The Ikrouk species comes in a variety of types and subspecies; 8 in total, with many variants. On this page, you'll be able to get to know the Ikrouk in all kinds of ways, from their anatomy, their subspecies, their variants, the colours of their coat, and even their culture!
Index:
- The anatomy (body, tails, ears, beak, teeth, arms posture, wings and skeleton)
- Ikrouk Growth (Hatchlings and Fledglings)
- Subspecies
THE ANATOMY
As shown above, Ikrouks are a bipedal bird-like species with humanoid characteristics. They have wings, a body covered in feathers, fur and down, scaly arms and legs and two sets of tails.
The body/stance
Ikrouks are generally bipedal when relaxed, but they can easily transfer to quadrupedal if need be (when hunting, crouching, scavenging, scared or in defense mode). As birds, they are digitigrade, with their heel being especially long and their calves especially short, with strong thighs to support them. When they walk, they raise their leg up high, bringing their toes inward, without trailing their feet across the ground. They generally stand with a slightly inward curved back, with their butt protruding out like a raptor with both of their tails (plumage and bony tail). They tend to keep their back more curved out when quadrupedal.
The tails
Ikrouks possess two different tails; one is a long, furry bony tail, the other is a group of long steering feathers. The furry tail is used for balance, as when they walk they usually hold it up to keep their stance well equilibrated; without it, they would stumble around. It is also prehensile and can grab objects to a certain extent and hold on to branches and perches, usually helping them stay perched in breezy weather. The other tail is used in flight for steering along with the wings (except for the Ook since they lack those types of feathers), and is also used for a variety of purposes such as dancing for mating, or emoting certain feelings and intentions like the wish to fight (by flicking their tail up and down briskly). The genitalia of an Ikrouk is located at the base of its furry tail, making the tail a very taboo place for anybody to touch. It is considered a great offense and of horrible taste to touch someone’s tail without being a mate or a very close family member; for mates, however, it is the prime place to make contact to show affection, and mates will often intertwine their tails together as a show of love.
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The ears
Ikrouk ears are long and usually triangular in shape, varying on species. Very sensitive, they can catch the sound of a burrowing mice under their feet or the call of an animal miles into the woods. Being able to rotate around, the ears are an Ikrouk’s main form of emoting and showing emotions; relaxed and wide when happy or content, flicked back with the inside turned toward the ground when angry or annoyed, straight up and almost touching when alert or hearing something of interest, drooping downward toward the sides when sad or distressed, etc. While sensitive on the inside, an Ikrouk’s ear is also sensitive on the outside, and makes for a great petting place when one wants to show affection to another. The fur around the ear is soft like rabbit’s fur.
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The beak and the syrinx
An Ikrouk’s beak is used for many various things. Depending on the species, it can be used to tear meat or fruit flesh open, or crack nuts and grains, and the strength of their jaws can hold down an adult muhja easily by the neck (animal about the size of a moose). Ikrouks can make a variety of sounds through their syrinx located at the base of their throat, from singing a wide variety of notes and sounds, to mimicking the sounds of other animals, to cackles, clicks and hisses, among others. Their vocal bank is incredibly large and includes complex spoken languages as well as a complete natural language, more commonly used by the Ikreyn’cks to communicate without spoken words. Rumbles of the throat mixed with deep sounds are also commonly used to express a variety of emotions and intentions.
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The nose and the teeth
The beak holds a very important olfactory system with two slits on the top to breathe and smell (those slits have a solid membrane inside that can close and open whether an Ikrouk is in the air or underwater). Their sense of smell is very effective, and they can recognize each other through smell as well as follow tracks of animals and other things. Inside the beak, Ikrouks have a visible small set of gums with small, sharp teeth, lightly curved inward for tearing and grabbing. Being omnivores, they usually have two longer sets of retractable sharp fangs toward the front along with smaller canines, and two sets of molars at the back. The retractable fangs only open when they are ready to attack, as they never use them to eat their food. Despite acting and looking like snake fangs, they do not possess venom of any kind. Their jaws are moveable sideways like herbivores to chew their food. An Ikrouk showing their teeth is generally viewed as a sign of annoyance or a threat; when an Ikrouk smiles, they will keep the teeth hidden as best they can and will keep their fangs hidden.
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The arms
When in a relaxed pose and sensing no threat nearby, an Ikrouk will keep its arms locked near its chest, letting the hands dangle down inward. This pose is natural for them and usually tells the muscles of the wings connected to the shoulders to relax and have the wings fold over the arms. The arms are covered in solid scales and a thick rough skin; some Ikrouks can have fur and feathers growing all the way to the wrist or the phalanges, or have the skin freed up to the elbows. The skin of the arms is the same as on the legs. Each finger has a sharp curved claw; Ikrouks have three fingers, including the thumb.
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The wings
An Ikrouk's wings are among their most important limbs, along with the tails. The size of the wings vary greatly depending on subspecies and habitat; for example, the Lotlar live in dense jungles and swamps, therefore large wings would tend to get tangled up in the vines and twisting roots of their habitat, so they evolved to bear small wings so they can easily maneuver around. See each subspecies' page to see their wing size and habitat. The wings are connected to the back plates and the shoulders via strong muscles, and they hide a thick patagia (skin membrane) underneath their feathers that connects to their hips; the patagia reaches to about the middle of the waist.
The ancestor to the modern Ikrouk, called the Ikreyn'ck, bears striking differences compared to their modern cousins, in that they bear two sets of short wings, no arms and no hands. Unlike the modern Ikrouk, who has evolved to favorize long distance flights in open fields, Ikreyn'cks were made to fly short distances and use their wings and claws to latch on to trees, preferring to jump around from tree to tree rather than actual flight. The modern Ikrouk has discarded the second set of wings, transforming it into a pair of arms, and grew bigger and more effective wings attached to their shoulder and back, favorizing longer flights and less hopping around in the trees.
Ikrouk Growth
Ikrouks have three stages of growth that they go through, from the moment they hatch from their egg to their death.
Hatchlings
An Ikrouk mother will keep the egg safe in her womb for four months, after which she will lay it in her nest. Then, it is usually the male that will take the job of incubating the egg for the next four months, until the egg hatches. The baby will use a "hatching horn" to crack the egg open; for most species except the Ook and the Izn'ck, they quickly shed this horn. When the baby Ikrouk hatches, it is called an Ikreling, up until they reach the adult phase of their growth. A hatchling will remain blind for up to a week until it opens its eyes, and will stay very dependent on their parents for food and protection. For the first week of its life, a hatchling will be completely naked, after which it will quickly grow a thick and warm coat of down and fuzzy fur that will protect it from the weather. Because they can't walk immediately, a baby will latch on to their parent with their already grown claws, appearing like a ball of fur stuck to the parent. |
Fledglings
For the first 15 to 20 years of their life, an Ikrouk will be called a fledgling. In this phase of their life, they are big enough to leave the nest by themselves and wander around, but still require heavy protection from their parents or the other adults of their clan. They keep their coat of down and fur for a long time and slowly lose it in patches as they grow, slowly revealing the adult plumage growing underneath. This coat of down is generally very desaturated compared to the adult coat, nearing greys and browns in colouration. That is so they are able to easily blend in with the environment should they be left alone or out in the open. Their wings are growing the fastest in this phase, and it's the prime time for them to learn how to fly. |
Adults
The third and final phase of their growth is the adult phase. They are considered an adult from the moment their down has entirely fallen off and they know how to fly; some cultures have "coming of age" ceremonies, that members of clans need to go through to be considered adults. They can reproduce the moment they reach their prime.
Lifespan
A healthy Ikrouk can live up to 200 years old. However, it is rare that an Ikrouk will reach this age.
All Ikrouk subspecies share a common trait that makes it so they can live this long; a special gift called "Life Blood".
Stories say that when the Lonely One was cast away, the Benevolent One, wishing to help her brother's children survive and be given time to restart their lives, gave them this special gift. In the modern Ikrouk, the Life Blood can be found stuck to the sides of their hollow bones, like bubbles of clear water.
However, despite this gift of long life, not many Ikrouks can reach the end of it; those who can survive this long are usually caught up by the Corruption in one way or another, so most Ikrouks don't die of old age, they die of Corruption instead.
The mortality rate of the Corruption is usually at its lowest when a new King or Queen takes the throne, when the cycle starts anew. That's when we get to see Ikrouks at their oldest.
The third and final phase of their growth is the adult phase. They are considered an adult from the moment their down has entirely fallen off and they know how to fly; some cultures have "coming of age" ceremonies, that members of clans need to go through to be considered adults. They can reproduce the moment they reach their prime.
Lifespan
A healthy Ikrouk can live up to 200 years old. However, it is rare that an Ikrouk will reach this age.
All Ikrouk subspecies share a common trait that makes it so they can live this long; a special gift called "Life Blood".
Stories say that when the Lonely One was cast away, the Benevolent One, wishing to help her brother's children survive and be given time to restart their lives, gave them this special gift. In the modern Ikrouk, the Life Blood can be found stuck to the sides of their hollow bones, like bubbles of clear water.
However, despite this gift of long life, not many Ikrouks can reach the end of it; those who can survive this long are usually caught up by the Corruption in one way or another, so most Ikrouks don't die of old age, they die of Corruption instead.
The mortality rate of the Corruption is usually at its lowest when a new King or Queen takes the throne, when the cycle starts anew. That's when we get to see Ikrouks at their oldest.
The subspecies
Ikrouks come in a total of 8 subspecies spread out across their Home, each perfectly adapted to its own environment and habitat. With each species comes a different culture, a different diet, a different tongue and different customs, as well as different anatomy and colour limitations. You can read about each subspecies down below!