Species: Venaraptor (meaning 'blood predator')
Appearance: Reptilian in evolution, the Venaraptor stands about 10 feet tall, the larger females of the species able to reach a maximum of 12. They weight about 2.5 tons on average and are a quadreped with extremely fast reflexes. It has a long, snake-like neck with a muzzle filled with needley teeth which are constantly shed and replaced much like a shark's. The Venaraptor's arched spine enables it to sprint in great speeds (up to 40 mph) for short bursts, but it's long narrow ribcage allows for steady chasing endurance as well. Covered in iridescent scales, the normals colors are muddy brown or dull green with the flanks and underbelly and tail tapering to a lighter color where distinctive spots can be seen. It is suggested these spots can act as a sort of camaflouge, especially in a wooded location where the light is dappled.
The Venaraptor's main weapons are the two sickle shaped middle claws on its forefeet and it's tri-forked tongue. The claws are used as grappling hooks, used to latch onto and puncture the vital organs of it's victims (liver, jugular vein, etc.) The tongue is its main source of feeding, each of the three points being a hollow syringe of muscle through which it sucks up the body fluids of fairies and familiars.
How it Hunts: The Venaraptor's eyesight is less then standard, so it's primary way of finding it's prey is through 'smell'. It has three receptors on the very tip of it's nose that allows it to translate magic into a smell, much like how snakes can smell body heat. The stronger the power of the fairy/magical creature, the brighter it's aura and therefore the easier it is to track. It can therefore been assumed that lower level fairies or creatures devoid of magic stand a greater change of sneaking past a Venaraptor then those of great power. It is a ruthless predator, and will go to great lengths to catch it's prey once it's made a decision on who to hunt. It is clever, can solve problems of how to get past obsticles between it and it's prey and fight it's way out of traps, and can go weeks following the same lifeform before getting bored and calling off the hunt. It is almost impossible to catch by surprise, since it is constantly scanning all directions like a bird and has the quick, twitching reflexes of a cat.
The Venaraptor always hunts in packs of three. One to draw the attention of the prey as a false threat and two that swiftly approach for the kill from both flanking sides. A Venaraptor is perfectly able to hunt alone, but to see one doing so is normally a sign of a beast in servitude or extreme old age.
Breeding: Venaraptors lay eggs the size of a grown man, in sets of three once every 150 years. Due to their slow reproduction rate, there are usually only 12-15 Venaraptors alive in the world at one time. It is unknown how the raptors choose their mate, but they do mate for life.
Behavior: Venaraptors do not communicate through any language known to fairies, they own way of speaking coming as clicks and whistles in octaves sometimes beyond fairy hearing. They can communicate with fairies however through their gift of Telepathy. They do not speak words, but instead draw series of pictures that illustrate what they wish to convey. Fairies/familiars who are aware of this can often return mental pictures and communicate back.
Venaraptors do not like or respect fairies since 1) they are their primary food source and 2) the race believes fairies abuse their magic for selfish means. It is very difficult to strike a bargain with a raptor, but occasionally one can be made if the stakes are high enough. For example, it is possible for an older, loner Venaraptor to enter into an agreement of servitude, but they must be promised something of great value in return.
A Venaraptor can be killed like any other mortal creature. Their blood is a deep purple and extremely vulnerable to septisemia (blood poisoning). Which means if it were to eat a fairy with tainted blood, or receive a wound in battle from a tainted weapon, it would be weakened quickly and eventually die. Most of the time however, it is the wiser decision to always try to just go around then engage a Venaraptor in battle.
Created by Alora
© Shaman 2009 onwards, all rights reserved. |