Maned bat

Year 568, era of the Movement

Eyes only for the Creator

A white silhouette of a bat that shows a black mane with coloured spots in it.
Maned bat by Catoblepon
Small creatures with powerful roars that are obsessed with the Creator.

These bat-like creatures from the Shattered are known for their morning roars and manes. These creatures are known to live close to The Creator, on warm islands. They spend the nights hanging from the islands and when The Creator starts the day, they wake up with roars. They have big ears and impressive manes around their necks that they use to detect movements around them. Their small eyes change colours to mach The Creator's most prominent colour of the day.

Appareance

Their tiny bodies are mostly covered in fur of different earty brown colours, with the exception of their extremities and ears, which are a darker brown compared to their body. Around their necks and chests, their fur is longer and rather than being brown, is of a vibrant black colour, covered on speckles of colours.

Their eyes' colour change daily, each day being the colour that is more abundant on the surface of The Creator.

A bat hanging from a branch, all painted in orange.
Maned bat (hanging) by Catoblepon


Behaviour

The Maned bats are know for a couple strange behaviours. The first one and most known are their roars. Unlike other bat species, these little creatures wake up each morning by letting go a roar that can be heard around all the island. They tend to sleep under warm islands close to The Creator and for some unknown reason, when they wake up and let go the roar, it can be heard around the whole island, but if you get away from the island, there's a point where you cannot hear the roar anymore even if logic says you should be able.

Another behaviour, only known by people who live in islands with Maned bats, is that they are strongly and weirldy obsessionated with The Creator. They always need to be in a place where they can see it, and most of their day they spend flying quite close of it. Trying to capture a bat will make it try their best to escape back towards The Creator (which some people have considered a useful thing so they can orientate themselves on caves).

Albeit their giant love to The Creator, they don't seem to be able to get too close or touch it. This doesn't stop them to getting attached to a Giant when they go to The Creator.

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Cover image: Maned bat (cover) by Catoblepon

Comments

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May 19, 2024 07:37

Cute lion bats! Are they friendly?   The idea of waking up to thousands of little roars from below is a bit terrifying though. I wonder if there were legends about the origin of these roars in the past :o

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
May 19, 2024 10:49 by Catoblepon

Well they are a bit too obsessed normally to care about people but I do think they are quite friendly as long as you don't prive them of their beloved Creator!

I haven't gotten into mythology and thus myths in this article but Shattered is filled with them and I can tell you that there were multiple tales about these roars!

May 19, 2024 16:47 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

Aww, bats. <3 I love the idea of their roars in the morning, and their manes speckled with colour.

Emy x
Explore Etrea
May 19, 2024 17:15 by Catoblepon
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