Carashan

Carashan
Nickname	None
Diet	Carnivore
Location	Various
Discovery	2104
Conservation Status	Least Concern

Carashan are a species of creatures located all throughout Aite. Plentiful in nature, they're a common foodsource for smaller communities that rely on hunting to add to their food supplies.

Characteristics

Carashan look almost feline-like. They can grow to intimidating sizes with males reaching sizes rivaling that of an Earth lion and females not far behind them. They have large, thick, majestic whiskers that protrude from their cheeks and, over time, grow to impressive lengths, often curling near the ends into spiral-like shapes. Their coats vary in color. Golden-brown, yellow, black. There have even been sightings of carashan possessing pale white coats. Their ears are rigid atop their wide heads and their tails typically reach a length nearly half the size of their body.

With long, sharp canines and powerful forelimbs- each ending with clawed paws- carashan have the potential to do serious damage if threatened.

Behavior

A pack animal, carashan are usually timid creatures and tend to steer clear of settlements. Their diet consists mostly of whatever they can catch. Carashan are solid hunters, able to track prey from great distances. They're patient and silent, typically working in packs of 4-8 to trap and corner their prey. They've also been known to use their numbers to bring down creatures larger than them when desperate, but prefer to hunt easier prey.

Attacks on people are rare, but do happen. Outside of defending themselves, most reported carashan attacks on people take place when the victim is already injured. Though there have been cases in which carashan have attacked perfectly healthy individuals without any provocation, these are most likely out of desperation when food is scarce.

Due to the growth taking place on Aite and the subsequent increase in locally raised food, carashan have become a problem for ranches in recent years. It's not uncommon for farming communities to turn to hunters to try and control the local carashan population. As one might expect, the growth has also led to a rise in carashan attacks which some worry will only get worse as Aite continues to attract settlers.

Myths

Durashka & Torish

Durashka and Torish are local myths in the region around Adrasteia. They're often credited as the reason when a hunter doesn't return home or a farmer goes missing. Parents tell their children tales of the pair of maneating carashan to keep them from straying too far outside of their community. Stories often describe them as being nearly as large as a skycar with teeth the size of a krogan's forearm and mangy coats the color of the night sky.