Gliding Chatter Squirrels

It's no surprise that Skydweller cities are filled with all kinds of life, and not just humans and dragons. Plants are carefully cultivated along the streets, and with buildings literally grown from trees, it's never a shock when nests, burrows, roosts, or dens crop up in even the most urban nodes of the Cities.
That being said, there's one species that's more common than others. Fast, smart, and capable of doing far more with their little paws that should ever be possible, gliding squirrels can be seen during almost any trip through the Cities. Some build nests, some dig burrows (in the clouds, which should be impossible, but to them it isn't, and we've yet to discover how), but they seem to prefer the nodes (which you can think of as the downtown areas of the Cities) as the perfect places to build their dwellings.
Coming in many different colors, but always with bushy tails and the ability to glide, the little critters are known for their mischievous personalities and hoarder tendencies.

Yeah, I suppose you could call the little things cute.
Don't let them anywhere near a cahve shop, though. They'll go absolutely nuts. Things will disappear left and right until you find the creatures passed out in a pastry cupboard somewhere, drenched in watches, hair clips, and spare coins.

-City resident, having flashbacks

Skills

The squirrels have a number of different talents, with each glider specializing in some skills more than others. All of them can, of course, fly after a fashion. They each have little flaps of skin between their arms and legs, allowing them to glide up to 250 feet!

In addition to their gliding capabilities, some squirrels can also almost fly. It's a behavior called kiting, and you'll often see it on a windy day - dozens of little critters, testing out the winds and following the perfect currents to traverse amazing distances. Some of the squirrels will join small birds in harassing large eagles, some will tag along dragons as they soar through the sky, and some are content to perform little aerial dances with their friends, chirping and chattering the entire time. Aside from this inherent skill, the squirrels also possess a few other talents.

Tracking: Whether it's following a mark around, waiting for the perfect opportunity for a fun little theft, or following the scent of a stew cooking to the restaurant where the dish will soon be served, most squirrels have an amazing sense of smell and could probably follow you to the ends of the sky. For this reason, they're sometimes trained by police officers to track criminals or sniff out snuffpowder stashes. This tactic has been met with limited success, as the squirrels will usually smell something more interesting and run off.

Tricky little fingers: One of the rarest (thank goodness) skills in these squirrels is that of pickpocketing, lockpicking, and general sleight of hand. Now, most squirrels won't take much more than they need and are content to live off of the generous offerings of food shop owners, they also enjoy a little bit of a challenge. They'll sneak into locked cupboards, pinch nimbuses out of coin pouches, and quietly slip hair pins out of updos, hiding their newly won prizes in the enlarged cheek pouches that each squirrel has.

Behavior

The gliders will eat almost anything they can get their little paws on - berries, nuts, roots, insects, and, in most cases, the food that a Skydwellers was about to enjoy - before it was stolen right off their table.

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In fact, that's how most of the gliders support themselves: stealing from an unsuspecting human (they tend to steer clear of dragons, for obvious reasons). They prefer sweet food and treats, but they'll settle for salty snacks and even vegetables. They like to work hard for their food, probably because it simulates the effort of hunting and gathering, and they can follow around marks all day before swooping, scuttling, or dashing in and snatching their next meal.

After said theft, the little creatures will have to run fast to avoid a good thump from any dragons in the human's company. If they're not fast enough, they'll get bonked out of the sky or across the road in retribution. They'll soon recover, though, as they're both remarkably durable and a little too cute to be hurt too bad. (Side note: some dragons get super annoyed by the squirrels, but won't hurt them because their Bond finds the creatures too adorable).

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The squirrels are also hoarders and love to collect little trinkets. Whether they're threadbare friendship bracelets that have finally slipped off, lost watches, or even fallen dragon scales, they spend much of their free time picking the lost and sometimes not forgotten objects of the sky and bringing them back to their nests for decoration.
The squirrels, while mischievous and a little too daring for their own good, are incredibly smart as well. Most of the time, this just aids them in their devious little endeavors, but it also enables them to be incredibly empathetic. They won't often steal more than a little at a time, and keep an eye on spots where they've picked up trinkets in case someone comes along, desperately searching for a sentimental item, in which case they'll occasionally return it. They're very social, and share food in large families, sometimes even going on food expeditions together. Some young squirrels have been known to pop out in front of a Skydweller for laughs.
Since the squirrels are so smart, skilled, and fond of snacks, many small restaurant owners would find themselves plagued by the critters if not for a discovery made some years ago: by leaving leftovers out in a small tray for the creatures, they'll tend to leave your kitchens alone and go raid someone else's pastry shop.

Lifespan

20 years

Average Height

5" (10, with their big, bushy tails)

Average Weight

20 ounces

Average Length

17"

Many Names

Gliding squirrels have a variety of different nicknames which vary based on which City you've grown up in. Skytalon residents usually refer to them as flitters, on account of their spontaneous behavior. The majority of Goldenleaf, Swiftwind, and Oakgear call them gliders (for obvious reasons). The people of Windsong and Bluerain will say 'scurries' for the fast and sometimes brazen movements of the creatures, and Noblelore citizens often refer to them as chatters, for the constant chirping sounds the animals make.

A Mystical Origin

Interestingly enough, gliding squirrels seem to have been fond of Skydweller settlements since before the skyshattering. Ancient Skydwellers used to call them sprite diddles. Apparently, gliders used to be much more mischievous in the older days, especially if they went hungry or a family member was injured by a city resident. They moved fast and were much more nocturnal, and many locals believed that they were a manifestation of a sprite, looking to snatch a little food or trinket here and there. In some cases, the gliders would actually destroy important documents or even just locks, blankets, and whatever they could get their paws on. In an attempt to appease the 'sprites', villagers would leave out offerings of food and small plaited bracelets, which actually helped a little to satisfy the squirrels.

"You're my family now"

Although it's rare, there have been documented cases of glider kits who have lost families and, with no other place to turn to, simply picked a random Skydweller and followed them around, giving them little gifts of items and food until they are adopted by that person.
While it's not advisable to pick up random glider kits and raise them as your own, helping injured or lost ones on their way and taking in the ones that have followed you for weeks is seen as a mercy. In these adoption cases, the squirrels become lovable companions to their adopter, finding lost items, reaching unreachable places, and sometimes just doing tricks. In some relationships, they become devious little tricksters helping a street thief pick unpickable pockets. Other times, they've been known to track down lost children or help starving people find some food.

She was so little and alone - even her chattering seemed sad. When I looked at Rain, I could tell we were both thinking the same thing: we could use an extra friend.
So I picked her up, cleaned her off, and from that day on, our duo's been a trio. She even saved us from that crazy storm. I don't know how Rain didn't sense it, but she did - started acting all crazy. We took her back home to calm her down, and just barely managed to get inside before the rain overtook us. I don't know how she knew it was coming, but she did, and probably saved the two of us from becoming lightninstruck.

-adoptive caretaker of a glider