#his name is cirrus and he needs $0.32 for bus fare to get back to his husband edgar and their 52 grandchildren

[xensilverquill]

The stormchaser kirin (Kirinus nimbus), also known as the river warden, is a medium-sized, herbivorous chimera native to the great savannas of the Sunken Continent. Individuals stake claims to stretches of river banks and local watering holes and become increasingly territorial until the beginning of the rainy season. Its double set of fleshy whiskers are highly sensitive to changes in humidity and barometric pressure and are thus thought to enable it to predict the weather. Individuals are often observed running in the wake of thunderstorms. Kirin will briefly gather in herds of up to a few hundred individuals to mate and graze together during the peak of the rainy season before dispersing once again.

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(Extended species description under readmore.)

The stormchaser kirin (Kirinus nimbus), also known as the river warden, is a medium-sized, herbivorous chimera native to the great savannas of the Sunken Continent

A double set of flexible fleshy whiskers grow from the kirin's snout and lower jaw. These neuron-dense appendages are highly sensitive to changes in humidity and barometric pressure. It is theorized that these whiskers enable kirin to predict incoming weather up to one hundred miles away, and it has been observed to run in the wake of thunderstorms.

Like other kirin species, its head and nose horns are characterized by a two-part structure. Bony cone-shaped protrusions grow from its skull and are covered in a keratinous sheath. The outer layer is typically shed shortly after the beginning of the rainy season and regrown by the peak of the dry season. The size of each of its horns as well as the number of tines in the head horns increase with an individual's age.

This species is characterized by its lion-like mane and tail as well as the feathering on its legs. This thick fur starts as a dark gray on foals and lightens with age. Kirin have been observed to puff up their mane and tail in both territorial and mating displays.

Adult stormchaser kirin are solitary for much of the year. Individuals stake claims to grazing territory along stretches of river banks and local watering holes. They become increasingly territorial until the beginning of the rainy season and will actively drive away any animal they perceive as a competitor (or a danger to their foals in the case of brooding individuals).

Kirin will briefly gather in herds of up to a few hundred individuals (also known as tempests) to mate and graze together during the peak of the rainy season. A grown female (also known as a rin) will gather and defend a harem of two to eight males (also known as a ki). While this species does not exhibit a high degree of sexual dimorphism, stormchaser rins are slightly larger on average than kis.

Rins lay soft, leathery-shelled eggs in small clutches in the dry season. Nests are typically made in dense, thorny thickets. Superfecundation is common in kirin, and each kirin foal may have a different sire. Foals mature quickly and either wander away or are driven out by their mother by the following dry season. Adolescent foals from the same clutch have been observed to briefly travel together in a group known as a scud.

Mortality rate is high amongst young stormchaser kirin, with only an estimated one in four surviving to adulthood. Sand sharks and phoenixes are common predators, and older kirin will often kill younger individuals in territorial skirmishes.

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A friend of mine gave me some beautiful cloud-patterned yarn for a holiday/b-day present, and I’m so excited to finally use it! I had a lot of fun figuring out leg/body proportions on this guy. He’s going to be the centerpiece for an event I’m going to in a few weeks and I’m so stoked with how he turned out!