Shadow Cat

The shadowcat is one of the most diverse animals on all of Atalav. A striking and solitary predator, the shadowcat is one of the most recognizable hunters. Males are especially eye-catching, equipped with hairless gular/throat pouches and bare chests used in their elaborate courting rituals. These displays, combined with their jet black forms and keen eyesight, have earned them near-mythical status in faunid culture.

To delve in slight deeper, the skin of a shadow cat is highly specialized and has evolved for their unique courtship ritual. As the cat's epidermis (skin) cells begin to dry and age - transitioning from the innermost epidermal layers to the outermost layers - it will shrivel and change in color. In certain lights, this outermost layer will "glitter" and create a beautiful sheen of color. Male shadowcats will stand on their rear legs, "wave" their arms, and expand their throat pouch in an attempt to impress female shadowcats. This behavior is not completely lost in domestic shadowcats but is not always present.

Shadowcats are highly adapted to dusk and dawn hunting, preying on large animals- sometimes even faunids. Their sleek pelts often match the tones of their habitat; ashen-grey in the north, gold-dusted in the grasslands, and streaked with mossy green near river valleys.

Domestication is neither feasible nor ethical. Their independence runs deep, and while a few faunid storytellers insist they’ve bonded with a shadowcat, most agree they are best admired from a respectful distance.