Post by Onyxaeon on Feb 2, 2009 19:41:40 GMT -5
These are the pets that my odd noggin created for the East since the north already has its. ;p Lemme know if I need to fix anything or better suit it so that Cion are more...well, realistic is a poor word for it since everything here isn't. But, you catch my point. =P
Cion:
Cion are a distant, ancient species of tunnel snake that has only recently been discovered: it has no record all throughout Pern's history. Perhaps this is because they thrive on the Eastern Continent and it has only been colonized within the last few decades, remaining relatively unexplored. Or, perhaps the habitat of these snake like creatures is the reason for their only recent discovery. These softly scaled creatures dwell in and among heavy deposits of volcanic ash: deep in the bowels of both dormant and active volcanoes. Their hides are designed to withstand both enormous pressure from the ever shifting walls around them, frequent cave-ins and temperatures from the festering bowels below. It is unclear whether or not they can survive a quick swim through cooling magma or not, but it isn't too hard to believe such possible because their ever shifting environment both above and below could call for it at any point in time. Along their serpentine like bodies, several adaptations have come into play to help them thrive and remain relatively undetected for all these years. For starters, they're terribly agile: catching one is beyond impossible, as they are designed to slide back and forth across sand like surfaces or even water with grace and ease and, even on land, their flexibility allows them to dive into the smallest of holes to escape being apprehended. As if this wasn't enough, Cion have six fin like appendages along their bodies designed to help them climb up rocky surfaces as well as trees. These sticky fins resemble a Terran fish's, but function as a gecko's. Though, they do not always jut out as a normal arm or leg would, as they would only get in the way. To compensate, these fins fold against the animal's sides and back, only unfurling when climbing is necessary to escape predators and such. Those 'fins' on top are not sticky in any fashion, and are the remnants of wings: utterly useless aside from their use for helping to clear out their burrows and prepare nests. Their mouths are designed like a dragon's: maw-like, with four fangs in all that fold back along the soft palate as a serpent's does. All Cion follow this general body structure, but there are further categories that they break down into for appearance. These are Alpha, Beta, and Omega. We'll start at the lowest on the list:
Most Cion are born with the Omega coloring; that is to say a stone colored body gray with gray-black fins and no other defining markings. With this coloring comes a very specific behavioral pattern, as with the other categories. Basic. That would be an apt term to describe the mindset of these types of Cion. They seek out nothing but what they alone need to survive and operate in a pack system known as swarms: you will never find an Omega Cion alone. As a whole, these Cion are very selfish and the most violent of their coloring, liable to snap and swarm anything they deem a threat. For this reason, you wont find any domestic Omega Cion around humans. They're cowards and so heavily dependent on their groups that separation from them is a death sentence. Omega Cion have no skill where communication is concerned and this further makes them unrealistic choices for pets. Ironically though, they are the most obedient of their species, and accept leadership from their Beta parents or a roaming Alpha without question. When their Beta parents leave them, they'll work as a unit: no one Omega above the other, and this doesn't change until the members of the swarm start to die off. These Cion live the least of all because, if one falls ill and dies of sickness of injury, the entire group suffers a form of depression that eventually takes the group out. They are not the reproducers of their kind as they, like Green dragons, are sterile for the large number of them.
The second most common is the Beta coloring. These Cion are a deep, ebony shade coating the entire of the body with flecks of silver around the edges of the scales. Unlike the Omega, these Cion have a further distinctive marking, and that is the cone structure to their skulls. It's an elongated skull cap that could almost be classified as a horn if one did not take a closer look at them. This is a defense mechanism, used mainly for scaring off predators because, when threatened, these Cion brace themselves on their four fin like limbs and sway their skull around, lunging out as if to strike at their opposition, though the nurturing nature of these Cion would not allow for much violence unless provoked first. These are the breeders of their kind, and the most commonly found leading the groups of Omega about because they tend to be their own younglings. They are rather protective, but tend to separate away from their clutches after their first year to find another mate. During these separation points, those first three weeks or so after the Beta parents wean themselves from their young, it isn't impossible to assume that the reason they find a human is for a more stable being to care for. They, too, lack good communication skills, but are more inclined to learn than their Omega brothers and sisters. As such, with repeated practice, they can be trained like a canine to perform simple tasks like fetch something small or guarding an infant's crib. They are ideal for such things, and affectionate companions. Or, at least it is assumed they are affectionate. After all, it's hard to tell how an unblinking creature feels.
Beta Cion, unlike Omegas, break away from their clutchmothers and fathers shortly after birth to seek out mates and create swarms of their own. This is because the pack lifestyle is not suited for these Cion unless they are nurturing their own, and staying in a swarm they were born to prevents them from reproducing.
Lastly, there are the Alpha. These Cion are the most distinguished and rarest of their grouping, and for a fair few good reasons. But, before getting to their personalities and such, their coloration and appearance is far different from the others. Cion of the Alpha classification are a pure, snow white and, just like a Beta, they have silver outlining their scales along with an elongated skull cap. Unlike a Beta or Omega though, these Cion have what would appear to be single whiskers beginning at the base of their lower jaws and extending as 'feelers'. They are equally as flexible as the rest of the Cion's body and twitch in direction according to command. They serve no real purpose aside from intimidation, and it's a pretty fair reason for why these Cion are the leaders of their swarms. They can command any other Cion under them without question, and often take charge over newly abandoned Omega swarms. Their rank in the grand scheme of things is to make sure as many survive as possible, so it goes without saying they pass from one swarm to another quickly, giving only the necessary guidance before leaving them as their parents did. They are the most likely of their kind to find a human as an owner, because they are natural loners. Their coloration is their biggest weakness as they would be about as common as Betas are, but are too easily picked out by predators for their white hue. With this in mind, they hide themselves away more, coming out only to find a mate occasionally, abandon the Beta female to her clutch (Alpha Cion females never mate because something in their appearance makes them unappealing to other Cion), and then later return to make certain most of their younglings live past their first year. They aren't generally aggressive, but are quite violent when pushed, even more so than Omegas because they aren't so destructive in a group: any damage done is all their own. It goes without saying they are the smartest of their kind, but still lack the intelligence for communicating thoughts to their owners. This enhanced intelligence only shows in the fact they are the easiest to train, and quite loyal with no real reason behind it.
Cion do not Impress as dragons do to their owners, as Betas are terribly secretive about their clutches and hide them from anyone and anything with their partners. They'll disappear for weeks on end to tend to their little ones hatched from eggs, and wont return until they have to abandon them for the best. Even a 'trained' Alpha will stray away to tend to its young if it has sired a clutch. They are not advised as pets for this reason, but, owners have learned to cope with these behaviors. or, they have to deal with them, because any Cion will return to their owner once these instincts are sated. They imprint on one human, the first they come into contact with, and unknowingly trust them to impressive degrees. They DO NOT communicate to their owner through either images as a flit or through conversation as a dragon, and not even to the extent of a wher with feeling.
Cion:
Cion are a distant, ancient species of tunnel snake that has only recently been discovered: it has no record all throughout Pern's history. Perhaps this is because they thrive on the Eastern Continent and it has only been colonized within the last few decades, remaining relatively unexplored. Or, perhaps the habitat of these snake like creatures is the reason for their only recent discovery. These softly scaled creatures dwell in and among heavy deposits of volcanic ash: deep in the bowels of both dormant and active volcanoes. Their hides are designed to withstand both enormous pressure from the ever shifting walls around them, frequent cave-ins and temperatures from the festering bowels below. It is unclear whether or not they can survive a quick swim through cooling magma or not, but it isn't too hard to believe such possible because their ever shifting environment both above and below could call for it at any point in time. Along their serpentine like bodies, several adaptations have come into play to help them thrive and remain relatively undetected for all these years. For starters, they're terribly agile: catching one is beyond impossible, as they are designed to slide back and forth across sand like surfaces or even water with grace and ease and, even on land, their flexibility allows them to dive into the smallest of holes to escape being apprehended. As if this wasn't enough, Cion have six fin like appendages along their bodies designed to help them climb up rocky surfaces as well as trees. These sticky fins resemble a Terran fish's, but function as a gecko's. Though, they do not always jut out as a normal arm or leg would, as they would only get in the way. To compensate, these fins fold against the animal's sides and back, only unfurling when climbing is necessary to escape predators and such. Those 'fins' on top are not sticky in any fashion, and are the remnants of wings: utterly useless aside from their use for helping to clear out their burrows and prepare nests. Their mouths are designed like a dragon's: maw-like, with four fangs in all that fold back along the soft palate as a serpent's does. All Cion follow this general body structure, but there are further categories that they break down into for appearance. These are Alpha, Beta, and Omega. We'll start at the lowest on the list:
Most Cion are born with the Omega coloring; that is to say a stone colored body gray with gray-black fins and no other defining markings. With this coloring comes a very specific behavioral pattern, as with the other categories. Basic. That would be an apt term to describe the mindset of these types of Cion. They seek out nothing but what they alone need to survive and operate in a pack system known as swarms: you will never find an Omega Cion alone. As a whole, these Cion are very selfish and the most violent of their coloring, liable to snap and swarm anything they deem a threat. For this reason, you wont find any domestic Omega Cion around humans. They're cowards and so heavily dependent on their groups that separation from them is a death sentence. Omega Cion have no skill where communication is concerned and this further makes them unrealistic choices for pets. Ironically though, they are the most obedient of their species, and accept leadership from their Beta parents or a roaming Alpha without question. When their Beta parents leave them, they'll work as a unit: no one Omega above the other, and this doesn't change until the members of the swarm start to die off. These Cion live the least of all because, if one falls ill and dies of sickness of injury, the entire group suffers a form of depression that eventually takes the group out. They are not the reproducers of their kind as they, like Green dragons, are sterile for the large number of them.
The second most common is the Beta coloring. These Cion are a deep, ebony shade coating the entire of the body with flecks of silver around the edges of the scales. Unlike the Omega, these Cion have a further distinctive marking, and that is the cone structure to their skulls. It's an elongated skull cap that could almost be classified as a horn if one did not take a closer look at them. This is a defense mechanism, used mainly for scaring off predators because, when threatened, these Cion brace themselves on their four fin like limbs and sway their skull around, lunging out as if to strike at their opposition, though the nurturing nature of these Cion would not allow for much violence unless provoked first. These are the breeders of their kind, and the most commonly found leading the groups of Omega about because they tend to be their own younglings. They are rather protective, but tend to separate away from their clutches after their first year to find another mate. During these separation points, those first three weeks or so after the Beta parents wean themselves from their young, it isn't impossible to assume that the reason they find a human is for a more stable being to care for. They, too, lack good communication skills, but are more inclined to learn than their Omega brothers and sisters. As such, with repeated practice, they can be trained like a canine to perform simple tasks like fetch something small or guarding an infant's crib. They are ideal for such things, and affectionate companions. Or, at least it is assumed they are affectionate. After all, it's hard to tell how an unblinking creature feels.
Beta Cion, unlike Omegas, break away from their clutchmothers and fathers shortly after birth to seek out mates and create swarms of their own. This is because the pack lifestyle is not suited for these Cion unless they are nurturing their own, and staying in a swarm they were born to prevents them from reproducing.
Lastly, there are the Alpha. These Cion are the most distinguished and rarest of their grouping, and for a fair few good reasons. But, before getting to their personalities and such, their coloration and appearance is far different from the others. Cion of the Alpha classification are a pure, snow white and, just like a Beta, they have silver outlining their scales along with an elongated skull cap. Unlike a Beta or Omega though, these Cion have what would appear to be single whiskers beginning at the base of their lower jaws and extending as 'feelers'. They are equally as flexible as the rest of the Cion's body and twitch in direction according to command. They serve no real purpose aside from intimidation, and it's a pretty fair reason for why these Cion are the leaders of their swarms. They can command any other Cion under them without question, and often take charge over newly abandoned Omega swarms. Their rank in the grand scheme of things is to make sure as many survive as possible, so it goes without saying they pass from one swarm to another quickly, giving only the necessary guidance before leaving them as their parents did. They are the most likely of their kind to find a human as an owner, because they are natural loners. Their coloration is their biggest weakness as they would be about as common as Betas are, but are too easily picked out by predators for their white hue. With this in mind, they hide themselves away more, coming out only to find a mate occasionally, abandon the Beta female to her clutch (Alpha Cion females never mate because something in their appearance makes them unappealing to other Cion), and then later return to make certain most of their younglings live past their first year. They aren't generally aggressive, but are quite violent when pushed, even more so than Omegas because they aren't so destructive in a group: any damage done is all their own. It goes without saying they are the smartest of their kind, but still lack the intelligence for communicating thoughts to their owners. This enhanced intelligence only shows in the fact they are the easiest to train, and quite loyal with no real reason behind it.
Cion do not Impress as dragons do to their owners, as Betas are terribly secretive about their clutches and hide them from anyone and anything with their partners. They'll disappear for weeks on end to tend to their little ones hatched from eggs, and wont return until they have to abandon them for the best. Even a 'trained' Alpha will stray away to tend to its young if it has sired a clutch. They are not advised as pets for this reason, but, owners have learned to cope with these behaviors. or, they have to deal with them, because any Cion will return to their owner once these instincts are sated. They imprint on one human, the first they come into contact with, and unknowingly trust them to impressive degrees. They DO NOT communicate to their owner through either images as a flit or through conversation as a dragon, and not even to the extent of a wher with feeling.
This pet is PERFECT for Cris and Hazzat! They're such the reptile-person.