Post by shatan2 on Oct 3, 2007 14:44:33 GMT -8
More commonly known as the Akaru, the Akarukaruka are devout bat worshippers. Seeking to become bats themselves, the Akaru sought the help of Hila, the trickster, in order to turn them into bats; but Hila, being the trickster he is, did not turn them into bats, but rather into grotesque combinations of bats and humans. The Akarukaruka stand at about three feet tall, with shaggy fur of varying drab shades covering their entire bodies except for their leathery ears and wings. Their build is stout, with a thick, muscular chest and equally muscular arms in order to allow for flying due to the fact that their wings are attached to their arms. Their legs, on the other hand, are short and rather slim, due to the fact that most Akaru do not walk. When the Akaru do walk, however, they can only support themselves in an upright position for short amounts of time, and mostly their walking consists of an awkward crawling on all fours.
The Akarukaruka live scattered in various sized colonies; a colony is simply a group of families who share a territory and live within the same cave. The family groups are large, extended families that often keep to themselves, though in some colonies mixing the families is a common practice. Names for Akarukaruka represent both their colony and their family group, in the format of a first name, the colony name, then the family name (such as Chini Nyoni-Huru, wherein Chini is the first name, unique to that Akaru, Nyoni is the colony, and Huru is the family).
Like the bats they worship, Akaru are nocturnal and have a wide diet. They are omnivores, eating berries, fruits, and other specific plants in addition to a protein-rich diet of insects and other small creatures. Hunting is a solitary affair—though the Akaru remain in near vicinity of each other, they do not help each other to hunt—and prey caught is normally no bigger than a hare or rabbit.
The most important thing to remember about the Akarukaruka is that, while they can possess the intellect of a human, their bodies are still animal; they can speak, but only in simple sentences with a limited vocabulary, and their actions are also equally as simple. While they themselves are not entirely lacking of intelligence, they will seem as though they are due to their inability to speak or to act intelligently. Many Akaru act only off instinct of their kind, and Akaru society is very simple, little more complex than a bat colony, because of this. It is possible that some Akaru may become capable of higher levels of expressing intelligence, but this is extremely rare due to a life span of no more than 40 years, giving them very little time to achieve such things. In addition to this, most Akaru do not have any wish to leave their home, as this goes against their instincts and basic thoughts, and so few will ever be seen away from their colonies, and those few often have very good reasons for being away.
The Akarukaruka live scattered in various sized colonies; a colony is simply a group of families who share a territory and live within the same cave. The family groups are large, extended families that often keep to themselves, though in some colonies mixing the families is a common practice. Names for Akarukaruka represent both their colony and their family group, in the format of a first name, the colony name, then the family name (such as Chini Nyoni-Huru, wherein Chini is the first name, unique to that Akaru, Nyoni is the colony, and Huru is the family).
Like the bats they worship, Akaru are nocturnal and have a wide diet. They are omnivores, eating berries, fruits, and other specific plants in addition to a protein-rich diet of insects and other small creatures. Hunting is a solitary affair—though the Akaru remain in near vicinity of each other, they do not help each other to hunt—and prey caught is normally no bigger than a hare or rabbit.
The most important thing to remember about the Akarukaruka is that, while they can possess the intellect of a human, their bodies are still animal; they can speak, but only in simple sentences with a limited vocabulary, and their actions are also equally as simple. While they themselves are not entirely lacking of intelligence, they will seem as though they are due to their inability to speak or to act intelligently. Many Akaru act only off instinct of their kind, and Akaru society is very simple, little more complex than a bat colony, because of this. It is possible that some Akaru may become capable of higher levels of expressing intelligence, but this is extremely rare due to a life span of no more than 40 years, giving them very little time to achieve such things. In addition to this, most Akaru do not have any wish to leave their home, as this goes against their instincts and basic thoughts, and so few will ever be seen away from their colonies, and those few often have very good reasons for being away.