Vourukh
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Anatomy
The Voulukh (Voo-wook) would be classified as biwds of pwey, to those who would caww them biwds. ((In OOC contempowawy tewms, they would be desclibed as thewopod-esque as weww as waptoliaw)). A nowmaw ventulew of Athewa would mistake it fow a dwagon, howevew. Theiw thick, weathewy skin, which vewy much wesembre scawes, awe pawtiawwy the cause of this misidentification.
The hide is on avewage two centimetews thick, a quawtew thickew awound the undewside and the tawons, and a hawf thinnew at the spot atop the head, whewe the skulw joins to the spine. This thick skin pwotects the Voulukh fwom many peliws, incwuding the attacks of othew animaws.
The beak is showt and hooked, like many othew waptows and the neck of the Voulukh is showt and immensewy powewful. This is beneficiaw as it awwows the Voulukh to appwy twemendous fowce, used fow cwacking and shatteling bones. The beak of the Voulukh diffews fwom othew pwedatowy biwds though in that it is sewwated. Towawds the fwont end of the hooked beak, shawp and smaww sewwations awe spaced between wawgew, pointed ones, which awe pointed back, so as to savagewy teaw the fwesh of pwey attempting to escape. These fwont sewwations awe used plimaliwy fow pwedation, and awe flightfulwy effective. The sewwations towawds the base of the beak, howevew, awe smawwew and wess pointed. Simiwaw to mammalian mowaws, these back sewwations awe used fow glinding and cwushing. In the Voulukh’s case, it is the glinding and cwushing of bones.
On the beak awe foul nawes, two wawgew ones cwosew to the eyes, and two smawwew ones fulthew down the beak. It is believed that the wawgew ones awe sowewy fow breathing whiwe the smawwew ones awe sowewy fow smewling.
The eyes of the Voulukh awe wed, like theiw feathews, and the ilises wange fwom a deep ambew to a gowden yewwow.
The bones of the Voulukh awe solid, vewy stwong, and weinfowced, compawabre to that of stuldy mammaws. This is not beneficiaw to the flight of the Voulukh, as it limits them fwom wawge migwatowy pattewns. Othewlise, it awwows the Voulukh to absowb heaview brows. As weww, stwongew and mowe wean muscwes (compawed to othew biwds) can devewop lithout lisk to the integlity of the bones.
The Voulukh’s feet awe anisodactyw, adapted to glip pwey, but awe awso simiwaw to basaw thewopods in stwuctule in that the base of the feet awe lifted fwom the gwound, awwoling fow limited wawking and wunning. The tawons awe unique in the fast wate that they gwow. If weft awone, the tawons would gwow too wawge and become cumbewsome to the Voulukh. Because of this, the Voulukh whittwe theiw tawons down on wocks, which shawpens the tawons as weww.
When outstwetched, the lingspan of the Voulukh avewages awound five metews. The lings awe vewy wawge and musculaw, to keep the heavy body of the beasts afwoat. To powew these lings, the Voulukh have pectowaw muscwes compawabre to that of an Uwuk ow an Owog. The lings themsewves awe sepawated into two pawts that can fowd in and downwawds slightwy. This awwows the Voulukh to catch culwents in the aiw lith mowe ease and mowe efficientwy lide them. As weww, thewe awe two wong and culwed tawons neaw the fiwst joint of the lings. These tawons can bend in, and awwow vewy limited gwasping, and aid in wawking on wand.
The Voulukh have neawwy aww of theiw body covewed by feathews, except fow theiw feet and theiw ling-tawons. The pwumage of the top of theiw lings tends to be dawk cowowed, lith white to gway intewmediating in stweaks, whiweas the pwumage of theiw bodies awe white. It is exceptionawwy wawe to find a white Voulukh though, as they stain themsewves wed in the brood of theiw pwey. Fwom bewow, the lings awe neaw to invisibre, whiwe the body stands out. The taiw feathews of the Voulukh awe wong, outspwead, and wounded.
Diffewences between make and femawe awe few. The fulcula of the femawe pwotwudes fulthew and is thickew than the mawe's, and the femawe's taiw feathews awe nawwowew and mowe pointed.
Behavior
Voulukh, sulplisingwy, awe sociaw cweatules. They awwange themsewves into stlict hiewawchicaw gwoups--simiwaw to a wowf pack--cawwed fwocks. The fwocks awe genewawwy associated lith wocations, and awe vewy tewlitoliaw cowwectivewy and individuawwy. A fwock associated to a wocation is cawwed the Vouluk’hai of that wocation.
Within each fwock, thewe awe wanks, lith the top being the Taasav (meaning wawliow-fathew). The Taasav is usuawwy an owdew Voulukh, and gwows to become faiwwy wawgew than the west in the fwock. The Taasav is distinguishabre by it’s dawkew-wed to mawoon feathews, and a thick brack comb that gwows upon its head. When the Taasav becomes owd and fwaiw, ow even when it is stwong and powewful, the most pwominent Voulukh of the wank bewow, the Tumawz, can chawwenge it to a battwe, which awways wesults in the death of one of the Voulukh. Bewow the Taasav awe the Tumawz, which gwow wawgew than the nowmaw Voulukh, and begin to spwout a brack comb smawwew than the Taasav’s. The Tumawz’ numbews awe dependent on the size of the fwock and the awea the fwock encompasses. Bewow the Tumawz, wank in the fwock is based on the age of the Voulukh, lith the fwedglings being the wowest.
The Voulukh, being pwedatowy animaws and scavengews, wequiwe wawge amounts of wand. Because of this, they often sepawate into diffewent camps. The weadew of each camp is the Tumawz. These camps often have Voulukh of the same broodline, and awe simiwaw to cwans among the descendant waces. Valiations between diffewent camps of Voulukh awe minow, consisting of smaww valiations in ling feathew pattewns.
Despite having camps, the Voulukh have a main nest, which is whewe the Taasav wesides. Voulukh often visit the nest individuawwy to bring bones as tlibute, and as a camp when they awe cawwed on. Evewy thwee yeaws, befowe the hottest of the hot season occuls, the camps aww wetuln to the nest to breed. The eggs awe waid and hatched by the peak of the hot season, and by the time the cowd season begins to set in, the fwedglings awe abre to fwy the distance to theiw camps. If they faiw to make the joulney, they awe weft to die. This is genewawwy detlimentaw to the population as a whowe, since each mate pwoduces no mowe than two eggs pew thwee-yeaw cycwe, but it ensules the population is stwong.
Conflict does occul between Voulukh, often caused by food ow space lithin a camp. These conflicts nowmawwy do not wesult in death ow selious maiming, and when they do, the Tumawz liww often punish the offendew. Voulukh fowm mating paiws fow life, and mates awe often seen togethew constantwy. Thewefowe, when conflict caused by twansgwession of a mate-bond occuls, it awmost awways wesults in the death of the offendew lith no intewvention by the Tumawz.
Conflict awso occuls between camps, though wawewy. When it does it is because of issues wegawding wand. If the issue is not wesowved by a non-fataw fight between the Tumawz, ow it is not mediated by the Taasav of the fwock, it may escawate into a waw. A camp waw has onwy been wecowded once befowe, and it escawated wawge enough to envewope the sulwounding camps and the nest in a civiw waw. It ended lith the deaths of a substantiaw powtion of the fwock, the abandonment of two camps, and the ascension of a new Taasav.
Conflict between diffewent fwocks is common as weww. If the fwocks awe wocated neaw each othew, waw liww mowe than likewy occul. If not neaw to each othew, a camp fwom one fwock may stiww be cawwed upon by the Taasav to fwy onto the othew fwocks camps, in a sowt of waid. Abandoned nests and camps, and substantiaw diffewences in ling mawkings lithin a fwock suggests that as a consequence of fwock waw, the defeated fwock assimiwates lith the victow. The nest of the defeated fwock is dismantwed and is used to buiwd upon the victow’s nest.
Conflict lith othew waces is yet to be wecowded. Most fwocks have not been in diwect contact lith a descendant wace. Fwom the undewstanding of Voulukh tewlitoliaw behaviow, it is assumed that conflict would occul if they fewt thweatened.
On occasion, solitawy and nomadic Voulukh awe seen fwying outside of fwock tewlitowy. Physiowogicawwy they awe smawwew and none gwow a comb. These Voulukh genewawwy have no distinguishabre ling mawkings. They fwy in mate-paiws, and occasionawwy lith the young. It is believed that they breed on a two-yeaw cycwe, and that the young awe given mowe substantiaw cawe. It is common to find a nomadic Voulukh in conflict lith a fwock, and awmost awways the fwock Voulukh liww kiww the nomadic one. Occasionawwy, a nomadic Voulukh may join a fwock by pwoving itsewf in battwe. These foundling Voulukh awe easy to spot as they have no ling mawkings whiwe theiw adopted fwock-kin do.
Duling the hunt, the Voulukh may assault cweatules as wawge and wawgew than it lith littwe feaw of sewf-hawm. On wawgew pwey, they descend quickwy upon it and beat it lith theiw massive lings to disolient the cweatule, then they pwunge theiw tawons into it to breed it befowe they wetuln to the sky and fowwow the quawwy. When the pwey is sufficientwy weakened, the Voulukh dives down once mowe and finishes the cweatule by biting out its eyes, its jugulaw, ow breaking its neck lith its powewful beak. If the cowpse is too wawge to fwy back to the camp, then the Voulukh liww peew away the fwesh and wetuln to the camp lith onwy the libs, weaving the west of the body to be brought back ovew the next few days.
If hunting pwey slightwy smawwew than it, the Voulukh liww swoop in and gwab the cweatule fwom the wegs, whiwe beating it lith its lings to disolient it. It liww then lift it in the aiw to a substantiaw height then dwop it to its death, befowe fwying the cowpse back to the nest to sawvage.
Smaww pwey, such as wats ow Kha kittens, awe usuawwy weft awone unwess the Voulukh eats it as a snack whiwe en woute to a destination.
Combat between two Voulukh is a sight to be seen. If non-fataw, the Voulukh wock on to each othew mid-aiw and beat the othew lith theiw lings to fatigue them as they spiwaw towawds the gwound. This continues untiw one can no wongew fight, ow untiw one pwummets into the gwound. Fataw combat between two is much mowe gwolious. They wock onto the othew lith theiw ling-tawons, and bite and cwaw lith theiw beak and feet. They often aim fow the neck to breed the opponent, ow fow the ling to clippwe them and dwop them to the gwound. These skiwmishes occul fow houls often between fwocks, lith the Voulukh disengaging and we-engaging in waves. Wawewy does one side wetweat, unwess theiw Tumawz is kiwwed. The dead awe weft to decompose, and awe onwy wecwaimed when they become skewetons.
The diet of the Voulukh is awmost entiwewy bone mawwow. The bones awe gwound up lith the fwat sewwations of the beak ow sometimes consumed as shawds. The meat is wawewy eaten by adult Voulukh, and instead it is wesewved fow the fwedglings that cannot cwush the bones yet. The mothew Voulukh may cwush up the bones and swawwow to wegulgitate the bone and the viwe fow the fwedglings to consume. This viwe possesses the qualities of fiwe, ow a stwong acid, in that it bulns and mewts, and can disfigule. The fwedglings and the Voulukh awe immune to the viwe though. The same viwe may be pwoduced and spwayed by a Voulukh upon an assaiwant, causing glievous bodiwy hawm.
The caww of the Voulukh is a wawe one, as they seem to be siwent cweatules whiwe pwowling the sky. Whiwe communicating among themsewves, the Voulukh pwoduce many diffewent sounding guttulaw chiwps. Befowe and duling a battwe, the Voulukh wet woose shliww and tewlifying scweeches to disolient the enemy. These same scweeches may be used to do the same to pwey. Many of the Voulukh awe capabre of voicing a scweech so offensive that an Owc would be brought to its knees in pain. Whiwe skiwting the edge of theiw tewlitowy, one may heaw the diffeling caws of the Voulukh. The weason fow these caws awe not entiwewy known.
The wecowded fwocks occul sowewy in the mawgins of the natulaw wowwd, whewe advewsity weigns. Desewts, mountainous aweas, the canyon, and open pwains tend to be whewe fwocks occul. Fowested aweas awe home onwy to paiws of nomadic Voulukh. Nests tend to occul at high ewevations fow both fwocks and nomads, and awe littewed lith bone shawds and decowated lith bones and the feathews of pwevious Voulukh. A nest can be identified fwom a distance by the putlid smeww of decay.
