:Farluards are built to be runners, with long slender limbs that often resemble that of a cheetah. A common mistake is to class them in the family of reptiles, Farluards are actually mammals, as you can see from their furry mains. They possess two tails, tipped with deadly stingers, a spur on both back legs, and two claws for each of their feet. Unlike most reptiles, their underbelly is not soft, but heavily armored. Their skin resembles that of a whale's, being slick, smooth and layered. Their horns are used to attack each other, while the exact use of the gem found on their forehead is unknown. One thing that we do know is that the gem brightens in contact with sun, but if left in darkness, darkens and gains a blackish splotch in the center.Their wings, which are very small, resemble fins of an aquatic creature, and due to their stunted size, it is very much doubted that they can fly.Often running from human contact, they are quiet creatures that enjoy basking in open, grassy fields, though they have cousins who prefer the dry and arid deserts. While their demeanor is mild, they often attack those that venture too close to their young, or too near their territory. Their intelligence is very high, having often proven themselves against those who seek to kill them for their fur, skin, teeth and horns. Exactly how high their mental threshold is, we may never know.
Farluards are extremely poisonous. Their saliva contains deadly bacteria, similar to a komodo dragon. After an hour or two of excruciating pain, the target is usually killed from necrosis or by being dissolved from the inside. By contrast, the spurs on their back legs and the stinger on each of its tails possess poison with a very different effect. The poison is secreted from above the spurs, or from the stinger directly, and is a very powerful narcotic. It slows the bodily functions until the target dies due to their heart or lungs stopping. Farluards rarely use their tails or back leg spurs on the prey that they are attacking, instead preferring to approach them quietly and then ambushing them in a clash of teeth and claws.
There is no known difference between male and female Faluards, in fact, some believe them to actually be both or simply neither. Their young, which hatch from eggs, usually have a splotchy darkened pattern along their skin that fades as they age. A small group of scientists claim that if a Farluard lives an extended period of time (1,000 or more years, Farluards generally live lifespans of 30-200 years) grow a third horn as well as a third tail. Whether these claims are true, or falsified (or simply another sub-species or mutation) is unknown.
