Been a while since I tried a contest, so here we go. This creature is a hybrid of: Caeralis + Ammit.
Hope everyone enjoys!P.S.: Please, criticize! I might as well make changes or adjustments while I can.
General Description:
Spoiler
In the fair-weathered, fertile gulf between the Callisto Islands and the Etain Desert, where the sunblasted pond fields and sandy sedges give way to the low, rocky mountains along the coast, the people tell stories about the mysterious and elusive marine lion. They say it first crawled from the shallows of that windswept sea a century ago: a creature with a body like a small lion and a face like a gargoyle. Its tail was flattened like an oar, its great paws webbed. Those who saw it from afar thought it could be made of living stone, but the fishermen of the shallows who first saw it emerge from the water say the creature was simply covered in smooth scales like a common crocodile. The face too resembled a crocodile, save the snout was shortened and the eyes too forward set and far too keen. A blowhole could be glimpsed at the crown of its head. Those same fishermen reported watching the marine lion, (as they named it), bask in the sun for a short time before it suddenly turned to them and spoke with a human voice. The creature then quickly vanished into the shallows once more, as quick and tidy as a seal or caeralis. Despite pleading on the behalf of historians and magi alike, none of the original fishermen were ever willing to recall what the marine lion said to them before it vanished. A century later, travelers through the edge of the Etain and along the coast still report seeing stony, lion-like creatures diving in the tide of the gulf, but only the most learned of magi know the marine lion exists outside of stories.
Egg:
Spoiler
This egg has a smooth but pebbly texture.
Hatchling:
Spoiler
A marine lion hatchling might strike one as a relatively calm and benign young creature, especially compared to the trouble some other species put their magi through at this age. But while a sturdy young marine lion is content to splash about in whatever water it is left in without mischief, one must be careful. These hatchlings are listen intently to every word spoken around them and are not above repeating everything they hear to whoever will listen. Any magi who has raised a marine lion has had at least one embarrassing remark spread about by their otherwise angelic hatchling.
Adult:
Spoiler
Following the discovery of a cache of marine lion eggs in a small cove, the magi community was shocked to discover that the marine lion was in fact a hybrid of the caeralis and the ammit. How the notoriously ill-tempered desert dweller and the social, gentle sea creature might cross paths in order to make a hybrid is not fully understood. However it occurs, the marine lion inherits the best from both of its parents. Somewhat amphibious, the marine lion lives and hunts in tidal areas, preying on small fish and sea birds. They are usually seen in small pods, but seldom form strong bonds with any other individual creature. Like a reptile, it may emerge to bask on shore during midday, but must return to the sea after a short while or else it will dry out, like any sea creature. The marine lion has a sharp memory for sound and can mimic any human voice with utmost ease, though their speech is limited to mimicking phrases they have heard before. Disturbingly, some magi report hearing their marine lion speak with a voice the creature can't possibly know, like the voice of a person long gone before the creature's birth. At times, two magi listening to a marine lion may recall hearing two very different voices. Due to their reclusive nature and rarity, few magi keep these creatures, but those who do find their marine lion a peaceable, if not altogether affectionate, companion.
Spoiler
I first heard the story of the marine lion from an online acquaintance nearly a decade ago. The original story claims that a scaled lion was captured in the Tyrrhenian Sea, (off the coast of Italy), in the mid 1500s by a court surgeon. The creature was said to have a human-like cry. It was brought to a nearby bishop and presented as a gift, but the creature reportedly died soon afterwards. Nothing else is known about the marine lion.
This is a story that's long captured my imagination, perhaps because there is so little to find of it. At first I thought my acquaintance had created the creature herself, but research led to a few small mentions in a few obscure books of magical creatures. There's likely little truth to the marine lion's existence, (check out the "bishop-fish" and you'll get an idea of what Europe was doing with sea monsters for a while there), but who needs truth anyhow? Stories are almost always better.
Reference: https://tinyurl.com/gq2hpje
Reference, (with an illustration!): https://tinyurl.com/gqfupng
Author's Notes:
1. I know, it's not entirely original, but I tried to put a little of an original spin on the base myth. That illustration up there is a good start, but imagine a more crocodilian snout, smaller scales, a flatter tail, and a blowhole. It sure ain't pretty, and kind of gargoyle-ish in a way, but why not? I also expanded on the human voice thing; it's really sort of spooky and left a lot of room to kind of play with.
2. And yeah, the caeralis and the ammit are an odd mix. But that's the fun! Look, in a magical world of half-crocodile-half-lion beasts and singing dolphins that make people get along real nice, it's not totally implausible. I didn't fit it in but I figure if a caeralis can coax an ammit to lose the temper and venture into the shallow water, it could work?
3. I figure different varieties of ammit would result in different colors of marine lion. The lion and leopard hybrids would be sandy colored, and I imagine the white varieties would take on the blue color of the caeralis. Could be decent camouflage, if these are creatures that live in the shallow tidal areas.
4. Holy word count, Batman! I know the descriptions are far too lengthy. But I wasn't sure how to fit all the information into a tiny little description like the real writers do. (And that's why it's not my job, lol.)
5. After four weeks of student teaching, this is what I spend my first actual "stay up late because no school tomorrow" night on. Geez, what a doofus.
This is a story that's long captured my imagination, perhaps because there is so little to find of it. At first I thought my acquaintance had created the creature herself, but research led to a few small mentions in a few obscure books of magical creatures. There's likely little truth to the marine lion's existence, (check out the "bishop-fish" and you'll get an idea of what Europe was doing with sea monsters for a while there), but who needs truth anyhow? Stories are almost always better.
Reference: https://tinyurl.com/gq2hpje
Reference, (with an illustration!): https://tinyurl.com/gqfupng
Author's Notes:
1. I know, it's not entirely original, but I tried to put a little of an original spin on the base myth. That illustration up there is a good start, but imagine a more crocodilian snout, smaller scales, a flatter tail, and a blowhole. It sure ain't pretty, and kind of gargoyle-ish in a way, but why not? I also expanded on the human voice thing; it's really sort of spooky and left a lot of room to kind of play with.
2. And yeah, the caeralis and the ammit are an odd mix. But that's the fun! Look, in a magical world of half-crocodile-half-lion beasts and singing dolphins that make people get along real nice, it's not totally implausible. I didn't fit it in but I figure if a caeralis can coax an ammit to lose the temper and venture into the shallow water, it could work?
3. I figure different varieties of ammit would result in different colors of marine lion. The lion and leopard hybrids would be sandy colored, and I imagine the white varieties would take on the blue color of the caeralis. Could be decent camouflage, if these are creatures that live in the shallow tidal areas.
4. Holy word count, Batman! I know the descriptions are far too lengthy. But I wasn't sure how to fit all the information into a tiny little description like the real writers do. (And that's why it's not my job, lol.)
5. After four weeks of student teaching, this is what I spend my first actual "stay up late because no school tomorrow" night on. Geez, what a doofus.
