Username + ID; ArithMedic 1064661
Archive; X Prompt; General-1
Response; The Aktego on Relyq are not native to the planet, however Relyq did indeed bear life before them. While there are other continents that the Aktego have not touched, they do have neighboring species on their own lands.
The species they most frequently encounter actually shares their territory. As herbivores, the Rehner don’t have much to compete with the Aktego for, other than den space. The Rehner are an earth-deer-like creatures with multiple pairs of antlers and six to eight eyes, depending on the subspecies. They have clawed fore-hooves which allow them to dig into trees and climb their way up to reach the higher leaves and fruits. They often have a reddish coat, although rare specimens have coats of white or bluish hues. Often, they only have one functioning pair of eyes and lots of facial scarring due to how the species competes for authority and territory amongst themselves, which is by butting their many antlers together. This is true of both the males and the females and the antlers do not grow back after they break. Broken antlers are often traded to the Aktego for the goods the Aktego can produce.
The Rehner do not speak in a language such as the Aktego do, rather they have a limited set of sounds and communicate mostly through body language. They are not typically violent towards one another outside of kitting season, which is also the time of year that they re-determine their hierarchy, and they tend to decorate their horns with flowers and vines. One of their main trades from the Aketgo is fabric and ribbons for decoration.
Another species with whom the Aktego share territory is much closer in size to the smallest of Aktego. These are prolific but short-lived creatures with low intelligence. They are covered in fur of a vast assortment of colors and are poisonous to eat. They usually live only a few months and have litters of five to ten children at a time. The Aktego call them “Ahta” which is the Aktego words “aht” and “ha”, literally translating to many small. These creatures don’t have many distinguishable features beneath their fur, but observation of dead Ahta indicates that they lose their fur from age or illness and have six small legs and one pair of eyes. Their ears are hole-like and appear sunken into their heads. Their noses are barely distinguishable from their faces and they have thin, near invisible whiskers.
The Aktego do not trade with the Ahta but they maintain a level of respect for the less intelligent creatures and help them out when they are stuck or being stalked by an un-wise predator. As the Ahta tend to nest high in the trees, it is not abnormal for an Aktego to have to help younglings back up to their nests after an unfortunate fall. They also bury Ahta corpses as the species appears to have no ceremony for taking care of their dead.
There is a local predatory species in the area who shares a sentience level with the Aktego. They have a cat-like body, strong and lithe, that is about the size of an earth-bear. Their primary prey is Rehner, although some occasionally desire to snack on an ‘exotic’ Aktego. Their carnivorous needs are understood by the Aktego, but killing an Aktego is an offense. Aktego do not interfere in the Khy’s hunts but will track down and subdue any Khy which slay an Aktego. The Khy rarely have interest in trade but are on generally friendly terms at the times that they initiate one.
Word Count; 596 words
