Failahh

Short introduction

The failahh (pl.: fulaken) is a tree-dwelling octopus of the lush warm rain forests of the southern Moiyeli Swamplands. They are able to change their colour, though not as well as their ocean dwelling brethren. Nonetheless they are well camouflaged, what aids hem in hunting and prevents them from getting hunted. They also display a certain degree of intelligence.

Appearance, distribution and ecology

A failahh's base colour is brown and it's covered with eyespots all over its body and arms which are emerald green most of the time. Fulaken are able to change colours with their colour palette varying from sand-coloured to dark brown while the eye spots' colour can vary from blue over darker green to black enabling them to evade detection by adapting to their environment. They reach arm lengths of up to 1.5 metres. Fulaken mostly lie around on big branches of trees and try to catch birds, invertebrates and tree-dwelling mammals if they can get hold of them. They can also move around quite fast by swinging from branch to branch. They are also known to fashion primitive nests.

Behaviour, cultural role and use

Fulaken live in family groups of around 10 animals which are lead by a dominant female. To save energy fulaken spend a good part of the day sleeping although they are diurnal. When they move it serves two purposes: playing and food acquisition. Other than grabbing whatever small animal comes too close, they also browse the tree tops for fruit or nuts. They also hunt actively as a group. In this case they concentrate on relatively large prey like Brancahh, Woolly crabs and sometimes small crocodiles. They also hunt Hhlán futenand make use of their meat as well as their fur. Their intelligence allows them to use stones or sticks as tools to crack nuts and the wolly crabs' pincers and legs. They themselves get preyed on by a variety of animals, too. Their greatest threat are Fhourahh and dyoba eagles, the latter of which have specialised on hunting in the relatively dense canopy of the southern Moiyeli Swamplands and prey mostly on fulaken, snakes and mabit crocodiles.
Fulaken get hunted for their meat and their beaks which can be crafted into cutting or perforating tools, especially for processing leather which is quite sturdy. Any attempts to tame them have failed and fulaken caught in the wild die after a short time in captivity. It is also not possible to bond with them. In one group of Orohlen it is part of a rite of passage that a young male goes out to hunt a failahh alone. If he succeeds it is considered his last (of three) step into manhood.