Female Hatchling
Name: unnamed
Species: Mafupa Bruje
Birthday: Thursday, November 23, 2023
Owner: bedfordblack
Element: Neutral
Your bruje is a loud little creature, constantly chirping and giggling to let you know how it feels. Already its teeth are sharp and its bite is strong, but it knows to be gentle around you and the other creatures, and learns faster than most other companions. When it isn’t at your side, the cub likes to play with the other young brujes in the Keep, tumbling around in games of play-fight that will one day become much more dangerous. The youngsters have a pecking order established and will often compete with their siblings for food scraps, but magi are careful to keep a close eye on the youngsters and may feed them separately if they grow too rowdy. Within a few weeks, the female cubs are larger than the males and much more aggressive, claiming higher ranks in their social group than any of the other males, including their own fathers. Regardless, the cubs are quite dedicated to their magi and look at their owners as friends and companions, rather than masters.
Brujes are powerful creatures sacred in parts of Foenara, and may be found in the art of many southern towns, including Turril. The largest of their kind, mafupa brujes are closely associated with magic and spells in stories, though the creatures themselves usually possess no magical abilities. Legends tend to depict brujes with a dual nature, being both dark and cunning when they need to be, but also loyal and honorable to the humans they serve. Ancient Foenaran magi are said to have ridden giant mafupa brujes for mounts, and could use their creatures' powerful noses to seek out children with magical skills. According to some stories, these magi would lure the children into the Grass Forest during the full moon and transform them into brujes to do the magi’s bidding. Come the light of dawn, however, the children would return to their human forms, and escape. Some old families still claim to be descended from these beast children, and raise mafupa brujes from cubs to serve as guards for their households.
Sprite art: Tekla (hatchling) | Description: PKGriffin