Caniquine

Strange creatures are a fact of life in the Twin Worlds. The forces of magic can change even the mundane into the mystical. Many of these creatures are hybrids that still roam the wilds today, creatures like the owlbear or griffon.
Caniquines are creatures such as this. These creatures are unique to the floating island of Tarador, and are often used as symbols of that nation alongside their feline counterparts, the feliquine. Specifically, they are used in the heraldry of Puerto Azul.

History

The origins of many magical hybrids are shrouded in mystery. Artwork of griffons date back all the way to the Ancient Elven Empire and the earliest accounts of owlbear attacks can be found in the journals of Avela Darkwood, but her casual reference to such creatures implies a much longer history.
Caniquines and feliquines are almost an exception to this trend. No historians have been able to find reference to a time before these creatures walked the wilds of the floating island. Some suspect they were already found there by the first settlers to the island, having been created by fey for some suitably alien design.
While true details remain elusive, Taradori storytellers are more than willing to make up the difference. This very questionable account has all the elements the Taradori adore: romance and betrayal, passions flowing free for better and for worse.
The story goes that the caniquines and feliquines come from marital strife, of all things. A wealthy vintner so overshadowed he was unnamed greatly desired an exotic mount that would be the envy of all others. To this end, he hired a pair of transmuters to create what he wanted.
These were Rosalinda della Playa and Elrondo del Mar, a husband and wife whose love for one another was blessed by Eariden, herself. It is said their love would live on for an eternity if it weren't for this one commission.
Their work was nothing short of art, but they disagreed on their final product. Rosalinda adored dogs above all else, but her husband preferred cats. They fought passionately well into the night. Both agreed the mount should include horse blood, but both were very insistent on what the other half would be.
These arguments were so intense it destroyed their marriage and left them bitter enemies. They both created their perfect vision of what their patron wanted, the caniquine for Rosalinda and the feliquine for Elrondo. In their struggles, they forgot all about their commission and their patron ended up dead.
Once this was done, they kept the grandest mount for themselves and created vast numbers of others with the intent to destroy the other. They led their beasts against one another, and did, indeed destroy each other. The feliquines and caniquines then escaped into into the wilds of Tarador forever.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Like many magical creatures, the caniquine is a conglomeration of two separate natural creatures, the dog and horse. All caniquines have the chest, head and front legs of a dog and the hindquarters, tail, and back legs of a horse.
The specific features of individual caniquines can vary wildly, primarily due to their hybrid nature. The equine and canine features can be quite distinct. The coat colors of the rear half and the apparent breed of the front have can be practically anything found in natural dogs and horses. These features can be quite unpredictable between generations on account of the magic in their blood.

Ecology and Habitats

In the wild, caniquines live in small packs much as wolves do. Primarily due to the lack of places for a creature that size to make a den, they tend to live in the open in a manner similar to horses, although they prefer wooded areas to plains, much to the relief of Taradori farmers. Wild caniquines avoid their feline counterparts.
They are omnivores as their dietary habits are a synthesis of their root parts. Due to the carnivorous nature of dogs, they prey on animals such as deer, or occasionally livestock. They also graze on leaves and grasses much as horses do. They especially love grains and berries.

Additional Information

Domestication

The caniquines are often thought to have been initially created by magic to serve as mounts. Indeed, much like feliquines they were once quite popular among the nobility of the Twin Worlds. However, raising them is no longer common. 
Due their variety of dietary requirements, they are very difficult to take care of. They also tend to be too spirited to easily serve as mounts, although none can explain where this trait comes from. Caniquines and feliquines are never raised together as they tend to fight if kept together in captivity.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Wild caniquines are exclusively found on the floating island of Tarador, hence their use in Taradori heraldry. They are still occasionally found in captivity elsewhere, although this is no longer common, and nowhere else is a breeding population found.

Lifespan

15 - 30 years

Average Height

5.5 ft. - 6.5 ft

Average Weight

1,000 lbs. - 1,300 lbs.

Average Length

7.5 ft - 8.5 ft