Je'val

Written by and bufiogarugi
Singular: Je'val | Plural: Je'vali
The name Je'val comes from two Kreshnei words: malje (mɶld͡ʒɛ), meaning "barrier", and valvek (vɶlvɛk), meaning "bone/skeleton".
Je'vali are most similar to snow leopards. However, they lack the furred coats of their cousins, being entirely hairless.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Je'vali have four legs, and a skeletal structure similar to that of a leopard or other big cat. However, their muscle mass is very low, enough that the bones are visible at all times, especially when moving. This gives Je'vali the appearance of being like a steampunk engine covered in tight skin.

Ecology and Habitats

Je'vali are found almost exclusively in Kreshniva, which spends most of its time as a frigid tundra. The most common places to find a wild Je'val is in the forests, slinking around in the undergrowth.

Dietary Needs and Habits

What they eat

Je'vali are known to eat small amounts of food, which is what gives them their skinny, lanky physique. Their most common prey includes animals like rabbits, small rodents, and birds, though from time to time a Je'val has been seen hunting an arctic fox.

Hunting

Je'vali in the wild hunt by knocking their prey into the air with a clawed swipe, then finishing them off with a pouncing bite to the neck.

Je'vali do not store their food. A lone Je'val would simply eat the food in one sitting and leave the bones. However, a Je'val with young would bring back food to the den.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Je'vali will mate for life, having a litter of around three kits every mating season.
Je'vali are not pack animals, choosing instead to live either alone or with their mate and kits. The female Je'val acts as the leader, choosing where to have the den and taking care of the hunting. The male Je'val will stay in the den and care for the kits, protecting them.
The mother Je'val would nurse the kits for about a month to a month and a half. After this, the Je'vali kits would be taught how to hunt by both the male and female Je'vali.
Without a den of kits to care for, both the male and female Je'vali will hunt. If a lone Je'val does not have kits, they will hunt on their own.

Domestication

Je'vali are commonly kept as pets in Kreshniva, and are seen as exotic and rare pets outside of Kreshniva. They're typically kept at their typical weight and muscle mass, to keep them at their natural appearance in the wild.
Domesticated Je'vali are often very playful.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Because of the magical resistance of the Je'vali, their leather and the oils from their skin are often used to make magically-resistant clothing and cloth.

Facial characteristics

Je'vali have a roughly triangular head, with fist-sized eyes. However, unlike most cats, they do not have whiskers, just as they have no hair on the rest of their bodies.

Average Intelligence

Je'vali are intelligent enough to be trainable and recognize patterns. However, they are incapable of communicating back with their keepers.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Je'vali have no other exceptional perceptive traits aside from their night vision, which has become high-quality to allow them to adapt to Kreshniva's elongated winter nights.

Lifespan

23 years

Average Height

2.5 - 3 ft

Average Weight

70 lbs

Average Length

5 - 5.5 ft | Tail is usually an additional 1.5 ft

Average Physique

Most Je'vali are quite skinny and lanky, due to their natural tendency to not eat very much.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Je'vali are typically variants of mid-dark greens, to allow them to blend in with the foliage of the forests they call home. Some have also been seen with emerald-green spots or specks on its skin.

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