Post by ShadowReine on Jan 25, 2009 1:48:50 GMT -5
Feltars
Origins:
'He should have known cats don't take metasynth well'. Thus did the dangerous southern felines, sometimes capable of killing a dragon, come to be.
Based off of their appearance, feltars evolved from crossbreeding between the fast running cats of the plains and the domesticated felines kept in many a hold for vermin control.
They were finally discovered in the South, when a mother, desperate, called out to the dragons...and gave her unweaned kits to the Weyrfolk.
The feltar species are iintelligent and quite, quite willing to partner with humans. On their own terms.
General Appearance:
Feltar come in all of the colors of normal cats...tabby, white, you name it (naturally, only females can be tortoiseshell or calico. They can also be spotted, like cheetahs. However, they are quite a bit larger, the size of a medium-sized dog, and rangy. While not as fast as the fastest of the big felines, they can easily match a hunting dog for speed.
Male feltar tend to stand a good two inches taller than females...being cats, the males are 'toms' and the females 'queens'. The males also have a somewhat heavy ruff, although it could not quite be called a mane. Their eyes are set forward, they are a sight-based creature, and their tails are very long. Their fur is fairly short and has a rough texture to it. Their claws do not retract, and are, thus, not as sharp as those of the smaller cats, being used for traction, rather than climbing.
Sound-wise, feltar purr, meow, and scream, the last being a sound reserved for mating challenges or getting somebody's attention quckly.
General Disposition:
Feltar are cats. As such, they are aloof, and their relationships are held on their own terms. One does not own a feltar, one is friends with it, and that is always worth remembering. However, a bonded feltar will never actually harm a human. Wild individuals tend rather to avoid human incursions, not because they are shy, but because they are smart enough to know not to mess with people who might set dragons on them.
Feltar generally show distinct preferences for individuals...they can become fond of humans other than their owner, other feltar or even dragons, flits and whers, but only offer affection to their 'friends'. That said, they're not too proud to accept a scratch behind the ears. And most feltar thoroughly enjoy being groomed.
They do, though, give the distinct impression, like most cats, that they hang out with humans purely for those incredibly handy opposable thumbs.
Unlike most cats, feltar like water, and swimming with their owner is a favorite pastime. Feltar who bond to dragonriders can often be persuaded to ride across the dragon's neck ridges with a specially designed harness, and seldom seem afraid of heights.
Abilities:
Feltar are telepathic with other feltar, although they do not have the sort of telepathic 'networking' dragons and firelizards are prone to. With their owner, they can share emotions and images. In a pinch, a feltar can reach a dragon or firelizard, but this tends to exhaust them as they work on a slightly different telepathic frequency. Still...in an emergency they can and will call draconic help to their owner.
Feltar also seem capable of sensing other life forms...they hunt as much by psi as by sight. This is not data they seem able to pass directly, but a feltar will often go on point like a hunting dog to indicate the presence of prey or others. This ability, not being limited by such things as wind or line of sight, makes feltar highly useful for search and rescue missions..they can sense a living human through feet of dirt and rock, for example.
The mundane senses of a feltar are similar to those of a normal felines.
Mating:
Female feltar, being cats, come into heat. They come in in late winter and may cycle up to three times if they do not get pregnant the first time.
When a queen is ready to mate, she sends out a psychic and audible scream, a very distinctive sound all males in the area will recognize.
The males converge on the queen, normally bringing offerings of food, and display themselves physically....erect ruff and movements designed to demonstrate their size and prowess.
The female will mate with the male with whom she is most impressed...past mates tend to have an advantage.
After a gestation period of twelve weeks, the queen gives birth to 1-3 cubs, which are born blind and helpless. They do not bond until they are ready to wean and hand-reared feltar tend to bond 'badly', becoming extremely possessive of their humans. However, a feltar queen will cheerfully adopt another female's orphans as long as she has mllk for them.
Obtaining:
Feltar bond, they do not Impress, and they do so very much on their own terms. The bond is, in many ways, different in quality from a bond with dragonkin and much more controlled...a feltar's owner sees only what the cat wishes him to see. However, they *do* still share very strong emotions such as pain, lust, etc.
Feltar bond at any time from weaning to adulthood, and they may break the bond and bond with another freely...they are highly loyal, but if they are neglected or ill-treated, they will *leave*. A feltar who's owner dies will commonly bond again, often to a human the feltar already knows and is fond of. If the feltar knows the dying owner's wishes, they may well abide by them, and thus can sometimes be 'passed on' to another individual.
Feltar take two years to reach physical and sexual maturity, live about 25 years. A feltar who knows he or she is dying will often sever the bond to spare their owner pain.
Origins:
'He should have known cats don't take metasynth well'. Thus did the dangerous southern felines, sometimes capable of killing a dragon, come to be.
Based off of their appearance, feltars evolved from crossbreeding between the fast running cats of the plains and the domesticated felines kept in many a hold for vermin control.
They were finally discovered in the South, when a mother, desperate, called out to the dragons...and gave her unweaned kits to the Weyrfolk.
The feltar species are iintelligent and quite, quite willing to partner with humans. On their own terms.
General Appearance:
Feltar come in all of the colors of normal cats...tabby, white, you name it (naturally, only females can be tortoiseshell or calico. They can also be spotted, like cheetahs. However, they are quite a bit larger, the size of a medium-sized dog, and rangy. While not as fast as the fastest of the big felines, they can easily match a hunting dog for speed.
Male feltar tend to stand a good two inches taller than females...being cats, the males are 'toms' and the females 'queens'. The males also have a somewhat heavy ruff, although it could not quite be called a mane. Their eyes are set forward, they are a sight-based creature, and their tails are very long. Their fur is fairly short and has a rough texture to it. Their claws do not retract, and are, thus, not as sharp as those of the smaller cats, being used for traction, rather than climbing.
Sound-wise, feltar purr, meow, and scream, the last being a sound reserved for mating challenges or getting somebody's attention quckly.
General Disposition:
Feltar are cats. As such, they are aloof, and their relationships are held on their own terms. One does not own a feltar, one is friends with it, and that is always worth remembering. However, a bonded feltar will never actually harm a human. Wild individuals tend rather to avoid human incursions, not because they are shy, but because they are smart enough to know not to mess with people who might set dragons on them.
Feltar generally show distinct preferences for individuals...they can become fond of humans other than their owner, other feltar or even dragons, flits and whers, but only offer affection to their 'friends'. That said, they're not too proud to accept a scratch behind the ears. And most feltar thoroughly enjoy being groomed.
They do, though, give the distinct impression, like most cats, that they hang out with humans purely for those incredibly handy opposable thumbs.
Unlike most cats, feltar like water, and swimming with their owner is a favorite pastime. Feltar who bond to dragonriders can often be persuaded to ride across the dragon's neck ridges with a specially designed harness, and seldom seem afraid of heights.
Abilities:
Feltar are telepathic with other feltar, although they do not have the sort of telepathic 'networking' dragons and firelizards are prone to. With their owner, they can share emotions and images. In a pinch, a feltar can reach a dragon or firelizard, but this tends to exhaust them as they work on a slightly different telepathic frequency. Still...in an emergency they can and will call draconic help to their owner.
Feltar also seem capable of sensing other life forms...they hunt as much by psi as by sight. This is not data they seem able to pass directly, but a feltar will often go on point like a hunting dog to indicate the presence of prey or others. This ability, not being limited by such things as wind or line of sight, makes feltar highly useful for search and rescue missions..they can sense a living human through feet of dirt and rock, for example.
The mundane senses of a feltar are similar to those of a normal felines.
Mating:
Female feltar, being cats, come into heat. They come in in late winter and may cycle up to three times if they do not get pregnant the first time.
When a queen is ready to mate, she sends out a psychic and audible scream, a very distinctive sound all males in the area will recognize.
The males converge on the queen, normally bringing offerings of food, and display themselves physically....erect ruff and movements designed to demonstrate their size and prowess.
The female will mate with the male with whom she is most impressed...past mates tend to have an advantage.
After a gestation period of twelve weeks, the queen gives birth to 1-3 cubs, which are born blind and helpless. They do not bond until they are ready to wean and hand-reared feltar tend to bond 'badly', becoming extremely possessive of their humans. However, a feltar queen will cheerfully adopt another female's orphans as long as she has mllk for them.
Obtaining:
Feltar bond, they do not Impress, and they do so very much on their own terms. The bond is, in many ways, different in quality from a bond with dragonkin and much more controlled...a feltar's owner sees only what the cat wishes him to see. However, they *do* still share very strong emotions such as pain, lust, etc.
Feltar bond at any time from weaning to adulthood, and they may break the bond and bond with another freely...they are highly loyal, but if they are neglected or ill-treated, they will *leave*. A feltar who's owner dies will commonly bond again, often to a human the feltar already knows and is fond of. If the feltar knows the dying owner's wishes, they may well abide by them, and thus can sometimes be 'passed on' to another individual.
Feltar take two years to reach physical and sexual maturity, live about 25 years. A feltar who knows he or she is dying will often sever the bond to spare their owner pain.