Arkenian Sea Leopard
This silvery egg has a damp tail swishing around it.
Arkenian sea leopard hatchlings are small enough to hold in the average magi's hands when they're born, but they grow quickly to their adult size. They're social creatures who spend a lot of time playing and grooming with both siblings and parents, and many wild sea leopards live in large colonies. Though they don't have the same range of song as the adults, they're still able to sing a target into freezing for a few seconds at a time, and the rare domesticated sea leopards are often very chatty with their magi, demanding food and attention. Hatchlings can only be kept inside in a tank for a few months, before they grow too big and need to be moved to either a cold outdoor pool or the ocean itself.
An adult Arkenian sea leopard is a large, powerful creature, with its heavy feline front end and its streamlined seal's tail. Their only real enemy is the larger akhlut, and they try to avoid swimming in the same areas. Extremely curious, sea leopards will come to investigate anything new within their territory and have been known to bring presents - usually dead prey - to their magi. Although social when tame enough, they still need a large area to roam in and don't often respond to commands or attempts to control them. They sing through all seasons, especially when hunting, but magi have noticed that the songs are increased during the summer breeding season.
Though smaller in size than the akhlut, the Arkenian sea leopard is its top competitor in the frozen northern reaches of Arkene. It's thought to have two types of magic: one to allow it to breathe through lungs instead of gills even in the water, and the other related to its singing. Able to make a broad spectrum of sounds ranging from squeaks to trills to outright meows, the sea leopard combines these noises into a melody that is strangely hypnotizing. Those magi that have ventured into the killing cold of the north report that they've observed sea leopards using their song to keep prey still and docile. A few have even woken up to the song of the sea leopard and discovered the creatures close enough to touch, though no magi have been attacked by them.
Sprite art: Lazuli | Description: Sochitelya
Tropical Triak
This bright blue egg has white patches and a slim, maneuverable tail.
Triak hatchlings hatch barely larger than a magi's hand and take a long time to grow: upwards of ten years to reach their full size. Wild triak babies are almost never seen, as they hide within plants and among the nooks and crannies of reefs, but those hatched by magi learn quickly and can easily be trained. They seem to enjoy finding things placed within their tanks and will happily bring small objects like painted rocks to their magi's hands. They use their paws to dig through the sand and when placed together with other baby triak, they will often dig out a large divot where all the hatchlings can sleep together in a pile.
Slim and agile, an adult triak is an intelligent but shy companion, often hiding when strange magi approach. With magi they trust, however, they're affectionate and love to have their heads scratched, and will happily hunt out treasure when asked. They're excellent parents and can live a long time when properly cared for. They often explore at night when not feeding, and magi who live by the ocean have reported waking up in the morning to a pile of treasure - ranging from real gold to gems to bits of glass and particularly interesting shells - pushed up onto the beach.
The tropical triak is related to the Arkenian sea leopard, but has a completely different territory, size, and anatomy. Living mostly around reefs and in shallow tropical waters, the triak is much brighter in colour, though it still shares the general feline upper body and the lack of gills. They're small and shy creatures, only warming up slowly to magi that are patient with them, and although social, they prefer smaller groups with other triak of similar size. Triak seem to have a sixth sense for finding valuable coins, gems, and stones hidden in the sands where they mostly live, and many magi go on treasure hunts with their triak.
Sprite art: Lazuli | Description: Sochitelya
Hopefully I can hatch my eggs quickly enough to get two of each today.
