General
The ibex and yales of the Alasre Mountains face many threats on the treacherous slopes, including gryphons and dragons, but their primary predator is a smaller more inconspicuous creature: the stargazer cat. These felids are modest in size, between 50 and 100 kilograms, but they are capable of bringing down prey their own size or larger. The stargazer cat is stealthy and nimble, able to climb large trees and steep slopes almost silently. Their thick fur protects them from the harsh wind and the snow of the Alasres, but it also has one particularly unique feature not seen in other cats. The females remain a golden-brown color their entire lives, but the males have a deep blue coat that becomes lit at night by starry speckles. Both male and female cats can use the stars to navigate, and make long treks through the entire mountain range in the pursuit of prey.
Egg
The shell of this egg is hard and smooth, but the tail poking out is silky soft.
Hatchling
Stargazer kittens are born tiny and helpless, entirely dependent on their mothers for their first few weeks of survival. By the time they are ready to come out of their den, they are bright-eyed and active, keen to sniff or pounce on anything in their immediate vicinity. They require constant supervision as they are liable to get themselves into trouble rather easily, and their mother is always close at hand to keep them safe. Litters can include up to ten kittens, the males easily distinguished from their sisters and mothers by night-blue fur. The kittens stay with their mother for over a year before heading out on their own.
Adult
Few creatures are as cryptic as the stargazer cats, which can move silently on their padded feet and are rarely seen or heard except for their ghostly yowls at night. Their numbers in the Alasres are unknown, though brief sightings have described them as migratory, unusual for cat species. They appear to follow the mountain herds of ibex and yales, their favorite prey, and a single cat might journey for hundreds of miles in a year. They are generally solitary and breed slowly, the females having to teach their kittens to hunt for more than a year before they are able to head out on their own. Every few years, the stargazer cats come in close proximity, where the larger males fight to claim temporary territory so that their flashing stars can be seen by as many females as possible. The males' stars only appear at night, thought by some to be a map of the constellations. Regardless of the truth of this tale, the cats with the brightest, most easily seen stars earn themselves the most mates during the breeding season.
Notes
Obtained from: Donation (May)
Breeding: Yes
Renaming cost: 2000 gold
Release date: May 15th 2016
Element: Neutral
Breeds with the following:
Stargazer Cat + Stargazer Cat = Stargazer Cat (Guaranteed) Cost: 3 shards
May 2016 Midmonth Donation Pet
Sprite rotates based on time of day.
Sprite art: Tekla | Description: PKGriffin