Mapelynx

Snowy Grace Florabeast

While Florabeasts do not generally die outright from exposure to cold as easily as many plants do, they tend to dislike cold weather and only a handful of them will tolerate it well. The Mapelynx is a species that not only tolerates the cold, they seem to enjoy it. Leaping across snowdrifts and silently stalking over the ice, Mapelynx are highly suited for the wintry climate. Their large paws and cropped tails help them stay atop snow instead of sinking into it like other tree-derived beasts.  Their unique coloration also help them blend in to the white expanse, to avoid detection and play tricks on unsuspecting passerby.

In the springtime, these Florabeasts are a pale green, shifting into a much brighter hue as summer warms. When autumn arrives, they follow the course of other trees and change early on into brilliant a yellow and orange spectrum. By the shortest day of the year, they will have adopted a bright white or gray scheme, beginning the cycle again as the year changes.

Female Mapelynx develop a cluster of samaras on their underbellies around summertime, and will guard them closely unless the bond with their planter is very high. Because of their natural affinity with the seasons, these seeds must then be buried in late autumn and left all winter long in the soil, only sprouting again when warmer days come.

Name Explanation

The final -le sound of maple matches the initial l- sound of lynx. The last two letters of maple are swapped to align with the animal name; the alternative would be "Maplelynx" and that's fairly awkward.

Handbook No.

15

Latin

Acer lynx

Flavor

Sweet

Vegetable

Maple tree

Animal

Lynx

Size

Medium

Temperament

Curious

Origin

Northern Reaches

by Michelle Thomas