Female Hatchling
Name: unnamed
Species: Arkenian Goose
Birthday: Friday, December 26, 2014
Owner: Kestrad
Element: Fire 
Arkenian goslings, unlike other avians, hatch as dry and fluffy as can be straight out of the egg. This might be due to the intense body heat that they radiate as soon as they hatch. It is not quite hot enough for magis to classify them as fire creatures, but they are uncomfortably warm to the touch, and their feet melt snow as they walk. This heat undoubtedly keeps them snug and warm in their nests in the frigid cold of northern Arkene. Probably to balance their internal body temperature, the goslings prefer to eat snow rather than drink water, and should be allowed to do so as they enter adolescence to avoid any problems. The body heat of these creatures peaks as they get older, and stabilizes in adulthood.
Arkenian geese are migratory creatures and in spring through summer they can be found all over the world, but every winter they return to the icy depths of Arkene to raise their young. As a result, young arkenian geese are hard to find and even harder to raise from the egg, and for a long while it was a mystery where exactly in Arkene they nested. Upon discovery, magi quickly realized how important the ambient temperature is for the successful raising of both eggs and goslings, and adult geese are extremely protective of not only their eggs, but of their chosen nesting area. When it is not breeding season, Arkenian geese are loyal companions who enjoy traveling with their magi, and their temperature regulation abilities work for their magi even while the goose soars hundreds of feet overhead. It is said that sometimes, if a goose lays an egg in an area that is too warm, the egg will look strange, as though the shell caramelized from the heat, and the gosling and adult will have a golden hue.
Sprite art: Tekla (hatchling) | Description: Raneth