"Wait and watch. It is almost impossible to see them when they aren't moving. They are elusive but they can't trick a good nose, that's what our four-legged friends are for."
Nice and Warm
The
Orthlands are a cold place - even the summers are not particularly hot - and by the time people adapted to life in such a place, the animals there had long since settled in. One such animal, the Orthan hare, has a multi-layered coat of fur to help it survive the cold and windy environment.
Compared to the hares of
Breharan, the Orthan hare is small - closer to the size of a rabbit than a hare - and has shorter ears and limbs.
White as Snow
Myth says that the Orthan hares turn white in the winter because
Haira once agreed to protect them from the
whitewolves and that pact stands to the present. Whatever the reason may be, their white coats allow them to blend in almost perfectly with the snowy landscape. Only when they move are they readily visible to predators.
While their fur can protect them from sight, it can't protect them from smell, and if they end up upwind from their predators the hunt will certainly begin. Fortunately, they are incredibly quick and are often able to escape from predators. Their predators are determined creatures though and will follow the hares until they begin to tire.
Stub Article
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Old Article
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In-Progress Article
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Windblessed
It is said among the
Orth that the hares have been blessed by all of the winds. This makes them a sacred animal. Unfortunately for the Orthan hares, eating a sacred animal is said to impart its blessings onto whoever consumes it.
Haira gives them camouflage in the winter to protect them from predators.
Yaliru provides them with the energy to go and to grow. Young hares are fully grown within a season - which is important in a place with short summers - and are ready to have their own offspring at one year.
Iia has blessed them with warmth and with life. They stay warm in the snow even in the coldest winter winds and in the summers they give birth to up to twelve leverets.
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