Sprout Squirrels

Pst pst psss pst, munch pspsps munch pspsps
— Sprout Squirrel

Natures Little Helpers

Sprout Squirrels are magical little beings that look like regular squirrels and can hardly be differenciated. Seasoned Beastiarians might identify them by their slightly slanted ears and feather-like tails. These little guys are known for their love of seedlings, which they eat most of, and turn the rest into a fully functional fast-growing tree sapling which they plant on their own volition. Two or three Sprout Squirrel Families can therefore over time repopulate a small forest.

Free Will and Cuteness

Sprout Squirrels are exclusively found in peaceful foresty locations. To turn their food into saplings, they need peace and quiet, thus becoming useless in domesticated environments. Observers have reported, that the process of growing a sapling in their mouths takes about four hours, in which their stomachs and tails begin to glow. When frightened, this process ends as they spit the food out and run away.

Sproutlings as Public Heroes

Being especially prevelent in forests, it is no wonder that the followers of Sam'yra, the goddess of earth and nature, and those living in woodlands regard the little fellows as beings of immens power. Sprout Squirrels are, in their eyes, beings that borrow power from the goddess herself and spread the love of nature. Cathreas inhabitants thus refrain from, or at least carefully hunting squirrels. Most hunters work under the codex of "If you aren't certain about its origin, don't hunt it at all."

Within the realm of the hunt, there exists a responsibility to distinguish the sacret from the innocent. Unless you are certain of its origin, you refrain from the hunt entirely. For it is better to err on the side of caution, safeguarding the sanctity of all, than to tip the balance of nature by hasty actions.
— A father lecturing his son

Origin/Ancestry

Montooran

Lifespan

5 years

Conservation Status

Pedestrian, not hunted

Average Height

12cm or 5 in

Average Weight

450 - 680g or 1 - 1.5lbs

Average Length

25cm or 10 in

Alternative Names

Sproutlings, Sapling Squirrels

Squirrel Trees

The trees growing from the Sproutlings grow at an elevated rate and become fully grown trees after only four years. While most of the trees become oaks, spruce, or whatever grows around them, they also have an elevated chance of becoming Divine Trees, which only further cements the Sprout Squirrels powerful reputation.