quillcat

Gosh… so much typing today >~<  I apologize for my terrible grammar and stuff in all of these…

Quillcat Dossier:

Habitat: Caverns and caves below ground when adults, jungles and forests when growing. 

Danger rating: Moderate

Size relative to human: Slightly smaller.

Quillcats are an unusual subspecies, possessing only four limbs. They have the largest ears of all species and sport long prehensile tails. Quillcats are covered in thick, soft fluff which is more downy than furry and they have pinkish claws with opposable thumbs on both their hands and hind-limbs. They can grow sharp, crystaline spines from the their fluff in a matter of seconds and do so in response to danger, or while hunting. As well as acting like a form of spined armour they can launch their quills like a porcupine, or fling them from their tails. As they age their quills get more and more dense and deadly with adults capable of puncturing plate mail when agitated.

Quillcats are obligate climbers, and live in deep caves and crevasses in the earth where they seek out rare gemstones to collect and live among. Their hind limbs are adept at gripping rocky surfaces and scrambling along spires and cliffs but make them a little awkward when on flat ground and they struggle to walk on their hind legs for long periods.

Like most monsters, quillcats are very long lived, but they grow weak and sickly if they do not bask in the presence of precious gems, the purer the better. They love shiny objects and constantly hunt gemstones and caverns rich in precious minerals. Quillcats are omnivorous and enjoy fruits and particularly crystal peaches in addition to their hunting habits. They live in the deep, dangerous places of the earth but come to the surface to mate and briefly raise their young in the relative safety of the up-world. Quillcat cubs have soft, brittle quills and they mostly live off fruit. Their parents do not remain with them on the surface for long, leaving them to fend for themselves as soon as they are able. They always give their offspring a prize gemstone - called a Mothergem - that the child can keep close to stave off sickness until they are strong enough to seek out treasures of their own. They have good hearing and can sniff out precious gems even through earth and rock.

Quillcats are usually fine with humans, and do not hunt sentient prey but unfortunately many cubs or younger quillcats have their precious stones stolen by the greedy and uninformed which breeds mistrust and aggression. Some people also take cubs as slaves or pets, using them to sniff out riches. Quillcats will fiercely defend their gem hoards or crystal cavern territories but they can be befriended by humans - they have no interest in metals and will happily trade gold, silver or passage through their domains for crystalline objects.