Creeper

Basic Information

Anatomy

Creepers are very grassy, flora covered entities that at first glance seem to be actually made of the flora that covers them, however this is not the case. They simply have flesh that matches the hue of the flora they have on their body, and the vine-like appendages are actually fleshy growths which hang off the sides of their body. Their flesh is both coated and imbedded with a form of fertilizer that allows for accelerated growth of plants and foliage across their body. The plants actually do take root on their flesh, despite being a separate entity to the creeper itself, which is a large bean shaped monster with a large maw and two blue eyes.

Biological Traits

Creeper biology tends to change in order to better suit the plant life they are most commonly around, and thus they can be a bit different between regions much like the flora can be. This can mean different life spans, different pigmentations, and potentially different sizes. This doesn't vary all that much, since they mostly remain the same, but it does play a factor as far as their physical attributes are concerned.

Genetics and Reproduction

Much like how plants pollinate one another, creepers can pollinate one another too which is how reproduction is done. Outside of this rather unique fertilization process, gestation and birthing of the creature remains pretty similar to most other land mammals.

Growth Rate & Stages

Baby creepers have no foliage to hide in and thus are not capable of hunting for themselves. Over the few years it takes for them to mature and gain the fertile skin that flora likes to grow on, their mother will hunt for them. Once they are a young adolescent, they will begin to hunt smaller fauna until they are fully grown.

Ecology and Habitats

Creepers are strictly woodland denizens. They only crop up in forests and jungles, and very rarely out in prairies and fields. They are extremely skittish, and much prefer the comfort of hiding in foliage that covers their habitats. This is especially true in forests surrounding civilization, which is where most can be found--preying on travelers coming in and out of town.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Despite the reliance on plant life, creepers are carnivorous creatures that hunt the fauna of the forest and humans. They have been known to look around for berries and other herbivore treats to set up lures for hungry forest creatures, or better yet attempt to grow them on their own bodies. Luckily, due to the symbiotic nature of their camouflage, they can go relatively long times without food thanks to being energized partially by photosynthesis from the plants. They do, however, require a lot of water to support the plant life on their bodies.

Biological Cycle

During the winter, when most of the foliage they use for cover begins to wilt and die off for the season, they will seek shelter and hibernate much like bears would. During this period it will lose most of the flora it has on its body, and begin to regenerate the natural fertilizer that is stored within their flesh in order to grow out a completely new coat of plants in order to use as camouflage.

Behaviour

Creepers, being shy and easy to spook creatures, prefer to stalk their prey and lure them in for the kill rather than attempt to confront them face to face. In order to do this, it will use any number of tactics, ranging from traps, luring in prey with bait, or simply attempting to sneak up on the target. Despite their terrifying look, this is the only method they will even attempt to use, making them a non-threat if they are spotted--often running away when they know they have been seen.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Oftentimes their face is pretty well hidden in the flora that grows across their face, but sometimes an eye or two can be made out. Sometimes their eyes are even lined with rocks or moss to make it easier to see and to prevent flora from growing over them. However, since they do not rely too heavily on these senses, they can sometimes go without them and let their whole face become covered. What is always present is their large mouths with rows of prickly teeth on either side of their jaw.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Creepers are a moderately common species that are found in most forested areas of the world. The colder the environment gets, the less creepers there tend to be. In a way they are seen as the shy mimics of the forest, since they operate a lot like mimics even though they more actively hunt than a mimic.

Average Intelligence

Creepers have shown to have extremely impressive intelligence. They have the know-how to make improvised traps, they will go out of their way to grow berries to lure in prey, and are pretty good at stealth. While they may be monsters, they are incredibly diligent in how they go about hunting their prey unlike more savage creatures.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Due to the symbiotic nature it has with the flora both on and around it, it can detect prey simply through the environment around it, despite it having decent smell, hearing, and eyesight.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

These creatures have formed a symbiotic relationship with the plants around them. Not only do they actively pollinate the surrounding flora by wandering around with plants covering them, but they actively feed the plants with their incredibly powerful fertilizer within their flesh, and the water which they drink rather frequently. In turn the creepers can go quite a long time without food, since the plants feed them some through photosynthesis. They also provide camouflage for the creeper to hunt with, and allow them to detect entities within the forest through the plants. This does, of course, leave them vulnerable to parasitic species attempting to eat the plants on their body, which they must care for to ensure their camouflage remains healthy and functional.

Lifespan

30 years

Average Height

7 ft

Average Length

4 ft

Average Physique

Despite how shy they are and unwilling to challenge anything that steps up to them, they do have a pretty impressive stature. Most fights they would get in they would probably win due to being the size of a bear, and about as tough as one. While creepers will fight when cornered, they seem rather uninterested in fighting at all, which has always been strange considering their size and decent strength.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

The coloring of their body directly correlates with the most dominant color of the flora they have on their body. More often than not this is a vibrant green, but sometimes they can be other colors to better match the plant life growing from their skin. This is especially true during the fall when plants start changing color. Creepers will actively begin to change pigmentation to ensure they remain concealed all the way into hibernation.