Hayarinn

Basic Information

Anatomy

The hayarinn has a long body with three pairs of legs. It walks with the middle pair lifted off the ground. Each of its limbs ends in paws with three digits.
They have a long tail split into five distinct segments.
They have a bird-like head with large eyes and a hooked beak. The furry tufts on their heads are believed by some to be ears. Others believe them to be decorative and that they have ears like a bird's, matching the rest of the head. Skeptics maintain that sightings of this animal are, in fact, larger birds of prey who have been falsely identified.
They are said to have shaggy fur from their head down to their chest, underbelly, and first set of shoulders. Their fur is smooth and shorter on the rest of their body. Some claim they have claws.

Ecology and Habitats

The earliest recorded sightings of a hayarinn were in -241, prior to the Great Walk. There are tales of them prior to that, but nothing written down.
Jiarad h'Leth--the founder of Horyinn--is reported to have seen several in her lifetime. Her personal journals list each sighting and she goes on to credit this creature with the inspiration behind the Great Walk.

Dietary Needs and Habits

While their dietary needs can only be speculated on, they're believed to be carnivorous. The shape of their beak is reportedly similar to known birds of prey.

Behaviour

It's inferred from the various sightings that they're shy, never appearing to more than one person at a time.

Additional Information

Social Structure

it is unknown if they have any kind of social structure, as they're only seen alone. With how identical the reports are from each sighting, it is believed in some circles that there is only one of these creatures. That is, assuming it's real in the first place and not some vivid hallucination or fever dream.

Civilization and Culture

History

Sightings of these creatures are as old as humanity's ability to tell stories. In the earliest days of their civilization, the hayarinn was believed to be a god in mortal form or, at the very least, a sacred animal. 
Those who believe this animal to be a god in mortal form don't always agree on which god it is. Some say it's Cressida, goddess of the hunt. Ixterinn, god of luck, is also a possibility as those who've seen a hayarinn claim to experience a sudden spurt of luck afterward. Tuatherel, father of the solinn dragons is thought to be another possibility based on the creature's shimmering gold colour. Most believe it to be Yenhara, goddess of dreams.
Among those who feel this is an animal sacred to the gods believe it belongs to Keverynn, the great mother goddess and creator of the planet that bears Her name.
When Horyinn was formally established in the 2nd year after the Great Walk (2 AW), the hayarinn was declared its official animal and appeared on the first flags. The oldest flag shows a yellow hayarinn on a green background as metallic threads and fabric wouldn't be invented for another six hundred years.
In 174 AW, a section of the nomad populace broke off, establishing themselves to the east as Tchupak. Though few among them believe the story about how a hayarinn guided Jiarad north to Horyinn, they continued to pay their respects to the animal--on the off-chance it truly had divine origins--up until shortly after the First Darkrider Incursion.
Sutar, formed in 200 AW, continue to view the hayarinn as a legitimate and sacred animal, though they don't speak about it much.
Those who spilt off in 266 AW to form Tir’ri saw no reason to continue venerating a creature that most likely didn't exist.
In 312 AW, the last of the nomad territories was founded when Aurann split off from Sutar. Their official animal, the Aurannian Fox supersedes the hayarinn. There are few, if any, mentions of this creature in Aurannian lore.
There are occasional sightings of the hayarinn throughout the rest of Keverynn, but there are noticeably fewer and fewer since the Second Darkrider Incursion.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

It is interesting to note that most of those who claim to have seen one are either human or siathi. Very few wolflings or chume'taly have done so.

Lifespan

Unknown

Conservation Status

It is unknown if this animal ever existed or if it entirely mythical.

Average Height

7 feet

Average Weight

Unknown

Average Length

10 feet (not including the tail)

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

The hayarinn is said to have fur the colour of molten gold and that they shimmer as they walk. This description leads most to believe they're either entirely fictional or that reports of their vibrant colouration are grossly exaggerated. Sometimes feathers made from solid gold are found near where a sighting is said to have occurred. They are far to delicate to have been made by mortal hands, lending credence to claims that these are divine creatures, mythical or not.

Related Ethnicities

• Horyinn