative is the emu and ostrich, meaning it is a type of bird. However, unlike its relatives it lives in cold habitats like the Rocky mountains and Swiss alps. Due to its cold habitat it evolved hooves, to grip the rocky mountain surface, and fur, to keep its vital organs warm. The pithere is also larger than both the emu and ostrich, and its great size allows it to jump extremely far and high. This is useful during hunting and predator evasion.
The pithere is an omnivore that eats many types of grasses, ferns, and mosses, as well as small rodents and large insects. The pithere is a diurnal creature (active during the day and sleeps at night) that lives in groups of about 20-30. When the group grazes there are always at least 2 pitheres on the lookout for predators like wolves. When a predator is spotted the pithere will warn the group by stomping its hoof and whacking its tail very hard against a plant.
The unique thing about pitheres is that during mating season the males will emit a sound that sounds like beatboxing to attract females. While they make their beatboxing sound they also move the feathers around their neck to the beat. This behavior has given them the nickname of "beatboxing bird".
This is Day Five
This creature is a(n): Feathered Horseicus Beaksnouticus. Or its more commons name, Tiny.
This is its story: The Feathered Horseicus Beaksnouticus is an ancient creature. It's remains were found in a Duvalian mine while the miners were tunneling out of a cave in due to a careless miner miscalculating the dynamite's power. Upon further analysis and research by Duvalian's top scientists it was finally identified as the rare creature. The ancient legend says that this creature was created when a horse and a raven were set up on blind date and found they had instant chemistry. The rest is Natural History.
This is Day Five
This creature is a(n): Soot Dancer
This is its story: A creature once rare in occurrence found only near active volcanoes, these animals are now seen as symbols of prosperity and luck in Duvalian culture. Soot Dancers now frequent factories and smelting yards for their heat and coal, which they sift through and eat to quench the acid produced in excess in their bile duct. When faced with danger they will regurgitate this acid as a projectile, they also use this ability to create nesting sites in the volcano walls and in deeper corners of the factories. The idea of them as a luck symbol came about when the first Soot Dancer seen in a factory came just before the factory later landed a prosperous commissioned project. For a while during the peak of the first industrial boom, factories would send spies and thieves into competitor's factories to make off with their Soot Dancers. Legislation was put into place to protect these creatures, but there is still a black market for Soot Dancer eggs bought to be hatched in a factory to bring luck and prosperity.
[edit]*Sliiiiiiiiiides in after screwing up the last part of her story because she didn't leave herself enough time to finish writing*[/edit]
This is Day Five
This creature is a(n): Black Land Pegasus; this is a rare species of Black Pegasus.
This is its story:
The boy and his Black Pegasus exited the plains nearby the Elven Forests and entered a dark cavern, rainwater pooling off skin and cloth alike and leaving a wet trail as they quietly walked inwards for several minutes. When he was sure he could light a fire without it being seen from the outside, he did so; as his pegasus lay down by the fire to dry off and to sleep, the boy hung removed his raincloak and sat where he had ample view of any approach from the entrance of the cave yet close enough to the fire to keep warm.
He glanced at the pegasus to make sure it was comfortable, then removed an ancient book with fading text from his pouch; he stared at it a moment as he contemplated what he was about to do. After all, if it was found out that he had borrowed-- nay, stolen, an ancient manuscript from the Elder Wizards' Library, then would surely be in more trouble than losing his Wizards' Apprenticeship. He looked at his pegasus once more, a creature documented and taught as unreal, and made up his mind -- he had to know the truth. He cracked open the book and read aloud to himself in barely a whisper, fearing that the wind might carry his words to some wizard far away despite the raging storm outside.
"Pegasus: a once common but now extinct creature...." he flipped to the next entry. "Black Pegasus: a rare species of Pegasus, and also extinct;..." wait. The picture looked wrong. It wasn't--- what was this entry over here?
"Black Land Pegasus: the second rarest species of Pegasus; much loved as royal pets until-"
"What are you doing, Arnof?" A cold and familiar voice erupted in a deadly whisper beside the boy who jumped in fright as his face paled.
"Master Palot! I-I-I--" the frightened boy's gaze unconsciously drifted to his black land pegasus in concern, but it was alright.
Unfortunately, the elder wizard's gaze tracked Arnof's and widened in shock. Master Palot quickly regained his composure, however, and looked back at the boy with the book. "Never mind that fraudulent manuscript." He snapped, grabbed the book, and threw it in the fire. "Since you managed to find one of these, I will tell you the truth.
The book would have you believe that pegasi were natural creatures, either by creation of a god or by natural though unusual breeding. Both answers are wrong. I know the truth because, like you--" he took a moment to smirk at his trembling apprentice "--I too stole a copy of the manuscript. One of the elder wizards, who was not my master, caught me; and while my master would have thrown me back where I came from, that same elder wizard took me in and eventually inducted me into the Order of the Black Pegasus.
The Black Pegasi are, as I stated before, not natural creatures. An ambitious and evil wizard from long ago murdered his king and stole that king's Black Pegasus. After which he hid away and conducted a magical experiment on the black pegasus, causing it much pain. However, it didn't come out as he had intended; yes, the Black Land Pegasus could still fly, but now it could not carry a passenger, and its glorious wings were turned into that." he pointed at the Black Land Pegasus's tail. "That turns into feathery wings, allowing the Black Land Pegasus to glide. It's not truly flying, but...." He straightened in a second. "We must go if you want to learn more. There are Elder Wizards of an opposing Order on the way."
This is Day Five
This creature is a(n): Miniature Hippogrosse
This is its story:
Found in the desserts the Hippogrosse is making a resurgence in numbers after being endangered. They were once hunted for their tail plumage. It was highly sot after for high fashion head dresses.
---------- Post added 04-20-2013 at 10:44 PM ----------
Nephila: Biggles and I powwowed in our little hidey-hole and decided since you came in at the buzzer, rather than after, we'll allow your entry for Day Five.
---------- Post added 04-20-2013 at 09:20 PM ----------
This is Day Six
This creature is a(n): Sus Aries Marmota; colloquially, "Woolly Pig"
This is its story: The adorable woolly pig was imported to Duval nearly two hundred years ago by Captain Jack Harkwell of the royal navy. Harkwell claimed to have found the creature stowed away on his ship about six months into the voyage; as he stopped at no fewer than seven ports worldwide before the discovery was made, Harkwell was never able to determine whence the creature came. Frequent searches, some done by Harkwell himself have produced no evidence of the woolly pig's existence anywhere else in the world.
Perhaps Duval is lucky, then, that the woolly pig that sneaked onto Harkwell's ship-- named "Jack Junior" after its tendency to follow Harkwell everywhere-- was a pregnant female that gave birth to no fewer than fifteen live offspring before the ship docked back at home.
Since it landed in Duval, the woolly pig has become a beloved housepet, a useful source of wool, and a handy truffle finder. No fewer than fifteen such creatures work as therapy animals in the Duval Insanity Institute next door, and at least three have successfully become circus performers, dazzling children and adults alike with their grunted melodies and ability to stand on overturned buckets.
The woolly pig has, to scientific knowledge, never been wild; no woolly pig has ever attempted to escape human custody since the Jack Junior adopted Captain Harkwell. Perhaps this is because the woolly pig prefers a diet of vegetables, bread, and truffles and is not a fast runner. Perhaps it is the creature's tendency to produce eight to fifteen offspring once a year. Perhaps it is the creature's natural intelligence, or perhaps it is its incredible loyalty. Once the woolly pig has formed an attachment, it will do anything it can to please and protect the object of its affections.
During his lifetime, Captain Harkness liked to tell a story about one of Jack Junior's offspring, an unusually small woolly pig called "Caroline": "I'll not forget what Caroline did for my daughter. It was near two o'clock in the blessed a.m., and Caroline came a'squealin' and a'gruntin' and a'stompin' into our room. Of course, we yelled at her, and my wife even threw a pillow at her, but Caroline wouldn't take no for an answer. She just kept squealin' at us until we finally listened and followed her to where the trouble was. And so she brought us to our daughter's room, and there she was, sittin' on the floor, eatin' five of my favorite truffles! Oh, we punished that girl good, and she never did it again. We'd never have even known about it if it weren't for Caroline."
This is Day Six
This creature is a(n): Wumble
This is its story:
A domestic wool bearing form of pygmy hippopotamus found in the southern farmsteads of Menewsha. Their wild relatives were first discovered during a sea voyage on a previously unknown island. Over years of selective breeding, their wool has become dense and soft. They are believed by some to be fairly intelligent, but their waddling gate and odd mumbling vocalizations, from which their name is derived, would not suggest this.
Though they are very passive and tolerant of humans, they can become someone pushy or even aggressive during feeding time, and can sometimes fertilizer of abandoned, lost, or escaped.. They are mostly herbivorous, but will eat carrion or live prey opportunistically when feral. Their fur also becomes course and thick in this state, their muscles become lithe and strong, and they grow small tusks, resembling their wild relatives. In this state they can sometimes become extremely aggressive, however they are quite small and mostly non-threatening, and return to their docile state when well fed and cared for.
Wumble stock of the highest quality can be sheered for a considerable profit, and their wool is often made into fine clothing in the textile mills of Duval.
---------- Post added 04-21-2013 at 02:44 AM ----------
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Who likes my new siggy? 
