Beteclaw

Children of war

According to legends, the beteclaws were the second sapient race that showed up on Urnketh, and with them came the war and conflict. Because of them, once peaceful Rockwing had to quickly adapt and become warriors, otherwise, they would be all killed off.
They are short-tempered and hard to calm down. But they are also geniuses in combat. Conflict is in their blood, and the way they move on the battlefield is a sight to behold. Once the fight begins, all of their moves become a mixture of strategic thinking and instinct. Paired up with their strength and agility, they are a force to be reckoned with. The only thing that stopped them from conquesting the other races in the past was their low stamina. Aside from huerustlers, all other races could just outlast them and counterattack once they got tired.
Still, even to this day, beteclaws are the most numerous of the sapient races, constituting 70% of all of the inhabitants of the continent.

Morphology

Compared to humans, spines of beteclaws are arched forward, making them look as if they are always slightly hunched over. Their skin is similar to leather, and mostly covered with fur.
Their faces are similar to those of humans, however, their lower and upper jaw and the lower area of their noses are slightly elongated, making them a little similar to muzzles. Both males and females can often grow out sideburns that reach the middle of their lower jaws, and males, if not shaven, can grow thick facial hair. They all have long manes, although lately, it's fashionable to partially shave them and stylize them.
Eyes of beteclaws are similar to those of cats and react to the light in the same way.
Their mouths have additional canine teeth. Their noses are flat and resemble those of lions in their shapes.
All beteclaws have tails, although their length and shapes can vary depending on the region they come from.
They are omnivores but require meat in their meals to properly function.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Beteclaws always were a very social race. They tend to form a group, pick the leader, either by contest or a vote and stick together. Those groups started to grow and became clans and tribes, and lastly, the first countries. They tend to be very loyal and patriotic, fighting in the name of their ruler to death.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Beteclaws tend to name their cubs with short, monosyllabic names. As they reach adulthood, they tend to gain titles for the feats they achieve. Old individuals can have up to 10 titles by which they go, making lives of anyone announcing the names of the guests at beteclaw parties a living hell.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Beteclaws hate rockwings, mainly for their "take your time" attitude. Likewise, rockwings don't like short temper and tendency for being aggressive that beteclaws share.
Beteclaws are the original creators of Smeltsparks and for a very long time they didn't want to free their toys from their possession.
They constantly fought with Humans, and because of that, it is hard for them to trust them. Once they do (usually after being allies in a fight), beteclaws become loyal friends with humans. Woe to the one who breaks their trust.
Beteclaws find the presence of Huerustlers to be creepy and unnatural. They can get used to that feeling, but it takes some time.

Average Height

Depending on their place of origin, they can be between 1.2 and 2.7 meters tall.

Related Myths

• "Everything was Gray"
• Tale of the Accursed Warrior King

Perception:
Beteclaws have very acute senses. Both their sight, hearing, and smell are way stronger than those of Humans. However, their tendency to focus on only one thing often makes them perceive way less than they potentially can.

Lifespan

On average they can live up to 150 years, however, there were one or two cases of beteclaws who lived to almost triple of that, living nearly as long as an average Rockwing.

Intelligence

Due to their short tempers, beteclaws have trouble focusing and learn things twice as long as humans, but once they learn a skill, they try to perfect it. Thanks to that (and their numbers) most of the technological advances that weren't related to Colors were made by them. If it comes to combat and conflict, they can be extremely focused, becoming exceptional strategists.

Gender and reproduction

Females of beteclaws tend to be taller than their males. They also tend to have shorter manes, at best reaching the half-length of their bodies. On average males tend to have stripes on their fur and skin more often than females.
Beteclaws reproduce in the same way as mammals. Their pregnancy takes 110 days.

Magic users

When compared to other sapient races, beteclaws are pretty average magic users. Because their skin is harder and their lifespan is longer than that of humans, they absorb less Colors during their lives. Their Color nests tend to be smaller than the human ones. Only some exceptional individuals can train themselves to be able to use three Colors at the same time. Beteclaws tend to favor the Colors that affect the world and living beings in a more direct way, so mainly Red, White, and Black.