Adult Female
Name: Nyxa
Species: Stargazer Cat
Birthday: Thursday, May 19, 2016
Owner: Inari
Element: Neutral
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.
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.
Sprite art: Tekla (adult) | Description: PKGriffin