Axebeak

Axebeaks are a species of large omnivorous bird native to the Crestfallen desert region of Drang. Their name derives from their large, wedge-shaped beaks, capable of crushing bones and breakig through the thick spiny exteriors of desert cacti to access the water inside.

Description

An adult axebeak stands approximately 2 meters tall at the withers, with little variation between the heights of male and female specimens. Their bodies are supported by a pair of thick, muscled legs, allowing the axebeak to reach land speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour. The axe beak's other most noteworthy characteristic, its namesake beak, has a tremendously powerful bite force, which aids it in foraging for food and water within the sparse desert environment.
A mated pair of axebeaks produce a single clutch of 7-10 eggs per year, which require between 42-50 days of gestation before hatching. After hatching, an axebeak chick takes a mere 18 months to grow to its full size.
In the wild, axebeaks are viciously territorial, living in packs usually consisting of a single adult male and a harem of females along with their juvenile offspring.

Domestication

While it may be difficult to believe that such a ferocious animal would be suitable as a beast of burden, axebeaks have been successfully domesticated by the desert elves that reside in Drang. While their domestication methods are a fiercely protected secret among the elves, it has been speculated that the elves may have domesticated the axe beaks first by stealing eggs (taking advantage of the axe beak chicks' imprinting on the first creature they see as their parent) and selectively breeding the offspring to become less aggressive and more docile and compliant.
The axebeaks are used by the elves as mount animals, leading to the desert elves' unparalleled reputation as mounted archers and cavalry fighters. The beasts have also proven strong and sturdy enough to pull wagons and other vehicles over large distances across the desert before becoming fatigued.