[I N F O R M A T I O N]
[Origen]In the search of a novel weapon a governmentally funded military project turned to advanced genetic engineering. Previous studies on various animal crosses had been unsuccessful and the military, impatient for results, turned their interest to palaeontology. A team or experts on extinct animals were put together to work on a strictly under-ground project with virtually limitless funds. During the first part of the project the scientists collected samples of extinct animals, trying to isolate genetic material. This turned out to be harder than expected, and stressed by the demand for results the team of experts started cutting corners. Infusing modern hyena egg cells with DNA salvaged from the dinosaurs
Deinonychus and
Velociraptor and reintroducing them into hyena females, the scientists were able to produce live cross-bred offspring.
As a weapon, the animals were a great failure. They grew and matured slowly, and were impossible to train although often showed signs of unusual intelligence. Worst of all were their unfaltering affection, trust and curiosity for human beings. The project was eventually abandoned; the research facility left were it was standing in the wilds, the animals still in their paddocks and pens. When the military returned months later, expecting to find nothing but the remains of the test animals, found their facility completely empty.
[Classification and appearance]The rayena is a powerful bipedal pack-hunting predator, created as an unnatural cross-breed between the spotted hyena
[Crocuta crocuta], and the dinosaurs
[Deinonychus] and
[Velociraptor]. In appearance they are quite an even mix of the mammal and dinosaur background, creating an exotic creature. Fearsome in appearance, looks can be deceiving; rayenas make great and loving pets and will never show hostility towards humans except under extreme circumstances. Despite their partially dinosaur origin the animals are mammalian, giving birth to live and developed young and nursing them with nutritious milk.
An adult rayena reaches a weight between 50 and 100 kg, where the males tend to be at the more light-weight range of the spectrum, and the females on the heavier. Apart from the general difference in size there is very little dimorphism between the genders. The very largest individuals can be ridden by humans.
Rayenas are covered in short bristle fur, which might be sparse on the face and lower limbs. All rayenas are spotted, although there is a great variety on the pattern and amount of spotting. Particularly heavily patterned individuals may have the spots fused into striping patterns. The base colouration usually ranges between different shades ranging between yellow, brown and grey. Patterns in white are common, as more exotic colourful accents. On the back of the rayenas neck there is a mane. The mane run from the head to mid-neck, full neck or along all the back and can vary from short to long.
Most rayenas are equipped with highly enlarged sickle-shaped dew claws on their hind legs. These claws play an important role in their hunting techniques.
[Development]Rayena cubs are born furred and dark in colouration, adult patterns are not visible at this stage. They are born fully developed with open eyes and ears, however their bodies are small and frail, no bigger than grapefruit. When the cubs begin to walk, already after their first few weeks, they move with strictly quadruped locomotion. As the young cubs start to grow and mature they will be able to stand up on their hind legs for prolonged periods of time, as they grow older their sense of balance improves rapidly and the juveniles will start experimenting with bipedal movement. An adult rayena is bipedal, and able to move very quickly and with great agility. The strong hind legs carrying their own weight with ease, but the tail, although short, is needed to balance the body when moving on the hind legs. An adult animal is still able to stand on all four legs, and often do so for example while resting, drinking or sneaking, but it is no longer comfortable for them to move this way.
The lifespan of a healthy rayena is approximately 40 years. They are young for an unusually long time, the juveniles start to switch over to their fully bipedal stage around age five. The cubs are always born in litters of two, hence, every rayena has a twin. In general these are, as expected, no more similar than any siblings. However, approximately 10% of rayena births are identical twins, a sign of good luck for the new family.
[Behaviour]Rayenas are predatory animals and live off meat, but are able to digest many types food, for example bone tissue and plant material. Many rayenas are prone to scavenging due to their ability to draw nutrients even from very poor sources.
Rayenas are ordered into matriarchal packs of a various size. They seem to be able to set the hierarchical order with a surprisingly low amount of infighting and injuries caused by pack -mates are uncommon. The leader of a rayena pack is usually refered to as Queen, but Matriarch is also a comonly used title.
[Variations]The mane can vary in length and coverage.
Sometimes rayenas appear more or less feathered an odd heritage from their dinosaur ancestors.
A very rare growth defect leads to a stunted tail, inhibiting the transformation into a bipedal stance. These animals will remain on all four legs throughout their lives.