we are the Shlawa, a creation of our goddess *thedukeofweasels!

this is what she has to say about us!

Shlawa:

They are a member of the weasel family.
They are about the size of a large lion with brown or black fur and have huge teeth. The shlawa are very smart and have a complex social structure. They live in packs of about 20 but, in times of need, many packs will hunt together and share the food. They are naturally gentle towards people, unless provoked but, when starved shlawa change, there eyes glow red, and they become insane, attacking and eating anything that moves! Shlawa have a high metabolism and need a lot of food, so when people mess with shlawa habitats there often the victims of these attacks!

Land

The desert and forest shlawa are closely related and often interbreed, most shlawa found out on the vast plains and desert regions of the wezaza land are a mix of both.


Desert: [link]
The desert shlawa is usually larger than the forest shlawa with a much lighter fur color. They are adapted to need very little water and can tolerate heat very well. Unlike the forest shlawa, desert shlawa prefer to hunt at dusk or dawn and sometimes at night! They will often sleep through the hotter parts of the day! Desert shlawa have the largest ears of all the shlawa, which they used to regulate body temperature and, to hear the sound of the small animals that hide in the sand!

Forest: [link]
Forest shlawa are smaller then the desert shlawa so they can navigate between trees moor easily. Their coat is a darker color on top and a lighter color on the bottom and usually blotchy to camouflage them in the filtered light of the dense woods.

Arctic: [link]
arctic shlawa live in the high mountains and the northern icy regions of the wezaza land! Their land it is much colder than the planes, forests and desserts were the wezaza live! These regions have a long winter season, when snow covers the ground, and short summer season is where the ground is more visible , though the snow never melts completely, ( grass tends not to grow their), so the arctic shlawa has a pale white winter coat and a dark brown summer coat to remain camouflage for hunting! They can handle the cold really well and some have even managed to migrate to the polls and live successfully in the barren polar parts of the wezaza land! The arctic shlawa has the smallest ears of any shlawa in order to save body heat!


Water

River:
this semi-aquatic species of shlawa inhabits lakes, ponds and slow moving streams. They are ambush predators and sit and wait for prey to walk along the riverbanks. There snouts are long and flexible, they used them like a snorkel this allows them to sit motionless for days waiting for prey, but when their prey walks by the attack only takes seconds. River shlawa do not chew their prey instead they swallow it whole! Out of all of the difference species of shlawa they have the slowest metabolism they can go for a month without eating! The river shlawa will come out of the water to sleep, mate, give birth and warm them selves in the sun. They dig dens along the riverbank for there kits to live in but spend most of their time in the water. Small river fish sustain them between meals but, what they really survive on is hoofed animals (like torearelope) that come to drink.

Marine:
the marine shlawa are almost completely aquatic, the only time they leave the water is for breeding. They are voracious eaters and will attack anything to see if its food. They hunt (in family groups of 50 or so) fish, shellfish, squid and seals or anything they can find but, they prefer the more satisfying meal of a small whale. If hungry enough they will attack boats, chewing straight through wood and metal in search of food. They can actually move easily on land despite their hefty weight and flippers instead of legs. They can hold their breath for up to three hours depending on how active they are.



weasel also wants to tell you about the other gods that honer us by using our shape and calling them selves by our name name!

Fire shlawa: [link]

Fire shlawa are not really shlawa at all! They are a sentient fire spirit that the wezaza tribes worship as gods! Long ago the fire spirits chose to take the form of a shlawa, to communicate better with the wezaza! The other fire spirits believed that mortals were evil and that by taking a semi corporal form they would be corrupted! So the fire shlawa were shunned! Fire shlawa were in shlawa form for so long that, it became a natural part of their development, and because of there isolation, they eventually evolved in to a completely new species! Fire shlawa must find volcanoes or other sources of magma in order to breed! The small spark/egg like offspring needs to be incubated in molten rock to develop into a fire shlawa. When they emerge from the magma they take the form of a baby shlawa made of flames. It takes years of practice and the guidance of their parents to master the ability to transform into other shape flames. But the form of a shlawa made of fire will always be their natural shape. Fire shlawa must find sources of heat to recharge them in cold weather! Their food source is anything that can be burned but they prefer raw dry wood that still has bark on it. Fire shlawa have respect for all life and will never burn anything alive. Living trees will not feed them even if they did choose to burn them the wood must be dead in order for it to sustain their fire. Things like paper are candy to them; it will not sustain them for a long time but it is very easy to burn and pleasing to their palette. If they are fed toxic things that tend to melt instead of burn like plastic or Styrofoam fire shlawa will become very sick or even die. Things that would normally put out a fire like rain will weaken a fire shlawa and if it persists there flames may go out and they will appear to be nothing but a pile of ash. This does not mean their dead instead they become dormant. Once the ash has dried out enough to ignite again or a significant heat source is introduced they will come back to life. If a fire shlawa is orphaned the shlawa like instincts that they are born with become dominant. With no one to teach them their ability to be sentient shape shifting creatures, the only knowledge they will have to rely on is shlawa instincts, combined with the actual instincts of a fire shlawa. Living in this state they will never grow up they always remain shlawa kits of fire, they will never know there’s another way of being. This may eventually make them restless or violent because their true selves are being repressed!