The Kamine
General Information;
A draconic lupine, these creatures appear to be a blend of both dragon and wolf, earning them the nickname of 'dragonhound' in their species' earliest days. They are intelligent and noble beasts who roam the Realms, forming unique packs in all climes. Although they may sometimes be mistaken for Vystrian wolves, Kamine are actually an entirely separate creature. They are a naturally spiritual species, and many are greatly aware of how their actions may affect their afterlife.
Statistics;
Name:: Kamine
Average Lifespan:: 1500 years
Average Height:: 5ft/1.5m
Average Weight:: Around 400 pounds
Location Found:: Abroad.
*all statistics based on averages; extremes in any direction, or found in odd locations, are always allowed.
Notes;
Cursed The 'Cursed' is a broad term used for kamine who are unusual in multiple ways; this includes 'mismatched' individuals, hybrids, or both. The way all three of these are treated may be described below.
Those without wings or with mismatched wings are considered untouchable. They are often driven from packs and avoided in the wild, never to feel the comfort of a warm sleeping pile or a mate's wet nose. Mismatched Cursed are viewed as a blight on the pack and an abnormality of spirit; these kamine are viewed to taint the auras of those around them, and cannot be allowed to partake in anything normal individuals do.
If any halfbreeds are born into a pack, they are shunned in a very special way, so long as they resemble - for the most part - a kamine in basic appearance. Kamine don't go out of their way to make these halfbreeds unwelcome; instead, they are passed by and treated as significantly as any other part of the landscape. They are completely ignored. No food is saved for them, and no attention is paid to them. These hybrids are allowed to stay in the pack only if they can keep up, since one wouldn't pay attention to a rock, even if it rolled down a hill after you.
If any poor soul is found to be both a hybrid and possess either no wings or a mismatched set, a kamine pack will actively hunt the individual, and any who escape must somehow find a way to disguise themselves from their kind while they roam.
Pack Views Kamine view color in a very peculiar way when born into a pack they have never left. As color of fur is viewed to reflect one's soul, individuals of like color will band together, and often live out their lives among those that are much like them in appearance if not personality. However, kamine that travel abroad as loners may eventually come to a realization this is not the case - though these creatures are often not welcomed back into their own packs. These ones are often forced to band together with other like-minded kamine, or join Vystrian wolf packs who accept members not of their race.
Diet This is what this species, and any variants, may eat at any given time.
Common:
packs hunt medium to large game depending on region; commonly elk, deer, moose, and other large ungulates. lone kamine often hunt medium to lower-end large prey.
Uncommon:
packs hunt small to medium game depending on region; commonly quail, rabbit, and beavers. lone kamine often hunt whatever they can catch, including small to very small prey.
Rare:
both packmembers and lone kamine may partake in carrion. some, if desperate enough, may target sapient races. very rarely fruits, roots, seeds, and nuts may be consumed if on the verge of starvation.
Overview:
Kamine are near identical in their dietary habits to Vystrian wolves. Packs hunt very similarly, cycling the herds they hunt from and maintaining large swathes of territory they fiercely patrol while keeping dedicated hunters within their ranks. As they often outweigh their Vystrian cousins and tend to be larger than size, they are capable of taking down larger prey even when alone and it is not uncommon to see a pack of kamine take down fair-sized ungulates. Their greater strength earns them prestige as mighty hunters and as a result even lone kamine can usually provide decently for themselves. Cursed or otherwise ostracized kamine who live among Vystrian wolves enjoy this reputation the most, usually becoming some of the most skilled hunters in the pack.
Due to their spirituality, even starving kamine will refuse to eat bones or teeth of their prey items, fearing they would anger the spirit of the animal still bound within the carcass. Any kamine will refuse to eat the species they choose to "give intelligence", often abstaining from that class of animals entirely. They will also be extremely hesitant to eat carrion, eggs, and other types of easy prey, unwilling to risk angering Linath or Shiranui over perceived connections that may still remain within the chosen item.
Credits;
Species info credited to Skye Hajime, Bucketorandomness, Soundthebugle, and Verridith.
In-Depth Information;
Appearance As lupines, kamine are four-legged and covered in fur. They have the typical wolf features, but in addition to their usual wolfish appearance, they possess varied draconic features. All kamine - save for some of the Cursed - have wings, either webbed or feathered, and usually fly on a regular occasion. Their teeth and jaws are larger and more pronounced than a true wolf's, and every kamine has a long, serpentine tail covered in either fur, scales, or plates. Their claws are much larger and broader than Vystrian wolves, and their fangs may often protrude in visible sabers. Colors and markings range widely across the board, though kamine packs usually consist of individuals with similar base coats, as they congregate towards those they are like.
Kamine teeth are unusual in that they are more draconic, and often never stop growing; any individual will lose one to two teeth a year, as new, sharp teeth push out and replace the old. Thus, broken teeth are rarely worried over, and it is common to see kamine with mismatched fangs or sporting a gap where a new tooth has yet to grow. Some create jewelry with their own shed teeth, though they do not share teeth among themselves without first altering them to break the supposed spiritual connection they may harbor.
Mismatched wings are considered terrible luck and doom upon an entire pack, as is a lack of draconic tail. Some have been seen with scales beneath their fur, but this thins out the coat a bit. Plates, spikes, horns, and frills are uncommon but have been seen as well as varied other mutations, subtle enough not to be labeled Cursed.
Culture Naturally a very spiritual species, kamine live in regularly small, commonly-colored packs in a variety of different environments. They view pelt color as a reflection of one's spirit underneath, and being of similar tones is thought of to be a symbol of unity and trust among their members. While they will freely interact with kindness and compassion in regards to other kamine packs, and will gladly share pups that are born another color, they think that mixed-color packs are omens of bad luck. Kamine are always thoughtful of how their actions in life may affect how Shiranui and Linath treat them after death. Most kamine believe the pair of gods work in tandem with each other, Linath the cold logic and Shiranui the calm empathy; however, some refuse to recognize Linath as a deity of the afterlife, and outright shun any who imply that her father is, in fact, dead.
One action seen to raise their standing with the two is to "give intelligence" to something they might have usually killed. Each member of the pack chooses a prey animal to raise and train, naming it and giving it a purpose in life beyond feeding a smarter predator. Those in the higher ranks of the pack may attempt to train a small predator instead, though these are generally more difficult. The better trained the animal is, the better it reflects on the kamine who gave it intelligence.
Once an animal is adopted and trained to some degree, the kamine will receive an honorary name with two parts based on their previous actions or appearance. These names always have two parts to them and are sometimes used instead of the kamine's true name. Names like Thunderfang, Sorrowsong, and Sunkill are known examples. These names will usually not involve the kamine's color, since packs form based on the primary color in an individual's coat; there would be too many "Green-" and "Orange-" to keep them straight. This method of gathering does not mean that other colors are not present, but it does mean that those unusual colors are not treated quite the same as another kamine with the same color pelt. Those of another base color that stay in their pack will be looked at with uncertainty, and kamine have long been regarded with some controversy by other species for their views.
When dealing with outsiders of any species, kamine have a tendency to trust those who wear similar colors to their pack more than those who do not. They will trade with outsiders, usually with the pets they've trained or some kamine teeth. For these, however, a kamine will not trade unaltered teeth to an outsider due to a belief that it is still connected to them in some way. To avoid being punished by Linath and Shiranui for something they didn't do, a kamine will carve, enchant, or otherwise alter their teeth, therefore breaking the connection. These they will trade easily, though their trust is not easily kept. Kamine may jump to conclusions and lose trust in an outsider in as little as a single sentence, and those who have lost a kamine's trust will not be able to easily regain it. Common triggers for trust busting are being caught in a lie, saying something against the pack, treating a pet without respect, or not being grateful and respectful of food provided. Wise traders also avoid topics involving Linath and Shiranui, though not all conversations about these deities are suicidal.
Abilities Kamine are very strong, and quite fast; most are born with large, flight-worthy wings, and all have a bite force that may crack stone. Physically, kamine are overall possessed of great physical strength, are larger and more powerful than an average Vystrian wolf. Those with hard plates, scales, and spikes are incredibly resilient to physical attack, and all kamine are resistant to both cold and heat. All have heightened senses of smell and hearing like any wolf, and their claws are as curved and sharp as talons, often used as such in a fight.
Elemental magic is quite common among kamine, as is non-elemental capabilities such as reiatsu usage and summoning. Seers and enchanters are very, very common, even among those gifted in alternate magic.
Species Origin;
Long before the Vystrian wolves of Time's grace were found amid the lands of Felnova, canine creatures resembling the modern forestwolf roamed the lands of Millirand in small family groups. Fenrir watched them for some time, taking interest in how well they worked together and how wonderfully they treated their members; he grew fond of them, and often led prey close enough for them to hunt.
However, they were simple creatures, and simple creatures often ended up as prey. Thus, one morning when the god turned his eyes elsewhere, did two dragons - a feather-winged female, and a leather-winged male - find the pack of forestwolves, killing three each as the others fled away. They began to eat the two of the ones they had slain, and when Fenrir looked back, he was shocked by what he saw.
The dragons laughed and made a mess of their intended prey; they tore the carcasses apart and played with the bones, leaving much of the meat to rot. These had been creatures that Fenrir had grown to know well, and he felt grief as he watched their bodies be defiled. Two of the denmothers had been slain, leaving orphan pups - and four of the pack's protectors, including the male alpha, had also become victims of draconic sport.
Sudden rage overcame the god; this was not justice, and the two dragons had killed far too many for sustenance. He appeared before them as a storm swirled the sky ever darker, reacting to his anger. You who kill those innocents not for survival, but for game, should be punished; and thus, you will be no more.
The two dragons looked upon him in shock, covered in wolves' blood; then their bodies began to spin into streams of bright energy, disintegrating as their souls were forcibly released. He took the energy and sent it to seek out the forestwolves that remained, bidding them to return to him, as the evidence of the dragons' hunt became as if it never had been. You will no longer be wolves in name, but kamine; dragonwolves, hounds of my blood, and possessing of the blood of my kind. No longer will you be hunted like prey, fed upon by those you should consider friends; no. Return to the forests of your home and live in honor and nobility, and let none tell you that you are any lesser than what I made you to be.
The forestwolves gasped as wings erupted from their backs and their tails became long and reptilian. Sharp talons replaced foreclaws, and they grew larger and stronger, as intelligence awoke in their minds. Bright colors splashed across their pelts and they all bowed to Fenrir as he beheld them, speaking his name in reverence. Thus, he released them and watched as they grew into a powerful, respected pack, and formed other packs to join them, as the dragonwolves called 'kamine'.
This species did not have an Ancient First.
subspecies
No subspecies have been discovered for this species yet!
