Sumerflaesk

Sumerflaesk are a unique strain of deer theorized to have been hybridized by Vril'ame through the Arcane Art of Light. Commonly called flesh-eaters or flesh-hunters, Sumerflaesk can only be found in the colder regions of the North and nowhere else, with only a few scattered herds going only so far as Montremauxia.

Description

Mature Sumerflaesk can grow up to 5'5" at the shoulder depending on the kind of nutrition that they'd received growing up. Their head and body length varies from 5.3 to 8.9 feet, with an 8.7 to 15.8 inch tail. Sumerflaesk tend to be larger the further up north, with most Montremauxian Sumerflaesk averaging 5'0" at the shoulder.

Sumerflaesk have a single antler in the middle of their foreheads that naturally split apart when they reach sexual maturity at the age of two years. Both males and females grow antlers - male antlers grow wide apart with a jagged form, often ending in sharpened spokes, while female antlers grow closer together with a naturally ornate design. No two Sumerflaesk have the same pair of antlers, and it is used by the Hydrurga as a form of identification.

Their thick, shaggy coat ranges from dark brown to dark gray, blending into a lighter shade at the underbelly. They have an array of darker spots along their neck and down their chests before fading away along their underbelly into indiscernible smudges. Sumerflaesk also have dense manes; these usually start from the sides of their cheeks before merging below their chins and extending down to their diaphragms.

Because of their carnivorous nature, their bodies have been altered overtime from the original Sumerflaesk. They have stronger necks and chests, sturdier legs, and larger hooves with a somewhat wedge-like shape. Their muzzles are long, narrow, and sleek before widening at the jaw to make way for their sharpened teeth and enlarged carnassials. The crook of their nose has a more significant dip, and their eyes are more forward-facing than a typical deer's.

Social Behavior

Wild Sumerflaesk are generally highly social animals that live in large communities (commonly referred to as "keeps") which has the potential of consisting a little over fifty individuals. Younger Sumerflaesk have significantly strong bonds with each other; from birth to their thirtieth year, solitary living and hunting is extremely rare. Sumerflaesk keeps are usually led by two individuals - the strongest male and the strongest female. It is common for Sumerflaesk under the age of thirty to remain in the keep, while those older than thirty tend to instinctively move as far away from their keep as possible.

Sumerflaesk keeps always have an equal number - as well as an equal number of males and females. While happy enough to adopt into their group, they will reject anyone regardless of sex or strength if accommodating them will result in an odd number (unless they came as a pair, during which they will be accepted). Likewise, Sumerflaesk who try to join another group would often try to evict one of the residents to make place for themselves - usually the one that has the most number of relatives in the keep.

They are very vocal, especially during the warmer seasons (or, at least, as warm as the North can possibly get). Wild Sumerflaesk have a variety of sounds that they can make, each having a specific meaning or command. A small, light, bird-like chirp is a common greeting between Sumerflaesk and it's considered very rude not to chirp back - Hydrurga who own Sumerflaesk, for example, always carry a special glass whistle that mimics the sound of a Sumerflaesk greeting. A series of chirps indicate being excited, while a long, drawn-out chirp is usually heard during breeding season. They have low, mournful moans that indicate loneliness, longing, or rejection, as well as a single longer moan that ends with a higher pitch to indicate that there's danger nearby.

Sumerflaesk also have a variety of gestures to communicate, from banging their hoof against a rock to call the attention of others to kicking at the ground in genuine apology. If they exhale sharply through their nose, they are nearing the point of being highly annoyed, and if they exhale slowly, they are about to attack. Sumerflaesk also have a voting system for hunting; an individual initiates a hunt by circling a gathered keep before rearing up on their hind-legs. Those who also rear up are for going out on a hunt (or for the individual leading a hunt) and those who do not are against it. Often, if an offer is declined, another one will eventually try to do the same, up until a majority of the keep agree to leave. Those left behind are tasked with defending their territory.

Sumerflaesk scraps are usually incredibly violent to witness but are integral to keeping the order. Every so often, a mated pair will try to challenge the dominant pair for leadership; both sides will go all-out in the brawl, with other mated pairs joining in to see if they can have a go. While bucks and does alike often end up badly injured after a scuffle, the winning pair automatically receives undying loyalty and respect from their keep - until another mated pair gathers up the courage to make another challenge.

Sumerflaesk keeps are also known for having an unofficial 'medic' in their keeps, a position that is usually held by a freemartin. Freemartins are infertile female Sumerflaesk with more masculine behavior. These freemartins, while having the genetic inability of producing a child like many freemartins of other species, are modified to be able to determine which kinds of plantlife can aid in certain injuries, such as open wounds, stomachaches, toothaches, and the like. They are considerably larger than a majority of Sumerflaesk, larger even than their male twins, and are well-respected and protected in the keep.

Reproduction

Sumerflaesk keeps may only ever have five mated pairs at a given time. Before the start of mating season, usually in the early parts of Last Light, unmated individuals will begin searching for likely candidates - either the buck or the doe will start by creating a den in the hollow, slowly digging out a dip in the earth before surrounding it with whatever material that they can find (brambles, undergrowth, cloths, or the like) much like a bird's nest. Only when the individual being courted enters the den do the two become an unofficial mated pair.

Wild Sumerflaesk come into heat during the coldest nights of the winter (middle to end of Last Light). It is not advisable for Sumerflaesk to be approached during this time; mated pairs and potential mated pairs attack each other, as well as the dominant pair, more frequently this time. Every year, only five pairs may carry children; they will all be fighting for breeding rights. The dominant pair is also expected to participate in these challenges, as a loss during mating season will still be considered as a demotion of the dominant pair. Because only five mated pairs may have children, those who lose in the scuffle are no longer considered a mated pair and instead become individuals again until the next mating season.

The gestation period is between 9 to 11 months. A Sumerflaesk may give birth of up to three foals at a time. Foals are never away from their mother for a short time, but are weaned off of milk after only a month. Because foals are weaned off so close to the violent mating season, they are quickly introduced to the keep's freemartin two weeks after their birth. When the mating season comes, the freemartin takes care of all the foals and teaches them how to hunt. Freemartin are considered the 'all-around parent' of the keep - every foal that they take care of will consider them another parent long after they've grown. Sumerflaesk are only considered adults after their first year but only become active during their second year.

Diet and Feeding

Sumerflaesk are known to be omnivores with a particular and intense preference for meat. Hunting is a part of their daily routine. Sumerflaesk will choose to share what little scraps they can take home and will only ever graze and feed on shoots and tubers if all hunts are unsuccessful for the day. Montremauxian Sumerflaesk, however, are known to habitually chew on tubers and mint leaves simply for the sake of having something their jaws can work on. This has not been observed in Northern Sumerflaesk.

Sumerflaesk go out in several hunting groups over the course of the day to hunt big game. Their usual diet consists of reindeer, yaks, oxen, moose, caribou, and a variety of bovine and ungulates. There have been reports of cannibalism between rival keeps, however, it has never been proven. Bear meat is a rare delicacy with the Sumerflaesk - unlike the rest of their meats, Sumerflaesk will often bury bear corpses in snow and nibble on it little by little.

They are also popular because of their iron stomachs. They are able to eat every single part of a carcass, from the meat to every organ, without getting sick. Festering corpses do not bother their digestive tracks, and it has been studied that Sumerflaesk can even eat harmful plants, such as poison ivy or nightshade, without no ill effects.

by Gustave Courbet