Arabuk

In the snowy landscape of Akiton's Winterlands, the carnivorous, deerlike arabuks bellow and chatter as they stride across drifts of snow and ice. Once docile and regal guardians of Akiton’s prehistoric wilds, arabuks have evolved into stalking predators that feast upon the planet’s remaining fauna. Their mouths brim with sharp, flesh-cutting teeth, pointed like dozens of long needles. Their four eyes are forward set with two on each side and slit pupils for exceptional night vision. All arabuks have a set of large antlers, curved symmetrically in a crown above their heads. Their patterned, leopard-like bodies assist them in blending in with the rugged tundra. When hunting, the creatures’ padded and clawed front feet allow them to evenly spread their weight as they traverse precarious snowbanks. Arabuks can also leap great distances and balance on the jagged edges of mountains with their sturdy and powerful hoofed back legs.
Most arabuks live in solitude except to mate, due to their tendency to obsessively guard their territory. The ancient Ice Clans of Akiton took advantage of this trait by using the beasts to protect their vulnerable settlements. Few Ice Clans have held onto their arabuk herds, and those that have must exercise great caution in managing the temperamental yearlings to harvest the antlers they shed each year.
Thanks to the unique composition of arabuks’ antlers, they vibrate with high intensity in the presence of sound waves. This effect enables arabuks to amplify their vocalizations into deafening attacks. When hunting, they chatter and click their jaws while eyeing their prey intensely, producing a swelling sound from their antlers that they unleash in a concentrated assault. Their amplified yowls can have enough power to shake entire mountains and cause avalanches, but producing such intense vocalizations is painful for arabuks. Consequently, they exercise careful control over their sonic attacks.
Arabuks occasionally form groups called glarings, usually composed of several similarly aged arabuk yearlings following the guidance of a more established elder arabuk. Due to the harsh nature of their arctic environs, few arabuks survive for more than 5 years, but a fierce and lucky few live up to 25 years. Mature arabuks are a regal sight to behold, as they appear much larger than their younger counterparts and stride with confidence through their territories. The plush manes of white fur surrounding their necks make them easily identifiable. While younger arabuks keep their heads low as they stalk the snow drifts, mature arabuks keep their heads upright, and the wind through their antlers produces a haunting song that echoes across the snow-muted landscape. When lost in a blizzard, travelers can rely on this song to follow the arabuk, who’s undoubtedly traveling to fairer weather.
The Ice Clans and other conservation groups often stay on the lookout for hardy freelancers to capture potential mating pairs of arabuks. The frigid weather, competition against poachers, and the arabuks themselves make this lucrative opportunity dangerous, however. Arabuks’ sonic attacks rarely affect the environment when they hunt, but when acting in defense, they unleash desperate bursts that gradually weaken the surrounding terrain’s integrity and cause ever more frequent and dangerous avalanches. Xenowardens and other protectors of nature insist that with protection and a careful breeding program, these majestic creatures might one day return to their role as the respected and regal guardians of Akiton’s poles.