Adult Female
Name: Bair
Species: Kiwi Bird
Birthday: Thursday, September 15, 2011
Owner: Gimlix
Element: Void 
Kiwi birds are sweet and little when they first hatch, and the sight of one waddling around is sure to bring a smile to anyone's face. Even once they are fully grown, they are still endearing companions. When a kiwi bird hatchling first emerges from its odd shell, it is roughly the size of a grapefruit. They are one of the larger birds, and throughout the course of a year will grow to twice the size of a chicken. Like their favorite meal, kiwi birds are covered with a warm, fuzzy brown back, while their stomachs are bright green. Kiwi birds primarily eat kiwis, but they are partial to other fruits and will eat worms and bugs if necessary. When first born, a kiwi bird hatchling needs only to be shown to its food source, and it will then be able to fend for itself. As a kiwi bird ages, it may feel the need to explore the world outside of The Keep. This longing is usually fleeting, and it is important for their magi to dissuade them. Even though a kiwi bird companion grows more intelligent as it nears adulthood, these birds are not very clever, and generally do not do well in the wild. Since kiwi birds have been rediscovered recently, their numbers are growing within The Keep. There has been some talk of reintroducing them back to the lands around the jungle, to increase the number of wild kiwi birds. This talk has been abandoned, as the kiwi birds around the castle are extremely happy. Even despite their shy natures, kiwi birds bond very well with their human companions. Like other creatures, kiwi birds are able to aid the growth of some plants, although the kiwi birds prefer to make only kiwis grow... in excess.
Shy and nocturnal by nature, kiwi birds are becoming more and more rare with each passing year. So much so, in fact, that their existence has been subject of some debate for the last century. Their falling numbers are due to their inability to fly, and that their main food source is an exotic fruit. This fruit, the kiwi, grows only around the edges of the Jungle of Raza, where many predators are more than happy to find a flightless bird for their next meal. The kiwi birds have adapted to these dangers in two unique ways. They possess the best sense of smell of any bird, and can smell an enemy long before it is necessary. Their other talent is the reason for the kiwi birds becoming companions: magic. Their magic is that of shape shifting, and the kiwi birds do it so seamlessly that they become completely undetectable. When a kiwi bird calls upon its power, the fat little bird seamlessly melts and shrinks into its favorite fruit, a kiwi. Kiwi bird hatchlings are not so adept at this, and often will change into a kiwi but forget a telltale leg behind. While this is a comical sight, it could be a deadly mistake in the wild. Hatchlings are only able to change into kiwis, but will become more skilled with age. If a kiwi bird is under extreme duress, it can even change into another fruit, such as an orange or apple. No one quite knows why the kiwi bird always chooses food to change into, rather than a rock or blade of grass. A few skeptical scholars believe that the kiwi bird did not intentionally master magic, and that they possess this power by chance. This idea holds some merit, as the kiwi birds are one of the more unintelligent of species. Regardless, the magi have created a safe haven for the kiwi birds, and hope to find the secret behind their power of morphing.
Sprite art: GlassWalker (adult) | Description: Damien