Setting:Nukittas live in a world called Ávora, that is similar to Earth regarding flora and fauna, but is set in a more medieval time. Wild nukittas mostly inhabit forests near and surrounding mountain bases all around the world. Though they are common, wild Nukittas rarely make contact with humans, since they are rather shy creatures. Though being very peaceful animals it is possible to capture and domesticate them. Domesticated Nukittas are often raised in villages located near forests, and can be used to pull carts and are appreciated for their rich milk, especially the marcher type.
Not an equine:Nukittas are
cervines, though they are believed to be very distant relatives of the modern equines. They got an unusual mane, that is short with rigid hairs towards the head, and then becomes longer and silkier towards the shoulders.
Unlike a horse the feathering on a Nukitta is also composed of very rigid hairs, similar to the upper part of the mane, which only gets softer towards the cloven hooves. The feathering completely cover their tiny dewclaws.
Body Types:During the course of evolution Nukittas have evolved into two different breeds. It's speculated that it might have happened due to the population being smaller and the herds more scattered than they are nowadays. Although it's common that a herd is made up of individuals of the same breed it's not uncommon to see herds with both breeds either.
Runner - Is the most common breed of Nukitta, and also the more agile. They got a slender and light body which makes them adept at running in high speed through thick vegetation. Runners grow to between 105-115 cm in height.
Marcher - Is more uncommon than the runner in the wild, but very popular in domesticated populations. Their body is bulkier and bigger than the Runner, and they tend to grow slightly longer fur. Marchers are believed to originate from herds living on higher altitude in the mountains, and grow between 130-140 cm in height.
The size comparison above feature both a runner and a marcher female with the tallest heights of each breed
Behavior:Since their world is inhabited by dragons, Nukittas have evolved to be shy and mostly live in the shelter of the forests. They can occasionally be found roaming further up the mountains, or across open fields, though this also makes them more exposed from an attack by air. Apart from dragons, many smaller predators inhabiting the forests may also find a Nukitta a tasty meal. To scare off predators a Nukitta can curl up its tail on its back to make itself appear larger. If this doesn't work the whole herd can gather together, all with their tails on their backs, to look like one big, hairy menace. Apart from making themselves look bigger, their cloven hooves are sharp and works as a last defense against attacking predators.
Social Interactions:Though exceptions can be made, most Nukittas live in herds. Apart from safety in numbers they're social animals and thrives in the company of others. They have a loose hierarchy and while the older, more experienced individuals often lead the herd, there's no apparent rank or pecking order. Apart from their ears and body, Nukittas use their tails to convey emotions when interacting with each other.
Nukittas convey a lot of their emotions through body language, and their tails play a big role in communication.
When neutral, the tail is curled up against the back of the nukitta, much like the tail of a samoyed dog,
but it's capable of a wide range of movements. 1
Irritated:The tail is swishing around
quickly in wide movements.
2
Fearsome:The tail is curled between
the legs.
3
Content/neutral:The tail us curled on the back.
4
Dominant:To show dominance the tail
is raised in a stiff arch
above the back.
5
Cautious/attentive:The tail is fully stretched
out and stiff.
6
Curious:The tail is dropped and
slightly curled up at the
tip (sometimes wagging
slightly).
7
Happy/attention seeking:The tail is curled up against
the back and wagging. Often
accompanied by head nodding.
Nukittas have coat genetics similar to a horse and can be found with a variety of colors and patterns both in the wild and within domesticated populations. When they breed, the nuglet(s) often inherit patterns similar to their parents, though the actual coat colors are decided by the genes of the parents. Newborn and young Nuglets have a characteristic baby coat which is very long and soft, giving them a fluffy appearance. Since the baby coat is so fluffy it only gives a hint of their coat pattern. As the nuglet grows and sheds its coat, the pattern becomes more defined. By 15 months of age they have fully shed their baby coat, and by three years of age the Nukitta is considered an adult.
Nukittas have three specific patterns that they exhibit.
Bengal: Markings composed of spots and stripes mixed together resembling the pattern of a marble bengal cat’s. They never reach the head or cover the legs and are of a darker tone of the base color.
Brindling: Thin stripes that either cover the whole body or just specific parts of it. In most cases the color is a darker tone of the base coat, but there are times it can be a lighter tone instead due to environment influence or even genetic anomalies.
Freckled Layer: It is common for the layers tobiano, splash and overo to develop tiny spots on certain areas. On some individuals these spots are very dominant giving their coat a freckled appearance.
Apart from the patterns above there are some patterns, or lack of, that few Nukittas are born with.
These are considered very rare.
Doubling: The presence of both bengal and brindle on a Nukitta is extremely rare. It can appear in a way that the bengal pattern flows smoothly into brindle, or the two types of pattern appear on different parts of the body.
Light Bengal: The bengal pattern have a lighter color than the base coat.
Markless: The lack of bengal and brindle on the base coat. The only exceptions are those with appaloosa blankets, since the genes which cause appaloosa tend to either weaken or delete completely the effect of the bengal and brindle genes. The bigger the blanket, the weaker the pattern (leopard appaloosas are always markless).
Fewspot Appaloosa: White blanket covering the whole body with very few spots visible. Sometimes easily confused with a pure white coat.
Pure White: Title says it all.
