Kualt
Description:
Kualt are small, foxlike creatures that make their dens in the talus or rocky outcroppings, well above flood lines. They are shy, nocturnal omnivores found in both Korlune and Ankoresh.
Kualt Handlers:
Suitable candidates are rare among the M'Kang. To tame and train Kualt, the handler must be a class three "Sensitive*" or greater; the unique nature of the bond demands it. To have that rare genetic trait, the handler must have Korlo ancestry. If the handler dies, the Kualt will run away.
Their Job(s):
Their size makes them hard to detect electronically, so the M'Kang use Kualt as scouts, sentries, and tracking animals. Certain tribes are rumored to have trained them to do a lot more.
Kualt are prized by the M'Kang for many reasons, these being key:
- Their elasticity when it comes to learning new skill sets.
- Their ability to go without food or water for several weeks at a time.
- Their ability to track in low and no light situations.
- Their ability to always find their way home.
Capture:
A M'Kang handler will go topside and locate a pregnant Trix and her den just before the storm season begins. Two weeks after the rains have started, the handler goes topside again and makes the dangerous journey to the burrow. Once inside, the handler unzips their envirosuit and places the newborn Kit inside, next to their heart. Note: It's a dangerous exercise for a handler; they know there will be no rescue party if something goes wrong. Experienced handlers have fallen while climbing the slick, rocky outcroppings. Those that didn't die immediately succumb to their injuries, exposure, or become prey to Meerac.
After the handler has returned to the tribe, they go into isolation to bond with the Kit. During this time, the handler learns to read the needs of the Kit; it's named, fed, cleaned, and handled with love. When its eyes open, the formative bond is in place, and the Kit accepts the handler as its parent. Training can begin.
After the handler has returned to the tribe, they go into isolation to bond with the Kit. During this time, the handler learns to read the needs of the Kit; it's named, fed, cleaned, and handled with love. When its eyes open, the formative bond is in place, and the Kit accepts the handler as its parent. Training can begin.
Basic Information
Biological Traits
A male Kualt is called a Dix.
A female Kualt is called a Trix.
Their offspring are called Kits.
A female Kualt is called a Trix.
Their offspring are called Kits.
Genetics and Reproduction
Mating season occurs every 3 years, mid-way between the short and long rains.
Unpaired Trixes search for a suitable mate just after the short rains and will often travel several hundred kilometers in their quest.
Unpaired Dixes will fight among themselves over prime hunting ground and denning sites until they've secured a viable territory (roughly 5 sq km). They then mark the perimeter of their domain by spraying their musk at regular intervals.
The Trix will assess these scent markers, and if it is pleasing, she will enter his territory. If the scent is not, she will skirt that territory, thus avoiding the danger of inbreeding.
Courtship consists of three days and nights of play.
Once breeding has commenced, there is an eighty percent chance of pregnancy.
The Dix will dig three dens for the Trix to choose from while she hunts and builds up her fat stores. Two days before the first storm breaks, they retreat to the chosen burrow and bed down.
Trixes give birth to a single Kit while hibernating.
Unpaired Trixes search for a suitable mate just after the short rains and will often travel several hundred kilometers in their quest.
Unpaired Dixes will fight among themselves over prime hunting ground and denning sites until they've secured a viable territory (roughly 5 sq km). They then mark the perimeter of their domain by spraying their musk at regular intervals.
The Trix will assess these scent markers, and if it is pleasing, she will enter his territory. If the scent is not, she will skirt that territory, thus avoiding the danger of inbreeding.
Courtship consists of three days and nights of play.
Once breeding has commenced, there is an eighty percent chance of pregnancy.
The Dix will dig three dens for the Trix to choose from while she hunts and builds up her fat stores. Two days before the first storm breaks, they retreat to the chosen burrow and bed down.
Trixes give birth to a single Kit while hibernating.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Kualt are omnivores, existing primarily on Singe Berries and Silverii (small silver-colored mice). Both Dixes and Trixes can gorge and store the excess food as fat for periods of hibernation.
Additional Information
Social Structure
In The Wild: Family group - Dix, Trix, and a solitary Kit. Kualt mate for life.
The Kit leaves when it turns three, and it's time to find a mate.
In Captivity: Family group - Dix/Trix and the handler.
The Kit leaves when it turns three, and it's time to find a mate.
In Captivity: Family group - Dix/Trix and the handler.
Domestication
They can be tamed but not domesticated as they will not breed in captivity.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Kualt are found throughout Korlune and Ankoresh and have adapted to the radically differing climates.
Average Intelligence
Kualts are highly intelligent and can be trained to follow both voice and gesture commands. Much like their handlers, they can read body language and assess hostile intent.
by J. I. Rogers - Hero Forge
Above: The Kualt pictured is still a Kit; approximately seven months old and still being trained.
Origin/Ancestry
There are two varieties of Kualt known to scientists:
Kual Arenae - the desert variety.
Kual Schoenai - the grassland variety
Kual Arenae - the desert variety.
Kual Schoenai - the grassland variety
Lifespan
In the Wild: 15 years
In Captivity: 50 years
In Captivity: 50 years
Average Height
Male: 25 - 45 cm at shoulder
Female: 25 - 40 cm at shoulder
Female: 25 - 40 cm at shoulder
Average Weight
Male: 3.7 to 4.1 kg
Female: 3.1 to 3.5 kg
Female: 3.1 to 3.5 kg
Average Length
Male: 45 to 90 cm (without tail)
Female: 35 to 70 cm (without tail)
Female: 35 to 70 cm (without tail)
Average Physique
Kualt have a lean musculature, flexible tendons, and fine bone structure, making them light and agile. Singe Berries contain water with small traces of Tellium salts; millennia of ingesting these has caused the Tellium to absorb into the skeletal structure, strengthening it.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
The Young:
In Korlune, all Kits are born a rusty green/gray color to help them hide among the rocks and scrub grasses around their den. In Ankoresh, Kits start life with a rusty sand/gold coat that matches the coloration of their stony environment. In both cases, their paws, chest/throat, and tail tip are two shades lighter.
Mature Kualt:
In the wild, they are constantly molting, so as the seasons shift, their coloring subtly adjusts and keeps them well camouflaged.
Kualts used by the M'Kang spend much of their time in the tunnel systems. As a result, their coat darkens to a charcoal black, except for the paws, chest/throat, and the tip of their tail. Like their wild kin, these areas are two shades lighter.
In Korlune, all Kits are born a rusty green/gray color to help them hide among the rocks and scrub grasses around their den. In Ankoresh, Kits start life with a rusty sand/gold coat that matches the coloration of their stony environment. In both cases, their paws, chest/throat, and tail tip are two shades lighter.
Mature Kualt:
In the wild, they are constantly molting, so as the seasons shift, their coloring subtly adjusts and keeps them well camouflaged.
Kualts used by the M'Kang spend much of their time in the tunnel systems. As a result, their coat darkens to a charcoal black, except for the paws, chest/throat, and the tip of their tail. Like their wild kin, these areas are two shades lighter.
Geographic Distribution
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