Kitty
While having a pet cat is quite usual nowadays, these little friends are the kin of much greater sires that bring fear to the hearts of mortals to this day.
They are one of the great predator families of the world, and many different types of feline predators can be found all over the world.
Lion
The most famous of them is the lion, they used to be quite common in the Yavinian plain, but they have since been greatly reduced in number, due to hunting and habitat loss. They are the only cat that ever lived and hunted in groups, and that made them easier for hunters to find and kill.
Now they are restricted to the less populated eastern parts of westingham, as well as the Rend.
While in the Veskar they have declined, the Armirian Lion still goes strong, as their habitat is mostly within Baskth lands, who do not live in as dense populations as Veskarens, and are therefore not in conflict with lions nearly as much.
There is also a population of Lions in Northern Nalsai'ia, but they have been hunted nearly to extinction, for trophies.
Tiger
The tiger is the eastern big cat, they are the striped cat, most common in the less desertified parts of the east, such as the blood marshes, and the northern regions. This is one of the biggest Cats of all, and their power has made them legendary. They are also solitary, which has made them more able to survive, but still, their numbers have declined over the years, especially the northern Tiger.
The southern tiger is still going strong tho, as much of the blood marshes remain unsettled, and it is there that they hunt alligators, and even large fish, and any bird that doesn't take off when they should.
Tigers are also the main cat found in the west of Armir, where they are the main bush predator, as well as in the northern Pine forested parts, where a distinct subspecies of tigers still reign supreme.
Sabre Lions
These big cats share a name with the lions, even if they aren't closely related. They are often just called the sabre. They have large upper canines that they use to quickly kill any prey.
They are among the largest of all Felines, and they are currently the main Feline predator of the West.
They originated from the Caraethina highlands, but as the lion declined, this solitary hunter took their place. they aren't nearly as plentiful as the lions once were, but their speed, endurance, and elusive nature has allowed them to endure even in more modern times. They are hated for their tendency to attack livestock, and they are one of the most common targets for monster hunters.
These cats are thus far assumed to be unique to Veskar, as no version of them has been found of Armir.
Puma
This cat is maybe not as large as the tiger, or sabre, but their jaws are powerful.
They are one of the least affected creatures by the spreading of mortals across the world, because of their choice of habitat. They live primarily in mountains and highlands, and a version of them can be found in every mountain range in Veskar.
This is also true in Armir, where the puma can be found on nearly every part of the continent, especially in and around mountains, they are most prevalent in Baskythenia's highland plateau.
This makes them by far the most widespread Feline of all.
Jaguar
This great cat is the primary feline of the Enyanian forest, they can be found all over the Enyanian peninsula, but are the most common within the Enyanian basin. They are also found deep within the Caraethina highlands, but they don't go much further north than that, because they prefer the more tropical climate of the south, and the forest has such abundant wildlife, that there simply isn't any reason for them to leave.c
Ocelot
The ocelot is the Jaguars smaller cousin, but they are also found across the marn forest.
They hunt small mammals, lizards, and birds.
Dire Cat
Where Veskar has dire wolves, on Armir, these large canines are much less common, and instead, there are the Direcats, named such due to their incredible size. They are solitary predators, and they hunt by chasing their prey over longer distances. They can be found in the forests of the northeast, and the western coasts. They are also prominent.
They compete with tigers in the northwest, and generally, tigers are more common inland, and dire cats are more common at the coasts.
Leopard
The leopards are the cats of the west, they are primarily found on the elven islands, except Trianmye, where the direwolf is the main predator, and they are the most common in the Tiananmyan archipelago
There are rumors of Leopards on Armir, but if they do live there, they aren't very common.
Lynx
The lynx is the cat of the cold, they are also another cat that is unique to Armir, as the areas suitable to them on Veskar are dominated by wolves.
They can be found in the southern regions of Armir, where they live alongside the southern tiger. They are quite rare tho, and they live primarily off hunting small game, like rabbits, occasionally killing small deer.
Caracal
These are desert Lynx, they can be found in the south of the Baskthythenian desert.
Like their northern kin, they are quite rare, and being smaller than other big cats, they primarily hunt smaller animals, and a large part of their diet consists of insects and arthropods, like scorpions, and spiders. but also small mammals.
They are also the ancestor of the Armirian domesticated cat. which are much bigger than Veskaren cats, and have those cute Caracal puffs of hair sticking from their ears.
The Great Bestiary:
Bestiary
Most areas mentioned can be found in the geography section:
Geography
Or just look at the map:
My very pretty hand-drawn map of the known world.
btw, it is illegal to dislike it, because i made it myself.
The Mystic Lands
There is currently no sufficient amound of data about the mystic continents to include them in this article, and the Armirian information about the cats is still being discovered.
Canine Competition
Felines have always had to compete with canines for domination of the Predatory world, but they have managed this by adapting to a certain niche, that of stealth and ambush hunting.
This is reflected by the presence of Lions, they were the original group hunter of the Yavinian plains, but as they declined, the more northern wolf swooped in to fill that niche, they were smaller and more mobile, allowing them to more effectively escape the human hunters.
In the east, this is seen clearly because the wargs there fill such a large portion of the predator niche, that the only cats live in the mountains, or far away from the desert, where prey is more plentiful.
In Armir there are much fewer Canines, allowing Felines to occupy a much larger portion of the predator niche.
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