Female Hatchling
Name: unnamed
Species: Vogelhond
Birthday: Monday, December 14, 2015
Owner: Kestrad
Element: Neutral 
A young vogelhond is among the most easily trained creatures, loyal to their caretakers, magical or otherwise, from a very young age. They make hardly any noise, except when distressed, but will communicate with gestures, body language, and affectionate nudges. Some who study them think that vogelhonds may have some telepathic capabilities that allow them to read the emotions of the creatures and humans around them. Youngsters especially seem sensitive to this power, for they will often run up to play or cuddle with a person who is feeling even the slightest bit distressed. Adult vogelhonds tend to be more reserved, but they still have a tendency to try to comfort their caretakers. If hatchling vogelhonds can detect the presence of magic, they seem to disregard it, and must be trained if they are to be used to track magical anomalies.
Vogelhonds are bred in Alveus as companion animals to hunters and wealthy dignitaries alike, popular for their intelligence and friendliness. Though their sense of smell is poor compared to dogs, they have an extra sense that allows them to detect the presence of magic. They are precise enough in this ability to hunt even in the magic-riddled lands still damaged from the magewars, and are essential in efforts to restore these regions. This power can be used in a variety of ways. During the magewars and shortly after, vogelhonds were bred to search out magi among the Alvean states, but since then, they have been used more often to search for magical creatures in places so disturbed that regular dogs become disoriented. Sometimes landowners will use a vogelhond to determine areas of magical contamination, and then cordon those off from their main estate. Because these bird-dogs can distinguish between many different types of magics, Alveans concerned with restoring contaminated areas take vogelhonds with them to determine what sort of magic is infecting an area, which will determine how they deal with it.
Sprite art: Tekla (hatchling) | Description: PKGriffin