Vourukh
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Anatomy
The Vourukh (Voo-rook) would be classified as birds of prey, to those who would call them birds. ((In OOC contemporary terms, they would be described as theropod-esque as well as raptorial)). A normal venturer of Athera would mistake it for a dragon, however. Their thick, leathery skin, which very much resemble scales, are partially the cause of this misidentification.
The hide is on average two centimeters thick, a quarter thicker around the underside and the talons, and a half thinner at the spot atop the head, where the skull joins to the spine. This thick skin protects the Vourukh from many perils, including the attacks of other animals.
The beak is short and hooked, like many other raptors and the neck of the Vourukh is short and immensely powerful. This is beneficial as it allows the Vourukh to apply tremendous force, used for cracking and shattering bones. The beak of the Vourukh differs from other predatory birds though in that it is serrated. Towards the front end of the hooked beak, sharp and small serrations are spaced between larger, pointed ones, which are pointed back, so as to savagely tear the flesh of prey attempting to escape. These front serrations are used primarily for predation, and are frightfully effective. The serrations towards the base of the beak, however, are smaller and less pointed. Similar to mammalian molars, these back serrations are used for grinding and crushing. In the Vourukh’s case, it is the grinding and crushing of bones.
On the beak are four nares, two larger ones closer to the eyes, and two smaller ones further down the beak. It is believed that the larger ones are solely for breathing while the smaller ones are solely for smelling.
The eyes of the Vourukh are red, like their feathers, and the irises range from a deep amber to a golden yellow.
The bones of the Vourukh are solid, very strong, and reinforced, comparable to that of sturdy mammals. This is not beneficial to the flight of the Vourukh, as it limits them from large migratory patterns. Otherwise, it allows the Vourukh to absorb heavier blows. As well, stronger and more lean muscles (compared to other birds) can develop without risk to the integrity of the bones.
The Vourukh’s feet are anisodactyl, adapted to grip prey, but are also similar to basal theropods in structure in that the base of the feet are lifted from the ground, allowing for limited walking and running. The talons are unique in the fast rate that they grow. If left alone, the talons would grow too large and become cumbersome to the Vourukh. Because of this, the Vourukh whittle their talons down on rocks, which sharpens the talons as well.
When outstretched, the wingspan of the Vourukh averages around five meters. The wings are very large and muscular, to keep the heavy body of the beasts afloat. To power these wings, the Vourukh have pectoral muscles comparable to that of an Uruk or an Olog. The wings themselves are separated into two parts that can fold in and downwards slightly. This allows the Vourukh to catch currents in the air with more ease and more efficiently ride them. As well, there are two long and curled talons near the first joint of the wings. These talons can bend in, and allow very limited grasping, and aid in walking on land.
The Vourukh have nearly all of their body covered by feathers, except for their feet and their wing-talons. The plumage of the top of their wings tends to be dark colored, with white to gray intermediating in streaks, whileas the plumage of their bodies are white. It is exceptionally rare to find a white Vourukh though, as they stain themselves red in the blood of their prey. From below, the wings are near to invisible, while the body stands out. The tail feathers of the Vourukh are long, outspread, and rounded.
Differences between make and female are few. The furcula of the female protrudes further and is thicker than the male's, and the female's tail feathers are narrower and more pointed.
Behavior
Vourukh, surprisingly, are social creatures. They arrange themselves into strict hierarchical groups—similar to a wolf pack—called flocks. The flocks are generally associated with locations, and are very territorial collectively and individually. A flock associated to a location is called the Vouruk’hai of that location.
Within each flock, there are ranks, with the top being the Taasav (meaning warrior-father). The Taasav is usually an older Vourukh, and grows to become fairly larger than the rest in the flock. The Taasav is distinguishable by it’s darker-red to maroon feathers, and a thick black comb that grows upon its head. When the Taasav becomes old and frail, or even when it is strong and powerful, the most prominent Vourukh of the rank below, the Tumarz, can challenge it to a battle, which always results in the death of one of the Vourukh. Below the Taasav are the Tumarz, which grow larger than the normal Vourukh, and begin to sprout a black comb smaller than the Taasav’s. The Tumarz’ numbers are dependent on the size of the flock and the area the flock encompasses. Below the Tumarz, rank in the flock is based on the age of the Vourukh, with the fledglings being the lowest.
The Vourukh, being predatory animals and scavengers, require large amounts of land. Because of this, they often separate into different camps. The leader of each camp is the Tumarz. These camps often have Vourukh of the same bloodline, and are similar to clans among the descendant races. Variations between different camps of Vourukh are minor, consisting of small variations in wing feather patterns.
Despite having camps, the Vourukh have a main nest, which is where the Taasav resides. Vourukh often visit the nest individually to bring bones as tribute, and as a camp when they are called on. Every three years, before the hottest of the hot season occurs, the camps all return to the nest to breed. The eggs are laid and hatched by the peak of the hot season, and by the time the cold season begins to set in, the fledglings are able to fly the distance to their camps. If they fail to make the journey, they are left to die. This is generally detrimental to the population as a whole, since each mate produces no more than two eggs per three-year cycle, but it ensures the population is strong.
Conflict does occur between Vourukh, often caused by food or space within a camp. These conflicts normally do not result in death or serious maiming, and when they do, the Tumarz will often punish the offender. Vourukh form mating pairs for life, and mates are often seen together constantly. Therefore, when conflict caused by transgression of a mate-bond occurs, it almost always results in the death of the offender with no intervention by the Tumarz.
Conflict also occurs between camps, though rarely. When it does it is because of issues regarding land. If the issue is not resolved by a non-fatal fight between the Tumarz, or it is not mediated by the Taasav of the flock, it may escalate into a war. A camp war has only been recorded once before, and it escalated large enough to envelope the surrounding camps and the nest in a civil war. It ended with the deaths of a substantial portion of the flock, the abandonment of two camps, and the ascension of a new Taasav.
Conflict between different flocks is common as well. If the flocks are located near each other, war will more than likely occur. If not near to each other, a camp from one flock may still be called upon by the Taasav to fly onto the other flocks camps, in a sort of raid. Abandoned nests and camps, and substantial differences in wing markings within a flock suggests that as a consequence of flock war, the defeated flock assimilates with the victor. The nest of the defeated flock is dismantled and is used to build upon the victor’s nest.
Conflict with other races is yet to be recorded. Most flocks have not been in direct contact with a descendant race. From the understanding of Vourukh territorial behavior, it is assumed that conflict would occur if they felt threatened.
On occasion, solitary and nomadic Vourukh are seen flying outside of flock territory. Physiologically they are smaller and none grow a comb. These Vourukh generally have no distinguishable wing markings. They fly in mate-pairs, and occasionally with the young. It is believed that they breed on a two-year cycle, and that the young are given more substantial care. It is common to find a nomadic Vourukh in conflict with a flock, and almost always the flock Vourukh will kill the nomadic one. Occasionally, a nomadic Vourukh may join a flock by proving itself in battle. These foundling Vourukh are easy to spot as they have no wing markings while their adopted flock-kin do.
During the hunt, the Vourukh may assault creatures as large and larger than it with little fear of self-harm. On larger prey, they descend quickly upon it and beat it with their massive wings to disorient the creature, then they plunge their talons into it to bleed it before they return to the sky and follow the quarry. When the prey is sufficiently weakened, the Vourukh dives down once more and finishes the creature by biting out its eyes, its jugular, or breaking its neck with its powerful beak. If the corpse is too large to fly back to the camp, then the Vourukh will peel away the flesh and return to the camp with only the ribs, leaving the rest of the body to be brought back over the next few days.
If hunting prey slightly smaller than it, the Vourukh will swoop in and grab the creature from the legs, while beating it with its wings to disorient it. It will then lift it in the air to a substantial height then drop it to its death, before flying the corpse back to the nest to salvage.
Small prey, such as rats or Kha kittens, are usually left alone unless the Vourukh eats it as a snack while en route to a destination.
Combat between two Vourukh is a sight to be seen. If non-fatal, the Vourukh lock on to each other mid-air and beat the other with their wings to fatigue them as they spiral towards the ground. This continues until one can no longer fight, or until one plummets into the ground. Fatal combat between two is much more glorious. They lock onto the other with their wing-talons, and bite and claw with their beak and feet. They often aim for the neck to bleed the opponent, or for the wing to cripple them and drop them to the ground. These skirmishes occur for hours often between flocks, with the Vourukh disengaging and re-engaging in waves. Rarely does one side retreat, unless their Tumarz is killed. The dead are left to decompose, and are only reclaimed when they become skeletons.
The diet of the Vourukh is almost entirely bone marrow. The bones are ground up with the flat serrations of the beak or sometimes consumed as shards. The meat is rarely eaten by adult Vourukh, and instead it is reserved for the fledglings that cannot crush the bones yet. The mother Vourukh may crush up the bones and swallow to regurgitate the bone and the vile for the fledglings to consume. This vile possesses the qualities of fire, or a strong acid, in that it burns and melts, and can disfigure. The fledglings and the Vourukh are immune to the vile though. The same vile may be produced and sprayed by a Vourukh upon an assailant, causing grievous bodily harm.
The call of the Vourukh is a rare one, as they seem to be silent creatures while prowling the sky. While communicating among themselves, the Vourukh produce many different sounding guttural chirps. Before and during a battle, the Vourukh let loose shrill and terrifying screeches to disorient the enemy. These same screeches may be used to do the same to prey. Many of the Vourukh are capable of voicing a screech so offensive that an Orc would be brought to its knees in pain. While skirting the edge of their territory, one may hear the differing caws of the Vourukh. The reason for these caws are not entirely known.
The recorded flocks occur solely in the margins of the natural world, where adversity reigns. Deserts, mountainous areas, the canyon, and open plains tend to be where flocks occur. Forested areas are home only to pairs of nomadic Vourukh. Nests tend to occur at high elevations for both flocks and nomads, and are littered with bone shards and decorated with bones and the feathers of previous Vourukh. A nest can be identified from a distance by the putrid smell of decay.
