Ripedioc Nicanes go through four stages of growth. Usually, when you first recieve them, they will be in the infant stage. A stage may last anywhere from only a few weeks to several months depending on how much you RP. Occasionally, if I haven't been on for a while, there will be a mass growing. If you have been RPing faithfully somewhere else, (say you have an RP journal where you put all your pets from the various shops) let me know and I may grow your nicanes even if you do not interact with the others or do not stop by the shop.
For pets given as gifts, they will usually be started in puppy stage and will take about a month for each stage depending on how lazy I am. They do not require RP to grow, as the owner did not make a concious decision in acquiring the nicanes. If the owner should choose to RP, regular growth conditions apply. These animals also cannot become loners unless severely mistreated.
Just to note, but I do have the other linearts symplified like the Loner lineart. However, I think the original hard-to-color versions look better, so I'm showing them here. Take a look at the Owners' List for better examples.
Nicanes have a lifespan of 12-16 solar years. They are fully matured at 3 solar years. They can be considered 'very old' at 10, and 'old' at 8. They are in their physical prime from 3-5. They begin flying at one year.
Infants- sleep a lot, make small noises, cannot see or hear,
Pet: need to be cuddled and hand fed, keep warm and check on them often, crucial bonding period
Wild: stays with mother at all times, cared for by parents
Puppies- rambuctious and energetic, like to explore, begin developing skills, may begin to feel flickers of emotion from bonded, still cannot fly
Pet: standard 6 month old dog, eat a lot, chew on things, can now be trained
Wild: interacts with other ripedioc other than mother and father, begins to learn things like hunting and how the table is put together (if born into a table)
Yearling- can feel distinct emotion colors from bonded, ready to perfect skills developed in puppyhood, do not get moody like adolescent humans, may begin looking for a mate, can fly short distances, but are very fast
Pet: ready to fufill the role of being a companion dog, or do whatever work asked of them, may screw up badly, but never intentionally, can affiliate
Wild: may be taken into an apprenticeship, will begin hunting, now a fully functional member of the table, is catergorized as either wing or fang,
Adult- can now fly long distances, can breed, should be able to sense emotions from bonded, usually very trustworthy,
Pet: you now have an extremely intelligent dog, treat it well
Wild: can be put into a leading table position such as Caller or Flyer, should now be a good hunter, may leave and start own table or become loner
Loner- not very social, usually affiliate with a table, may form loose ties to an owner, may not breed, prone to biting, unbonded but able to send or receive purposefully sent thoughts, either those who were kicked out of a table, abandoned, or not very well cared for as pets become loners, loners must be well rped as they are also able to willfully leave you as an owner
"History?" Kit glances at the wolf colored nicanes beside him. "Some history, eh Wolfwren?" Wolfwren glares and sits down pointedly, folding his wings.
"Well, I'll tell you my version of it. If you want the rest, you'll have to ask one of them. "
*flashback*
One day as Kit was attempting to teach his flute, Choler, to fish (not much luck there), there was a very loud crash. For a few seconds, all was shocked into a fearful silence. Then, a harmonious music rose up faintly. The wild flutes were singing together, Choler began to sing as well. It was already a very unusual occurrence, but he was even more surprised to hear an answering song float across the quiet air. It was a sad and discordant song, coming from the other bank of the Drowning Lake. Kit went to investigate.
On a bed of burned and broken trees he came accross a huge mettalic object. It was a contraption as he'd never seen before. He circled around it a few times. Deciding it was safe, he kicked it. He was nearly crushed by the chunk of siding that fell off. After waiting a few more seconds to see if it was going to completely fall apart or not, he poked his head inside.
The sining stopped and the forest was silent once again, save a deep rumbling sound. He peered into the dark interior and could barely make out a looming shape. At once, a silver blur shot past him and into the air. It seemed to increase to three times it's orginal size and was gone in an instant.
Startled, Kit waited again. A high pitched whimpering sound, had replaced the silence and he was curious. He ventured inside again and another blur rushed out at him. This one did not fly away. It stopped in front of him, taking the form of a large wolf with short black wings. It snarled and bristled, warning him away from the structure. Kit took a few steps back, unwilling to do battle with the angry creature. Suddenly, the wolf collapsed onto its side. It made a weak attempt to get back to its feet, but was unable to rise.
*end flashback*
"And that's how I met Wolfwren. Anyway, the pups were inside whatever that thing was. We get a few more every once and a while. Usually, Wolfwren just finds them out in the forest. We can't really leave them to get eaten by the lycae, so I take them in. Like the sign says, puppies for adoption."
Tables and the Like
Wolfwren glares non-comittally at you. He folds his wings and lays down next to the wall, tail twitching. A gravelly voice speaks directly into your mind.
"Hm...I suppose you'll be wanting to hear my side of it. I met Kit when I was a yearling. I don't remember how we got in the capsule. I was only a young pup at the time. If you want that story, you'll have to ask Farrolis. He'd be old enough to remember. Needless to say, being in the capsule wasn't fun. We were there for a long time, and there was little food, no light, we were always being jostled around. I suppose we had it a little better because Farrolis was there to take care of us. There was a great struggle, something we'd escaped, but I wouldn't know."
Those ripedioc nicanes who are not living with a human, or were born in the wild, have formed groups called "Tables". They are something like a mix between a wolf pack and a primitive society.
Each Table has a leader called the Table Head. He or she is usually either a young strong nicanes or an old wise one. The Head selects a small council, consisting of a Second, a Caller, and a Flyer, as well as any other individual within the table with a specific talent such as Healer, or Fisher.
The rest of the members are divided into two catergories, the Fangs and the Wings. Those who are better at flying and hunting by air are Wings. Those who are great at fighting and hunting on foot are Fangs. The top Wing is the Flyer and the top Fang is the Second. The Caller is something of a messenger or an advisor. Someone either capeble of calling the table together or giving advice to lead the table. The Head usually picks up any slack within his small council.
Occasionally, an older member of the table will become something of a mentor to a younger one. For example, a yearling wing may be taken in by the Flyer. Chances are very high that this yearling will become the next Flyer.
Pups are not considered part of the Table. It is up to their parents or a guardian to raise them. They are initiated into a table when they are yearlings. A pup raised by a human may also choose to join a table at this age. Those who are deemed worthy at their first hunt are brought in. Those who fail can appeal again a few months later. Because of this, there is usually a small pack of yearlings living together in the forest, each waiting to join a table. Some of them may choose to leave the forest and take human masters. Others may become adults without ever having joined a table and turn into loners. Usually, pups who are born to parents within a table join that table.
Tables sometimes have affiliates. That is, members who are not really members and don't really hang around unless they are needed. An affiliate may be living with humans, may be of a separate species (and therefore incapeble of joining), or may simply be a loner by nature. Loners tend to affiliate with a table because all available hunters and fighters may be needed during a famine or a feud, and because they may sometimes have diffuculty hunting on their own. Loners may also form loose ties with a human master, just as members of a table that were raised by humans may keep loose ties with said human. They may not, however leave without consent of the Head, Second, or Flyer.
Ocasionally, a loner, or an adult belonging to that pack of ronin yearlings may start a table of their own. If they can gain enough followers. (Take it to me and if it is sucessful, I'll put it in the table registry in the RP post.)
A Few Idioms
My wings/fangs are yours (when you need them).~ I'll join the table (I'll affiliate).
Memory~ inherited memory, all nicanes have the important ones like the scent of their homeland's winds and the War of Moon against the vulpaien, although they may not be able to identify them. It is generally difficult to dig into these memories. Some are born with extended memory that include things like medicine or music. These individuals have an easier time reaching into their entire inherited memory.
Featherless/Cracktooth~ a really serious insult
Dark Passage~ the time on the ship (spaceship in case you didn't figure it out)
Song~ an old song from the old home of the Ripedioc, it flutters faintly on the edges of memory for anyone who remembers the time before Dark Passage. The goal of the Ripedioc Nicanes who came here is now to remember the Song.
Old Home~ the place the nicanes lived before Dark Passage, very few remember it
Nicanes~ the species name, the name used to refer to all nicanes, mostly used by the younger ones and those not in a table.
Ripedioc~ what the nicanes call themselves formally (just as we refer to ourselves as 'mankind' or 'people' instead of 'humans'), mostly used by the wild nicanes, used a lot by the older and more rigid speakers,
Ripedioc Nicanes~ used in formal situations to mean the table nicanes, can refer to an individual with special traits such as an inherited memory
Listen Well Ripedioc Nicanes./We hear and we listen.~ phrase used by Head to initiate members into a table/ appropriate group response
I sing for/against~ I am in (an individual's) defense/ I protest against (an individual), generally used during either initiation or banishment from a table
