Post by Silversoul on May 7, 2010 17:30:26 GMT -7
Felikhans
Humans are now long gone from the picture, and though they created the city they do not rule it any longer. After humans wiped themselves from the face of the earth felines have come to rule. These felines are known as the Felikhans, meaning king of felines. They came into being a thousand years after the last nuclear war of the humans. Increased radiation levels in the atmosphere killed off larger creatures, but smaller ones, such as the domestic cat, survived. They were forced to mutate, to adapt, and change. The domestic cat’s skull enlarged, allowing room for a larger brain. They also grew larger body size-wise, becoming more than twice the size of a domestic cat. Their paws became more like hands, allowing them to manipulate simply objects, though they kept their retractable claws. Their canine teeth elongated over time, giving them tiny sabers that poke out over their lower lips. They retained the mammalian traits of fur and an ability to maintain their body heat, as well as two genders, male and female. There isn’t much difference in appearance between males and females except for subtle differences in the facial structure and hip build.
Felikhans will eat anything smaller than they are; birds, bats, rodents, fish, and other small mammals. They use no weapons, only their wits, teeth, and claws. In times of food shortage they will indulge in roots and tubers, though they must be crushed into a soft pulp in order for the Felikhans to be able to digest them.
A Felikhan will usually live to around twenty five years, though they count their ages by the cycle of the moon instead of season-cycles. Young Felikhans, simply called kits or Kittens, are pudgy little balls of fluff. Their paws seem too large and uncoordinated for their bodies, while their noses seem too small. They resemble domestic cat kittens, with the only major difference being that they are larger with less fat. Kittens are born in the spring, though the occasional early or late birth is not uncommon. Females remain pregnant for about two months, and mating usually takes place from late fall to mid-spring. A litter of 3-4 kits are usually born, though as few as 1 or as many as 6 in a litter are possible. Most pairs mate for life, though sometimes a relationship does not work out and they must split.
Young are named by both their parents and their leader. The parents give a kit a suffix, which can be anything, and then they add "kit" onto the end of the name. For Example, Dreamkit, Flightkit, or Riverkit. When they become a Tenderpaw the “kit” suffix is changed to “paw”, and when they become a Hunter their name is finished by the leader (Ex: Dreamhunter). The few cats that become Khans have the suffux of their surname changed to “Soul” (Ex: SwiftSoul). (Note: Loners and Rouges do not usually have a prefix and suffix to their names, though some may.)
Felikhans do not change much as they age, though they may grow a hint of a mane if they do not already have one. Their fur does become stringier and they may develop arthritis in their joints. The unlucky cats may even lose their teeth, go blind, or deaf.