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An agile nightmare to some, and a loyal companion to others, the Two-Claw Raptor has had a long history with the Allar. Ultimately tamed some three centuries before the Cataclysm, they proved pivotal in the Sendrassian Civil War where both sides made use of their ferocity, speed, and tracking ability through the jungles they called home. Naturally living in large packs, a significant number of tamed Two-Claw Raptors traveled with the future Hadarian Allar away from Sendras when they were defeated, and now call Hadar a second home. However, wild packs, and Sendrassian Allar mounts, still lurk in Sendras to this day.
| Two-Claw Raptor | |
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| Fauna | |
| Official Name | Two-Claw Raptor |
| Common Nicknames | Hutanpenghan |
| Classification | Reptile |
| Habitat | Sendras |
| Domesticated | Yes |
| Current Status | Common |
History
The history of the Two-Claw Raptor is murky, as are many things regarding the time before the Sendrassian Civil War. However, some general information remains known to Allar scholars. The Raptor was originally a nuisance and a competing predator to Allar civilization, taking up nests in rich hunting grounds and raiding outlying homes for prepared meat. The Allar leadership apparently found this to be insulting, as they were supposed to gain the best meats first and so attempts were made to capture or kill them. This failed for a number of years, as the animal was deceptively clever, especially the females. In 310 BC, however, the Digmaan Jaya aided in the design of effective traps that contained these dangerous predators. However, while he personally wanted them dead, his animal taming followers made a connection with the creature and so the Digmaan allowed them to continue their actions. The result was a weaker, yet tamable Raptor that soon spread as a common mount for the Allar military. In the Sendrassian Civil War, the Two-Claw Raptor saw extensive use by both sides, especially in the final stages of the war. Void mutated Raptor mounts did battle against non-mutated mounts, often a fierce battle to behold. Unfortunately, the longer these mutated mounts were tested, the better they got, and the anti-Void Allar were soon forced to pull much of their own cavalry back. By the end of the War, the Two-Claw Raptor was divided in use between those who went to Hadar, and those who stayed, while many more remained in the wilds. Today, the Two-Claw Raptor retains these divisions, and Sendrassian and non-Sendrassian Two-Claw Raptors clashed again in the 308 to 309 AC war launched by the Sendrassian
Physical Appearance
The Two-Claw Raptor bears a striking similarity to some groups of Allar due to many shared physical features. They are large reptiles, growing anywhere between a range of twelve to twenty feet in length and six to ten feet in height. Their heads feature long snouts attached to round heads, and mouths with two rows of sharp teeth. They have two small but powerful nostrils at the end of their snout, while their eyes are slitted and able to be red, orange or yellow in coloration. At the rear of their heads are one to three sets of pointed horns set around the tympanic membranes that serve as their ears. A long neck of two to three feet connects the head to their bodies, which are powerful but lithe. They have two sets of limbs, small arms averaging three feet long while their legs are longer and larger, at four to five feet. Each of these limbs is topped with two prominent black claws. On the hands, they are designed to latch into their prey with slight barbing on the underside. On the feet, the claws are zygodactyl and retractable with two much smaller claws in the ankle area to help the Raptor balance. Both give the animal its name in Common, but also its reputation as a fierce hunter as while dangerous on their own, the Raptor’s hunting techniques are far more deadly.
Their body is rounded off by a pointed tail capable of minimal movement that helps them keep their balance, especially at high running speeds. It is also supported by the Raptor having a hollow bone structure, which is adapted to taking punishment when leaping or being thrown off. The Two-Claw Raptor has several interesting covering features that further mark out from other creatures. They sport vibrant feathers of many different color variations on their heads, arms, and ends of their tails. However, neon colorations are not naturally occurring in the species. Aside from their feathers, they are covered in hard, thick scales which can be a variety of colors, from green, brown, grey and occasionally white. The scales offer a layer of minor-natural protection equivalent to that of thick hide. Given the harsh climate of Sendras, these scales also allow less moisture to escape the reptilian body making it extremely adaptable to harsh and hot temperatures.
Diversity
The Two-Claw Raptor has been divided into two subspecies for all practical purposes. The first is the Raptor’s natural form, wild and untamable, regularly the largest Raptors encountered. The second subgroup is those that were domesticated by the Allar. While often physically smaller, they are easily distinguished given they have greater care paid to their bodies and claws, alongside preened feathers. As for diversity in gender, there are more females than males. However, females are often seen as more clever and better in the hunt as they commonly have better camouflage in their feathers and scales. Males are moreso notable for their better sense of smell.
Life Span and Development
The Two-Claw Raptor undergoes a two month incubation period, during which their eggs are gathered in large circular nests, often protected by several females. The coppery green eggs are six to ten inches in diameter, and laid in clutches of three to seven. When Raptors hatch, they are around the size of a large cat, and their forearms are roughly the same size as their hind legs, while their scales are incredibly pale. As a result, hatchlings spend the first two weeks of their lives in a quadrupedal stance while their legs grow. As they develop, the first thing that comes is the growth of the tail and the legs, after that the torso, neck, and head will grow, after which comes the arms and feet-claws. Their scales darken after a month of time, achieving their adult hue early on. Topping it all off comes the second row of teeth and the feathers. This process takes about three months, during which the hatchling must eat three times a day to sustain its growth. They obtain food from the female Raptors of the pack, and the babies will have physically matured by the age of just four months old. However, mentally they are only mature after a year at which point the cycle can begin all over again. Their packs are highly communal, with little infighting. In domesticated settings, this process is helped by pens, ample food supplies and handlers who help arrange mating and rear children to perfection. The Two-Claw Raptor can live up to 35 years old.
Mental Overview
Both subspecies of the Two-Claw Raptor possess an astounding intellect. They are capable of distinguishing trip wires and snares, and even, in some cases, disable them. They are also exceptional hunters, able to track and pursue prey with chaotic precision, able to predict the moves of their fellow pack members. Normally this gives them a synchronized thought process. Aside from their intelligence and predatorial thought process, they are extremely passionate to other members of their pack, not including the males who normally compete for Alpha status. For the tamed breed of Raptor, the males are more mellow and not so aggressively challenging to other males. This lack of conflict makes the tamed subspecies of the Two-Clawed Raptor even more passionate in other areas, normally to their Allar owner and other members of their pack.
Territory and Groupings
The Two-Claw Raptor is a pack animal. Comparable to other group predators, the untamed version of raptors form in packs consistent of mainly females, with up to three males leading the pack with one alpha and two betas (depending upon the size of the pack) and all from three to thirty females. Additionally, conflicts with other packs are not uncommon. Usually, the males tend to duel it out, and the strongest male absorbs the opposing clan and their territories. On rare occasions, however, this is not the case, and the females will engage in large-scale combat alongside their male alphas. The tamed and selectively bred Raptor, however, is more flexible in pack size considering the males are more docile. These tamed Raptors keep to large yards within a city or Allar ranch, fed and groomed by their caretakers. They construct strong bonds with their riders.
Both the wild and tamed version of female raptor share similarities in nesting. The females typically form group nests, consisting of two to six large circular burrows next to each other where the females lay their eggs together. The nests are then watched over. Females of the wild nests do much of the work in the pack, such as watching the eggs and gathering food, whereas the alpha rests, eats, mates, and keeps a lookout for hostile groups. Tamed Raptors normally share the load of the nest, and do not quite require watching the eggs so attentively, given the stables and yards they are domesticated into. However, females are notably still the main laborers when it comes to egg watching.
Trivia
- In wartime, the Sendrassian Allar will dye the feathers of their Raptors crimson red if their natural color wasn’t already red.
- The claws of the Two-Claw Raptor are often used in tools and weapons of the Void-loyal Allar on Sendras.
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