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They inhabit the Swampy forests areas of 'Mexico', the largest populations of Zykla have been sighted in Tenochtitlan, though they have been sighted throughout the Sahara and the Mediterranean coastline, into Egypt, and in the southern deserts such as the Kalahari and Namib. How exactly the Zykla spread to these areas and these areas alone is a mystery, as the large deserts of Africa are still a relatively new land feature on the continent.
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🗻 Seasonal Pelts: During the harsher cold of winter months and snowy seasons, Alpina Zykla's fur grows thick and heavy to help stave off the bite of chilly winds and icy cold. In addition, a second layer of undercoat fur grows in; helping to protect them from piercing UV light within the thin, sunny atmosphere. In the same vein, during the warmer, summer months their pelts lose the lush thickness and is instead replaced with a lighter, shorter quality to help keep them cool.
🗻 Durable lungs:: Those hunters that scale the Alpine mountains know how different the air is at that altitude. Even deep, calm breaths can feel empty and exhaustion easily sets in for anyone unaccustomed to the thin Atmosphere. Despite this, The Alpine Zykla manages to run, jump and climb with apparent ease. A testament to the strength of their lungs and the generations that endured and survived to foster them.
🗻 Earthy tones: The mountainous terrain that these Zykla inhabit are filled with Steep crags and slender dirt paths where hearty moss and grasses cling. To match this, the pelts of the Alpine Zykla have broadly adopted colors to match. Cold greys and deep browns are far more common among them than the other subspecies.
🗻 Powerful legs: One only needs to look to their home to understand why Alpine Zykla can often be described as Bottom-heavy. They are constantly climbing, scaling cliff faces or leaping between boulders. Their legs are strained from infancy and quickly thicken with the dense muscle needed to keep up with such dangerous athletics.
🗻 Paws & Claws: It is not by strength alone that these Zykla are made such expert free climbers. Their paws are large and broad with thick, durable pads to help them catch and cling to the rock faces. Aided by the additional thickness of their claws, the dewclaw especially can hook into any cracks and fissures in the stones, Alpine Zykla are made well equipped to traverse their environment.
Zykla from this Biome:
Nightly • Kotopaxi • Atacai
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🦎 Iron Grip: Cave Zykla have evolved a rough, coarse texture on the hands and feet, similar to sandpaper or sharkskin. In combination with a powerful grip strength, this allows them to hold onto even slight cracks and ledges while they free-climb about their environment. Depending on the nature of the cave itself, this has even allowed them to hold themselves up against the roof of a cavern.
🦎 Light Builds: Caveborn appear as though atrophied from other Zykla. Their muscles are tight and wiry about their lightweight bones. They are small, even by the standard scale. For all the negatives this would seem to come with, it has left them uniquely capable to navigate their environment, squeezing through small crevices with ease and supporting their own weight in free-climbing naturally.
🦎 Dull eyes: Different from Night blindness, Caveborn suffer equally during the day. Sunlight is intense to their pale eyes; painful even through closed eyelids thus forcing them to stick to the shadows and shade. Because of this, their eyes are expertly attuned to lower light. Pointedly, just before sunset, and right as the sun rises.
🦎 Spatial Appraisal: Caveborn's pronounced whiskers sweep at the surface in front of their faces; judging the size and danger of any holes or crevices they might seek to explore. Similarly, their tail is highly sensitive, as well. Left to drift in the air behind them; the plush appendage is able to sense vibrations that might guide or warn the Zykla of their surroundings.
🦎 Colors: Generations underground have left the fur of the Caveborn faded and pale. In spite of this, a lingering iridescence in their rosettes has become far more prominent in their low light environment. In the near dark, a flit of their tail or curve of the spine can cast soft, twinkling reflections. Like fleeting torchlight bounding off a damp wall, what may seem to normal eyes like a brief and beautiful phenomenon acts as a means of silent location and communication among the Caveborn.
Zykla from this Biome:
Aysaa • Tovah
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🌊 Web Paws: Coastal Zykla have webbed back paws, not the traditional fish or otter webbing mind you, but more akin to water bred dogs. The webbing aids in swimming, helping them to cut through the water like butter.
🌊 Swimmer's Tail : Tails function similarly to a rudder, aiding in swift turns in the water. The trade-off for excelling in the water is that their tail cannot hold their body weight and is considerably weaker than the mainland Zykla’s tail.
🌊 Fur: Their fur is shorter on both their tail and body, suitable for tropical climates. The fur is double-layered and produces more oil to make the fur waterproof but not water-resistant. Brushing is the way to maintain not only the oil in their fur but to make sure air breaches through both layers of fur; air bubbles are crucial to further aiding insulation.
🌊 Ears, Lungs & Nose: The ear has extensive vasculature to facilitate the equilibration of air pressure from the ears and sinus. Water is prevented from entering the sinus through the nostrils as their nose closes for dives. Their lungs are reinforced (peripheral airways) and are postulated (can collapse to help deal with water pressure).
🌊 Metabolism & Heart: Coastal Zykla have a high metabolism, and often need to eat copious amounts to maintain their body’s ability to function beneath the waves. Once beneath said waves, their heart rate slows to accommodate oxygen management.
Zykla from this Biome:
Jiaozi • Xur'Khan • Lili'ukeaka
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🌵 Eyes: Desert Zykla tend to have longer eyelashes to help prevent and keep the dry windy climates from entering their sensitive eyes. In addition to this, a third eyelid also helps prevent sand particles from damaging their vision.
🌵 Web Paws: Much like Coastal Zykla, Desert Zykla also have web paws to help cover more surface area when crossing the ever-changing oceans of sand.
🌵 Ears & Tail: Ears are usually quite larger and wider than normal, but still hold true to the Zykla appearance. With the wider surface area in their ears, this helps to dissipate heat. Their tails also seem to be much thinner, while still elegant in appearance, thinner fur helps keep their body cooler during the unforgiving climates found in the desert.
🌵 Body & Fur: Their body builds tend to be more slender framed and shorter than average. Teacup Zykla are more common while Titans are less so. Their coloration also typically found in brown or sandy hues, to help blend within their environment.
Zykla from this Biome:
Firn • Shali • Tona
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🌲 Seasonal Fur: While their locale is temperate, Summer is still hot and Winter equally chilling. In lieu of an all-purpose coat that simply settles in between the heat and cold, Forest Zykla have adopted fur that transitions with the seasons. Thick, insulating fur grows during the months leading into winter, fluffing out their already coveted hides. With the onset of spring, the Zykla begin to shed small tufts of fluff on nearly every branch they pass eventually leading to them slimming back down into their sleek, Summer coat.
🌲 Earthy Camouflage: In keeping with their environment, the Forested Zykla have slowly grown into adopting the colors of their surroundings. Soft Browns and greys are far more common with the occasional deep greens filtering in. The Earthy camouflage paired with their dark rosettes assists in breaking up their silhouette while on the move through the foliage and shadowed leaf litter.
🌲 Claws & Paws: For the forested Zykla, The many trees that make up their home are not only a means of cover but also escape. While their powerful legs can carry them swiftly across the forest floor, widened paws and much larger claws help the Zykla in clinging to tree trunks and quickly scurrying away from harm. Thicker Dewclaws keep their climbing hooks healthy while a broad grasp ensures a stable grip on their way up. In some cases, Zykla have been seen leaping from one tree trunk to the next preferring a stable grip of the bark to the potential having a tree branch snap beneath them.
Zykla from this Biome:
Ishan • Kamala • Makali
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🌱 Winter's Sleep: Winter comes even to the plains, and births a unique behavior to the Grassland Zykla. Adapting insulated fur, Cults will huddle together in small piles to share their body heat and fall into a mild hibernation. This dormant state can last between a couple of days to a few weeks. In extreme circumstances, they may risk hibernating alone with only the comfort of their tail to try and survive. While resting, Zykla bodies are only as active as a beating heart and breath deem necessary. When temperatures begin to rise, they slowly stir from their deep sleep and begin hunts anew to replenish lost fat stores that helped sustain them.
🌱 Blunted Claws: With no need to latch onto thick trees or rocky terrain, the claws of Grassland Zykla have adapted to better suit their needs. Thick, rounded claws now tip their digits, better built for scraping into soil for that extra push while on the run, or for digging down to unearth plump and delicious rabbits.
🌱 Marathon build: Zykla born of the Grasslands will develop into particularly defined runners. While far from the fastest of their kind, Long legs, and a slimmer body grant them an endurance for distance running that is comparable to no other. With joints uniquely adapted to cushion the wear of such long journeys, the Grassland Zykla have come to adopt a form of persistence hunting, slowly running their prey to exhaustion over several hours if not an entire day or more.
🌱 Sharp Vision: Where the grass is tall, Zykla stand taller. With so much flatland to survey and such long distances to cover the already Binocular vision of Grassland Zykla has slowly grown more acute. Despite the continued affliction of Night Blindness, their eyes are far better attuned to the daylight. At noon, with their head perched high, a Grassland Zykla can see for miles around them and focus in on details that would otherwise be lost over such great distances.
Zykla from this Biome:
• Aula •
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Origins of the first Zykla
🌺 Crafty Camouflage: Rainforest Zykla are seen in a number of colors. However, more earthy tones tend to be more prominent. With the help of their coloration and rosettes breaking up their silhouette, this allows them to blend more easily within their surroundings when the Zykla wishes to remain unseen. This is amplified if the Zykla crafts outfits out of foliage, branches, and various other elements to create a more stealthy visage.
🌺 Size & Stature: Standard Zykla in heights make up the populace. Though there are a few occasions where Teacups are seen living in the rainforest. Titans are nearly unheard of, as their size would cause plenty of limitations.
🌺 Great Climbers: Powerful legs are often seen on those Zykla who reside within the rainforest. These impressive muscles help aid the Zykla when elevating from the rainforest floor to the canopies. With the help of their hook-like claws, they're able to traverse easily up the damp surface of trees and foliage with ease.
🌺 Cooling Fur: Much like their kin in the Savannah, Zykla from the Rainforest also have thinner coats, allowing their body to disperse their body heat more efficiently when dealing with the humid heat often found in their home terrain. Air is allowed to rush through their fur, sucking away the heat that would normally sap the endurance of other animals and offering them that precious edge that may make the difference between starvation or capture.
🌺 Powerful Tail: While all Zykla have a prehensile tail, those that derive from the Rainforest have a much stronger muscle appendage. With the aid of their tail, they are able to grip onto branches more easily while traversing the treetop canopies. Additionally, this stronger tail can be utilized to fend off foes by giving them a good whack. Another record even made mentions of Zykla using their tails to dangle from tree branches; either for entertainment or a stealth attack from above!
Zykla from this Biome:
Asha • Colel • Cual'kotxin • Fumiko • Izel • Soci • Sola • Tabai
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🌾 Persistence Runners: Above all other things, The Zykla that adapted to the Savannah plains are known for their endurance. With legs longer in proportion than any other subspecies, These Zykla may not be the fastest creature on the Savannah but they are the only one capable of running for an entire day or more. Specialized padding in their joints ensures that their legs will not give out on them on these long treks, evening out their balance as they rush out for runs of 20+ Miles with ease.
🌾 Craning necks: A long, Slender neck is common for many species native to the Savannah and these Zykla are no exception. Be it for poking their heads over the top of tall grasses or leering across the flatland's open miles, the Savannah Zykla's notably longer neck proves a useful addition to their already keen senses.
🌾 Keen Senses: While all Zykla have binocular vision, the Zykla that roam the Savannah have had their eyes uniquely adapted to deal with the extraordinary distances they often traverse. Though still limited by their dependence on daylight, a Zykla will crane its head for a better sightline and survey the lands around it. Exceptionally large ears sit atop their heads and catch the sounds that travel well over the flatlands, quickly telling the Zykla which direction it needs to snap it's head to zero in on a far off target.
🌾 Digging claws: The claws of Savannah Zykla are much less weapons for hunting and far more Tools for running. Blunted and thick, their claws are remarkably sturdy. Perfect for raking down into the soil with each step to ensure the Zykla gets every ounce of power from their strides. As a consequence, this makes them ideal for digging into the soil where a Zykla may want to bed down or drag up plant roots for a meal. 🌾Cooling Fur: With thinner pelts than most of their kind, Savannah Zykla's hides are far better suited to dispersing body heat while on the run. Air is made to rush through their fur, sucking away the heat that would normally sap the endurance of other animals and offering them that precious edge that may make the difference between starvation or capture.
Zykla from this Biome:
• Tzi'viah •
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💧 Dampened Footpads : Longer toes with thicker cushioned pads create quieter and more cushioned steps.
💧 Low Center & Brachiation: Low Gravity Center/ Adapted for Brachiation - Typically long-legged with a low center of gravity. Tails also tend to be a little stronger with a stronger grip, but not articulated holds or able to lift heavy objects. Muscles are longer and leaner.
💧 Muddied Colors: Usually dark shades of brown or grey, and black accents. Creams, whites, light browns or tans are mostly unheard of in the area.
💧 Comforting Dark: While still suffering from racial night blindness, they've socially adapted to the darkness. The marsh being a place of half-light at the best of times, many rely on hearing more than their eyes to navigate terrain and find comfort in the shadowy darkness.
💧 Iron Gut: Basically, they can eat just about anything. To survive, the Zykla have developed a strong metabolism when it comes to digesting toxins and things that might make others vomit. To the point of being able to ingest somewhat rotted meat. Possessing a more corrosive stomach acid that is better equipped for killing potential pathogens.
Zykla from this Biome:
Sovi • Za'kaweka • Zehri • Z'ro
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❄️ Size & Body: Males tend to reach Titan class far more often than not. Although, in rare instances, females have been known to breach 6 feet. However, the Teacup class is almost completely unheard of. Tundra Zykla tend to be on the bulkier side with a bit more body fat and slower metabolism through the dead winter months.
❄️ Fur: Unsurprisingly, their fur tends to be much thicker and plusher. A second undercoat is developed during the snowier months to help protect them from the cold winter's chill and frostbite. Thicker and longer fetlocks are very common in the Tundra regions.
❄️ Ears & Tail: Unlike the Desert Zykla, Tundra Zykla have slightly shorter and thicker ears to help protect against frostbite, but still remaining elegant in appearance. Their tails also hold a thick undercoat, which will blow out during the warmer months
Zykla from this Biome:
Sura • Tove • The Sailor
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🌋 Numb Pads: The Volcano Zykla's pads are particularly durable and resilient to the scorched ground they tread. From the moment their young feet touch the ground, it is painful. The hot earth bakes at their pads and slowly forces them to build a resistance. By early childhood those many nerves have been burned out, leaving the Zykla's pads utterly numb to the heat beneath them. This has resulted in adults who can quickly tread across ground so hot that it would peel the sole from the underside of someone's boot.
🌋 Leaping Legs: Due to the nature of their biome, Zykla of the Region often have to leap across deadly magma rivers and take refuge on any stable stone or boulder available for sanctuary. Sprinting has given way to a series of precise and powerful leaps, long jumps that carry their runners over lethal grounds and unto safety.
🌋 Radiant Tails: Heat Exhaustion is a constant concern due to the overwhelming temperatures of their environment. To combat this threat, it is always crucial that the Zykla expel excess body heat however possible. For many, simple behaviors like panting while at rest or sprawling out have become commonplace including an almost unconscious habit of wafting their tails behind them. The whipping of their fur through cooler air acts to radiate out excess heat and cool their bodies down whenever possible.
🌋 Tar:: Far from pure, the volcanic, soot-choked air passes for just barely breathable and has tainted the Volcano-dwelling Zykla. Their throats and lungs have adapted to the harsh air of their home, and while not immune to deadly fumes that billow from the drifting lava pools they are able to endure them. Their bodies have co-opted their tar-saliva as a means of filtering out and expelling both the ash and poisons that might otherwise be absorbed through their throat and lungs. As a consequence, the Tar they produce is particularly vile and perhaps even deadly if it's toxic makeup is allowed into another's body.
Zykla from this Biome:
Coronado • Cyr'xa • Lokesh • Xi'liet