Hitherhet

The hitherhet is at first glance an unremarkable animal; many creatures in Starside are evolved with either armor or magical capabilities, so even if a creature has one, it is still just an animal, really just a camel with armor. However, there are ancient legends told throughout the desert of hitherhets being lost travelers, who were swept up and swallowed by sandstorms, never to be seen again. All of the evolutionary adaptions each hitherhet has is designed to combat sandstorms, and for herds to stick together; the first settlers of the deserts saw their silhouettes, walking through or standing and bearing out the strongest sandstorms, and mistook them for spirits. It is unknown whether or not hitherhets can sense spirits, but herds have been observed walking directly into sandstorms even when not being hunted, and the behavior has never been studied closely enough to find the reason behind it.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Relative of the camel. They have faces plated with bone that grows over their eyes and nostrils to protect them from frequent desert sandstorms. They have shorter legs than an average camel, because when sandstorms become especially strong they bury themselves into the sand all the way to their stomachs, to avoid being blown onto their sides. Especially old Hitherhets will simply brace themselves and walk straight through sandstorms.

Ecology and Habitats

Hitherhets have the same ecology and habitat as camels, living in deserts and traveling between watering holes to eat as much greenery as possible, or drink enough to store in their single humps.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Hitherhets actually have poor eyesight, as they have a single eyelid which is always covering their eyes. This is one of the three eyelids that camels have to protect from sand, permanently fused shut. It very slightly blurs their vision for the sake of bearing sandstorms. However, they can sense the magical aura or other living creatures. They use this to stay together in herds when sandstorms strike; it becomes difficult to distinguish between themselves and desert predators in the sandstorms. However, they will also purposely journey into sandstorms when threatened by predators, so that they can hide within the winds.