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Description

A predatory descendant of the horseshoe crab pursues an herbivorous relative on a seed world where it was the largest animal introduced, 400 million years ago.

The hunter is a permanent dweller of the polar tundra, changing its pelage from white to orange as winter gives way to spring (This one is in an intermediate shedding state). They also posses a small area of blue fur over the eyes, used for interspecies and individual recognition, since they are seasonally social: during the warmer months they form small, cooperative packs to hunt larger animals, which then disperse when the cold arrives to better conserve resources. This one, however, seems to be on its own for the time being.

The prey is a deer-sized nomad, migrating to this cold realm as soon as the snow begins to melt and the days lengthen, being one of the earliest arrivals; bigger and more impressive beasts will follow during the upcoming weeks. The frontal eyes serve to better calculate distances, while the raised orbits around the middle of the body allow it to detect predators from far away. This specific individual is a male, sporting a large golden horn which he will use to battle for mating rights during the end of the summer. That is, if he survives this encounter.

On the ground, some plants are already awakening from their winter dormancy, most remarkable being a species of twirly grass.

Description

A predatory descendant of the horseshoe crab pursues an herbivorous relative on a seed world where it was the largest animal introduced, 400 million years ago.

The hunter is a permanent dweller of the polar tundra, changing its pelage from white to orange as winter gives way to spring (This one is in an intermediate shedding state). They also posses a small area of blue fur over the eyes, used for interspecies and individual recognition, since they are seasonally social: during the warmer months they form small, cooperative packs to hunt larger animals, which then disperse when the cold arrives to better conserve resources. This one, however, seems to be on its own for the time being.

The prey is a deer-sized nomad, migrating to this cold realm as soon as the snow begins to melt and the days lengthen, being one of the earliest arrivals; bigger and more impressive beasts will follow during the upcoming weeks. The frontal eyes serve to better calculate distances, while the raised orbits around the middle of the body allow it to detect predators from far away. This specific individual is a male, sporting a large golden horn which he will use to battle for mating rights during the end of the summer. That is, if he survives this encounter.

On the ground, some plants are already awakening from their winter dormancy, most remarkable being a species of twirly grass.