#Ju’dha-vak’ra

[tallships-and-starlights]

Sunflower thinks that when the time actually comes for her first mating season she is just gonna not participate. She is already pretty sick of any present attempts to woo her.

A funny thought came to life in this quick doodle. I had way too much fun with the fighting males in the way back.

[tallships-and-starlights]

Surfing is a recreational sport and hobby amongst the Ju’dha-vak’ra where a hunter gets to showcase not only their skills on the water but their weaving skills with fashionable headdresses decorated with shells, beadwork and an array of knots for both themselves and their hound should they be participating in a partner based competition.

I apologize I really do not like to color digitally. It aggravates me like nothing else.

[tallships-and-starlights]

I come bearing gifts in the form of my two new children.

Sunflower whose actual Yautja name I have yet to figure out is a prime example of a member of the Ju’dha-vak’ra clan. The age equivalent of a 17 year old Sunflower is leagues ahead of her age group as a surfer and fisherman. Because of this she is allowed to partake in a very difficult form of fishing that is typically reserved for experienced hunters and elite, as seen by her traditional garb and jewelry.

I don’t have much else to put out at the moment but Im in the process of trying to create a whole post filled to the brim with all data regarding the Ju’dha-vak’ra and its people.

[tallships-and-starlights]

You can obviously tell that I have never drawn a lobster in my life. When I was looking up references for them I stumbled upon this beauty A Warm Response by William Strut 1899 and couldn’t help myself.

While the Ta’taied are known for having a very tough exterior this is in part due to having a dense bone structure mostly seen on their back and skull, their feet do not have the same level of protection as seen here. Pups are notoriously playful and tend to get into trouble when not being supervised by an adult.

Meanwhile their fuzzy bodies are similar to that of a seals skin and they are very receptive to scratches. All round an excellent companion who would be more than happy if you could scratch their backs for them for they cannot reach despite having six legs.

[tallships-and-starlights]

Who wants a widdle pubber?

PSA before adopting a pubber: Beware of those jaws. They may not have sharp teeth for tearing but they have a wicked crushing force for chowing down on heavily armored crustaceans. If not trained correctly they may accidentally break the bones in your hand.

[tallships-and-starlights]

U'darahje

“What are you making mei-jadhi,” Sophie called over to the toddler. To’ka turned and chirped with glee at her arrival, her mandibles clicking gently.

“House,” To’ka pointed to the mountain of wet sand that she had collected between her legs.

“Oh really?” Sophie smiled, sitting back on her heels. A very abrupt snort from her left caused To’ka to squeal with laughter.

“A house for Chik,” the aforementioned dog dug its muzzle into the toddler's side and let out another snort. The hot air from his nostrils elicits another peal of laughter out of the toddler. “That tickles!”

“Good boy Chik,” Sophie curled her nails between Chik’s ears, his eyes closed and a deep grumble shuddered from his chest in contentment. When she pulled away Chik let out a snort and rubbed his nose with his paw before laying back down on his side.

“Can I help you build Chik’s house?” To’ka nodded and chirped excitedly.

“We make Chik a whole village!” To’ka spread her arms open wide as though to show how big she wanted this project to be. Sophie let out a chirp in reply, hiding her grin behind her hand. The two girls had built Chik’s village and played by the water's edge for a handful of hours. In the end by the time the second sun had begun to make its descent towards the horizon the two had built a tiny replica of the neighboring tribes village, harassed some small crustaceans out of hiding by the jagged rocks and buried Chik under an egregious amount of sand of which was decorated with shells and stones that the two had collected throughout the day.

A pitched whistle broke through the salty sea air, “My little hunters, it is time to eat!” Ja’haak called from the house.

“Coming!” Sophie sat up from the sand, patting at her backside in hopes of getting it out of her clothes, she never does. “Come on To’ka,” she beckoned.

To’ka threw her hands up in a feign of weakness, the limp appendages smacking loudly back onto the sand. “I can’t mei-jadhi. I’m so tired.”

The teenager stared down at her sister tiredly. “Oh well. It seems I will just have to leave you here and eat ALL of the food Mama had made by myself,” she dramatically began to walk away, making sure to kick up sand as she went.

“NO!” To’ka cried out, her eyes wide and mandibles flared out in abject horror.

Sophie let out a laugh and clicked her tongue. “Come on then, get up. I'm not going to carry you.” To’ka having sat up, sand covered her tendrils and slumped back as she pouted as best as someone without lips could. She turned to her taller sibling and batted her big green eyes up at her. Sophie crossed her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow. To’ka lifted up her no longer lifeless limbs and made grabby hands at Sophie. Letting out a begrudged sigh Sophie made her way back towards To’ka.

It all happened in a matter of seconds. To’ka’s giggles of victory were cut off with a gasp as Chik who moments prior was buried lovingly under the sand, had leaped out and flung himself towards the massive serpent that had erupted from the water's edge and barreled its way at the toddler. A shrill scream filled the air as To’ka was pulled into her sister's arms. A spray of blood stained the sand at the girl's feet as Chik punctured his beaked jaw into the upper lip of the predator whose sharpened teeth were mere inches from To’ka’s head.

Several angry cries could be heard further down the beach as clan members inquired at To’ka’s scream. To’ka began to yell out at the top of her lungs a word that Sophie had never heard of before, but what she could only assume was the name of the malicious creature that desperately tried to throw off Chik from its face.

“KORIK-MAR! KORIK-MAR!”

Glistening black scales seemed to reflect the sun and on any other occasion, Sophie would have loved to admire this creature for its beauty. Much to her dismay, Sophie has learned very quickly that every single living being on this planet has evolved to be an unmatched killing machine. The serpent's serrated teeth that Sophie was able to glimpse at for that split second were longer than her forearm at the least, she could only imagine what those teeth would have done had Chik not gotten in the way.

A blood-curdling cry was aimed at Chik as he was thrown off the Korik-mar, the flesh torn from its upper lip held between his beak. The Korik-Mar loudly hissed at Chik, its frilled fins were pulled towards its face in a furious display of aggression. With blood covering his face Chik spit out the tissue from his mouth and let out a bellowing array of yips that echoed off of the cliff's side and up and down the beach. 

The Korik-mar pulled back its fins and lunged at Chik with its maw open wide.

It rounded upon Chik in seconds and Sophie could finally see just how big the predator was in comparison to the hound. Chik was weaving out and under the predator of which he barely reached halfway up its leg. Dodging a bite at his neck Chik ran underneath its belly and secured a hold on the ankle of its back leg. Even from a hundred feet away, the sound of Chik snapping its ankle managed to reach her ears. The Korik-mar yowled in pain, staggering a bit before anchoring itself on its opposite leg. Just as Chik let go to grab its other leg, another snap of the predator's jaws sunk around his waist.

A piercing cry left Chik’s throat before he was thrown several feet away, his body skipped two times across the sand before he finally settled. He did not get up.

The girls sharply shrieked out Chik’s name and the dark snake snapped its gaze at them. White pupilless eyes stared them down hungrily, letting out a deep purr in a bastardized version of the one that Ja’haak uses to calm To’ka down when she would wake in the middle of the night crying from a nightmare. Sophie clenched her jaw and flexed her right hand, summoning up that familiar burning fire in her chest as she clutched To’ka closer to her.

A cacophony of yips and barks ripped through the air as no more than fifty Ta’taied pushed past the girls and swarmed the serpent. The sound of their beaks clacking open and closed unnerved the animal as it lunged at the dogs in hopes of breaking the chain and fleeing. Like a noose the dogs slowly constricted any access to breathing room, all the while continuing to play their death rattle. Every few seconds or so a hound would feint a lunge or nip at the Korik-mar’s feet trying to elicit a reaction, each response was a growl or a hiss. Then a pair of Ta’taied in the back managed to grab a hold of the Korik-mar’s lashing tail and tugged on it. The animal turned to retaliate and as soon as it revealed its back the pack descended upon it.

Those beautiful midnight scales could no longer be seen under the bodies that engulfed them. Screams of pain and fear bounced off in every direction, Sophie could not tell who it came from as she lifted her shoulders to her ears in an attempt to muffle the sound. The three Ta’taied that stood on the sidelines between the girls and the butchering taking place continued to chatter their beaks so loudly that Sophie feared she would go deaf.

Then all too soon the air grew still. The gentle roar of the waves crashing down on the sand filled her ears. Her feet felt cold, a stark juxtaposition to the burning heat from the dogs that had magnetized themselves to her sides. Sophie looked down and saw that her toes were being lapped at by water. It’s already high tide? It’s so late.

“Mei-jadhi look, it's Chik!” To’ka wriggled furiously in Sophie’s hold. Chik slowly made his way over, the sea of hounds parted for him as he went. Muzzles sniffed and nudged his rump where deep gouges poured glowing blue blood down his sides. To’ka stumbled in her haste to get out of Sophie’s hold and met Chik halfway. She wrapped her arms around her savior and purred into his neck. Chik let out a shuddering breath and crumbled under his weight, almost crushing To’ka as he went.

“To’ka!” Ja’haak called, the dogs scattered as she and several other tribe members ran through.

“Mama,” To’ka cried, hiccups bubbling past her teeth. Ja’haak pulled her to her chest and she melted in her hold.

“Mama,” Ja’haak turned to Sophie. “Chik is injured,” she gestured to the hound who managed to weakly sit up when his name was called. Ja’haak cooed at Chik and cradled his head with her free hand.

“You have done a good job my Chik,” Ja’haak looked down at her loyal hound and his near-fatal injuries. “You have done well yeyin sain’ja.”

A male tribesman offered the cloth that wrapped his tendrils and head, to Ja’haak. The woman nodded her head in thanks and handed To’ka over to Sophie. Ja’haak began to tightly wrap the cloth around Chik’s waist where the deepest wounds were. “M-di h'chak. M-di h'dlak,” she made a final tug and finished off the temporary wrap before tentatively hefting Chik into her arms. “Come. Let's go home.”

Sophie with To’ka on her hip followed their mother closely behind. She spared a quick glance back at the remains of the Korik-mar only to find it gone. What should have been the remains of a one sided bloodbath was perfectly untouched sand, no sign of even a minor scuffle was seen. Confused, Sophie turned her sight back ahead only to find her mother gone. She looked down as white sand crashed out of her arms where she was previously holding onto her sister. Breathless she fell to her knees and attempted to pick up the sand only for it to fall through her fingers. “To’ka?! Mei-jadhi!” Sophie spun around and hollered, “Mama? Mei-jadhi?” She turned again, “To’ka! Where are you?!”

She felt a presence at her back and let out a relieved cry when she turned and saw the familiar mottling of blue and brown. “Okuill where-,” she met his gaze and choked on her spit.

“Mei-jadhi…” a raspy croak whistled through hollow lungs, a gaping hole framed by outward ribs where a chest cavity should be. Sophie shook her head in denial, her feet taking her body backwards while her eyes remained locked with Sa’vaak’s. “Mei-jadhi run,” he wheezed as Sophie grew hysterical and began to sob.

Bumping into another body Sophie whirled around to face them. She should have been relieved but when her brother's blue eyes met hers all she felt was dread. His body language was anything but reassuring. “U'darahje,” Okuill’s deep voice growled.

“No,” Sophie muttered in disbelief, shaking her head in an attempt to shake away what she was seeing, what she was hearing.

“U'darahje,” he repeated

“No-”

“Mar’cte.”

“No! Stop it!” Sophie’s feet began to kick wildly in an attempt to find purchase on the ground as Okuill’s clawed hand gripped her neck and lifted her eye level with him. “Mei'hswei m-di hrrk-” Okuill flared his mandibles and let out a deafening roar, tightening his hold on Sophie's neck. 

“Not Mei'hswei. Not to you!” Her vision began to darken as she writhed and clawed at Okuill’s hand, desperate for air. For a split second Okuill’s grip slackened and Sophie gasped for air, blood rushing in her ears. She opened her eyes to find the reaper standing a ways away from over Okuill’s shoulder.

Sophie blinked and found the reaper's face mere inches from her own. Her own green eyes boring her down from behind the ivory bone mask. “Wake up,” Okuill’s teeth clamped down on her head and Sophie opened her eyes and screamed.