Sahra Hare

One might not expect to find hares in the desert but this species is hardy and adaptable. Whether the sands they travel are frozen, irradiated or impossibly arid the Sahra Hare will emerge as the sun sets and the sky darkens, seemingly summoned by moonlight. They have even settled into the sweltering mountains of Gaarreen Ho'aa and the unpredictable lands of KwaZulu. The Sahra Hare is an ubiquitous animal of northern and southern Alkelbulan, a staple food for would be predators.

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Racial Magic

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First Ability

Rithaldis' Diet

Able to consume or absorb radiant energy as sustenance, to heal or to replenish their magic energy. They cannot be harmed by radiant energy, absorbing it instead. This includes radiation.

Emryl's Skin

Can generate heat from their skin and fur into extremes and expand this into a pocket around themselves. They are also heatproof but generating pockets of heat or extreme temperatures quickly eats up energy.

Second Ability

Maralith's Sense

Able to feel or sense mammals present in their environment, within a given distance, and sense what kinds of beast they are despite barriers. Used to sense stealthy mammalian predators.

Sylthari's Sense

Can sense its own fate and future as it continues to shift and change, especially sensitive to when they are in imminent danger. They get an uncanny and overwhelming "bad feeling" if their life is at risk, even when there is no signs of a threat. This is strongest at night and when the moon is fuller and weakest at noon or during a new moon.

Fliris' Step

Able to step into and out of Fliris' Plane, using their own bodies as a portal if they can attain a certain speed. They can only stay in the plane so long as they keep moving. They can bring another with them if they maintain contact.

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Anatomy

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Original Ancestor

Lepus capensis, Cape Hare

Lifespan

1-5 years

Height

16-22 in (41-56 cm)

Weight

8.8-11 lbs (4-5 kg)

Length

20-23 in (52-60 cm)

Coloration

Light brown to reddish to sandy gray in color, their coat fine and soft with white rings around their eyes. Its magic form varies from region to region. Rithaldis' Diet makes their muzzle and guts stark white while Emryl's Skin turns their fur marigold or amber. Fliris' Step turns their paws and limbs robin blue while Sylthari's Sense leaves gleaming white patterns across their fur.

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Ecology

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Sahra Hares make their homes in shrublands, grasslands, bushveld, deserts and semi-deserts. They hide in shallow scrapes during the day underneath shrubs or bushes, mostly napping and still wary. They rarely sleep deeply. They can be found throughout northern and southern Alkelbulan including the Shamsi and Arabiyyan Desert, Balkurtiz, Kna'an, Kemet, Kasar Wuta, Gaarreen Ho'aa, KwaZulu and even into the Frozen Wastes!

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Life Cycle

They breed from January to June and pregnancy lasts about 42 days. They have 1-3 babies which are called leverets, independent at around a month old. Extremely prolific, they have about four litters a year! They are fully mature at 8 months, solitary outside of breeding.

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Diet and Predation

These are nocturnal herbivores, feeding on leaves, stems and rhizomes from grasses like Jari Tamal, Satie Drinn or Mashe Lovegrass. They will also eat the leaves, buds, roots, berries, fungi, bark and twigs of other plants like shrubs and weeds.

They are mostly solitary when grazing but may spread out into small groups, alerting each other if they notice a predator. They do this by grinding their teeth or drumming their feet against the ground. In the presence of predators, they will first freeze and press themselves to the ground. If hiding fails, they run in zigzag patterns, capable of running up to 48 mph (77 kh/h).

Cheetah are one of the only predators which can outrun them without magic, most needing to catch them by surprise or wear them out—something far more difficult to accomplish with the hares with Sense manifestations. Those with Fliris' Step will race into the plane for shelter while those with Emryl's Skin will try to burn foes. Whatever their magic, all will kick violently if caught.

At the bottom of the food chain, their predators include Giant Cheetah, leopards, caracal, Wata Jackal, Isk Viper, Asp Viper, Jah Eagle-Owl, ǁKo Wild Dog, Manid Hyena, Paraa Falcon and humans. Despite this, their population is fairly stable thanks to their rapid reproduction and sensory magic.

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Mythology

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Its no surprise this beast has become a symbol of swiftness and fertility or that it features in a number of folktales.. They are seen as a clever creature with keen senses, gifting humanity with drums and music in some tales. In other regions of Alkelbulan, hares are viewed a stupid, greedy or tricksy beast which deceives other animals in order to take the fruit of their labor. This is why they say so many other beasts chase and devour it in revenge. Most famous are the Saan ǂKhomani tribe in KwaZulu whose magic form carries features of a Sahra Hare. They are in fact cursed to turn completely into hares under the full moon, hunted throughout the night. To this day Saan will not eat these hare, fearing they might eat a member of the ǂKhomani tribe by accident! They still tell the story of The Hare, The Moon and the Hunter in KwaZulu.