Thirsty Shadow

Peaceful and shy, this bird is one of the most dangerous creatures in Ogha.
They minds as sharp as their talons, teeth and feathers. They rely mostly on smell and touch sense, even when they also have a perfect sight at any time of the day, no matter the weather or how fast they are flying. And do they fly fast! They also kill, eat, die and rot fast.

It's okay, you'll probably won't even know what killed you. All in all, there are lots of worst ways to die.

— An inn keeper from Garla.

While they prefer to enjoy their fly in peace and ignore any creature around them, as soon as they get hungry they will eat any animal they find yummy enough.
Nothing (and no one) has ever escaped from a thirsty shadow hunting.

When threatened, they would fly away if possible and otherwise throw a shower of lethal feathers with either a surprising aim or a wide range around themselves.

Basic Information

Anatomy

They have a rather feline face but other than that they have the anatomy of a bird of prey.
Naturally, is complicated to measure this creatures, but a few percipients have described exemplars that go from 73 to 82 cm long, with a wingspan of around 198 cm and a weight of 4 to 5 kg in their adult age and optimal conditions. That's not to say that those who claim to have killed or seen Thirsty shadows of one or two meters are lying, since we have little knowledge of how many varieties of this species exist.
Scientists of different fields agree that most of the weight of the thirsty shadows is probably from the muscles in the wings, while most of the apparent size is probably feathers and isolating tissue, but these are just theories.

Genetics and Reproduction

This species doesn't have a reproduction cycle, instead a couple of them can build an underground nest, at any time, in particularly hot places.
For a long time, it was thought that the incubation period of thirsty shadow eggs was no more than 45 degrees, and that they would only hatch in the extreme temperatures of the Sea of rock, while they remained dormant in other circumstances. That fit perfectly with the myth about the spirit of the fire giving life to them.
The discovery of rotten or petrified eggs in Estial, triggered deeper research, revealing that there isn't a specific incubation period for this species. It's still unclear how long the eggs last, or what conditions can kill them, but they can hatch anywhere, after gathering around 1560ºC. As far as we know, they never lost heat, but progressively get warmer.
While any finding of nests has occurred in unusual circumstances, observation from distance suggest that the clutches are usually of 4 or 5 chicks.

Growth Rate & Stages

The hatching are quite small, but grow really fast, reaching the adult size in 84 days or so, even when they remain featherless for a whole year. During that time, they are aggressive and their skin is poisonous.
Both parents stay around for up to 30 days. After that period, they can leave them on their own for several days, one of them coming once in a while to feed the brood and, several days after they have all their wings, finally teach them to fly.
The young Shadows are still aggressive, and despite their like of skills, they are considered the most dangerous. The family of Thirsty shadows won't start the travel back to their colony until the juvenile are wise enough to let live what they won't eat. The exact amount of time for that can be as short as Sky's Fire or a few years long.

Lifespan

270 years

Conservation Status

Rare

Average Weight

5 Kg

Average Length

76 cm, with with a wingspan of 198 cm.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Smoke black.

Geographic Distribution

- Frozen mountains
- Lakes of lava
- Chasing storms

Feeding habits

Carnivorous.
They hunt from the sky whenever hunger finds them.

Habitat

They thrive in the most extreme conditions and the usual is to find them in the frozen mountains or lakes of lava, but they also chase the most dangerous storms, to fly through them (just for fun apparently) and sometimes they stay around for a couple of days after the weather changes. When they get addicted to water, they stay near to the human settlements, since those are the only places where it can be found in Ogha.