Flying foxes

Statistics

Habitat

Flying Foxes typically live alongside humans. They tend to live in swarms/hives/groups 

Behaviorisms

Flying Foxes are human companions, pets- and sometimes pests. They look to humans and their kind as protectors and often will hide among them to avoid larger threats. 

Group Organization

Flying Foxes are extremely social and typically live in large groups of themselves- or among human companions. Whether it be a single dear friend or a human settlement. It's not common to find a mimic fey alone at any given time.

Hunting & Diet

Flying Foxes are omnivores- because they can shapeshift. Typically, they eat scraps of whatever they can find. A single berry is usually a full meal! they will eat scraps of meat, but do prefer sweet food. 

Reproduction

Flying foxes reproduce through magical means, spitting out small bead-like eggs that are then saturated with their parents fey magic to form an offspring. Because they aren't actual mammals- they produce in the manner of feyfolk. 

Life Cycle

Flying foxes are born as their small bead-eggs, and hatch as small bubbles of living slime/magical ooze. Eventually, taking the form similar to their parents as a tiny fox (this timeframe may vary, typically around 2-3 years.) . They reach maturity at around 15 years of age. Parents don't really tend to their offspring specifically- as they have an "It takes a village" mentality to rearing young.

Health

Flying Foxes are magical beings, and as such don't really suffer common ailments. They are however- very tiny. So their general ailments are broken bones, being squished or swatted about. They are easily injured and tend to have fragile bones- similar to a bird- they are lightweight for flying.

They tend to heal quickly, so long as their Fey Eye is not damaged, as that is essentially their "heart" and the source of their life and power. 

Communication

They communicate to each other in the language of feyfolk, but are capable of understanding common tongue. While they rarely speak it, it isn't completely out of the realm of possibility that a Flying Fox speaks to its host. 

They are intelligent creatures who live alongside humans of all sorts, but they are capable of living on their own or forming small societies! This is just more uncommon as they forfeit safety for that freedom and many aren't willing to attempt life on their own or in the wild. They live on small berries, scraps of food from humans, and can also absorb stray magic to survive. They have long lifespans (being supernatural creatures), and usually live to be around 70, making them often lifelong friends for the humans who protect them. 

Even in their ancient days, Mimic fey weren't very large creatures! Their extremely small stature is what often led them to being preyed on by other spirits, and led them to where they are now. They are tiny creatures, easily fitting in a pocket or hand. They might be tiny- but don't be fooled! They're quite strong and can easily lift their own weight if needbe. Their wings are small- but powerful. Their wings adapted as a form of movement, since their small size didn't do much to assist them in escaping and flight offered an alternative to keep themselves out of trouble (or being stepped on. )

One of a flying fox's most important trait- is their Fey-Eye. This is a magical 'sensor' of sorts that allows them to sense loose magic and spiritual beings. This is the most valuable trait they can offer to their human friends in assistance- as most mortals can't see into this realm! These eyes are almost always located on the neck, and very rarely elsewhere. They are similar in appearance to a fairy ring, and may appear in different variations, but most commonly are depicted as below. They most often are the same color as the creature's eyes.

A flying fox's eyes appear normal in a lighted area, its only when its dark out that their colors truly show! A flying fox's eyes will glow at night, as they are spirits and the darkness urges the magic they still possess (deeeeep in their ancestry line!) forward. They forgot most of their magical abilities- but being able to see in the dark....well that's just a handy practical tool.

They can often control the brightness, but can never 'turn off' their glowing eyes completely.

As they remained comfortable with humans for many generations, they slowly lost their ability to transform, and lost their magical prowess- something that was not uncommon as magic became more and more rare in the world and harder to find as it was drained from the world. Some may rarely still maintain some of their abilities, but it's not frequent. 

They are native to the land of Ipus, but have become commonplace in many places around the world as pets and partners. They do however, get easily lonely! So many who adopt them- tend to adopt colonies or families rather than just one at a time- as it helps them stay happier as individuals. 

hey are fragile creatures who can easily be stepped on- so a Flying Fox's main worry is avoiding others who are bigger than them! Because their legs are quite short, their wings are their most important form of transportation, making them very cautious about keeping their wings safe. They need them to escape quickly from threats, and make it to places too tall for them to reach otherwise. Their wings are typically bat-like, the webbing is very thick and quite difficult to end up torn. Some have larger wings than others, but because of their light bone structure and small size, most can keep themselves aloft even with small wings. If their wings are too small to fly... the individual may struggle a lot to get around.  Wings don't need much care, as long as the fox is careful to keep them out of harms way. Their wings do heal very quickly and rips and tears are often healed and regrown in in a short time with only scars remaining

Description

Mimic Fey, more commonly known in layman's terms as "Flying Foxes" are a type of very small fairy spirit from the world of Isethef. Long ago, they were a race of shapeshifters who were often subject to scorn and distaste from other fey folk for their willingness to cooperate with humans, and had to adapt to survive in a changing world. While others of their kind ran from humans, Mimic Fey did not. They took on the shape of common human pets to appeal to them, learned the human's tongues, and became valuable assistants and familiars to them. Living in symbiosis with humans to keep themselves safe, and offer a magical hand to their human partners. They are a friendly, somewhat skittish race that has now lost most of its magic prowess from many generations of disuse. Including, the loss of their shapeshifting ability. They are now permanently resembling a small bat-fox creature, and the only thing marking them as feyfolk is the glowing "eye" on their chest, known as a Fey Eye. This allows them the ability to sense anomalies in the magical world, but it is very sensitive to damage and light and often covered for the safety of the creature. This comes in especially handy for sorcerers and makes them popular as companions for mages. 

Origins

Since creation, Fey always looked down on humanity, scolding the strange mortals who harmed nature for their own gain and acted selfishly towards the other beings in the world. They viewed them as barbaric and war-mongering creatures without any benefit to the world and would consistently cause trouble for the humans or antagonize them at every opportunity. They begged the gods to get rid of these creatures stomping through their woods, tearing down their trees, building these strange block-houses where nature should rein, but the gods didn't listen. Fey were ancient beings, from the beginning of existence, and humans were a relatively new race- one that was destined to be looked down on. But Mimic fey didn't. They saw humans as new, exciting- how creative! How inventive! 

Mimic fey weren't like the others- They weren't created in quite the same way. Their kind were born in a very unique manner that made them different than others of their general kind. They were born as an offshoot of the god's magic- sure, but they weren't formed in nature as the others were. They were born from feathers. Specifically- the wing feather's of the creator goddess. After the creation of the world, as she rested, these small pools of color oozed from her wings, forming into small globule-like creatures. Just little balls of slime with a face. She woke, surrounded by these odd creatures, who regarded her with only love in return. My! What strange things she'd created this time....but watching these little slimes bound about with such joy, she couldn't help but see something wonderful in them. As her blessing, she granted them the rare ability to shapeshift- to be whatever they wanted. Watching as these small spirit-creatures turned into all sorts of wonderful things, she was pleased with them. Since the beginning of existence feathers were special to Serafina, signs of her favor, sign of her love towards humanity. Like the Mimic fey, she saw humans as amazing, wonderful creations of her world. Something she surely taught them herself, something that made them unique among the world of the ancients who scorned their new arrivals. 

Before humans existed, Mimic fey were largely ignored by others. Small insignificant things. Or met with jealousy for their blessing from the goddess. Before humans graced the earth, the gods frequently explored its surface- new to them and still hiding many secrets, and the elder races ruled over the land, the Aurelian Elves, the Harpies, and the Naga. Beings with powerful connection and love of magic, who lived in strong unity with the fey creatures. Mimic fey were popular as prey for others, weak- fragile things who could only shapeshift into things at the same size as themselves- small things. They often hid among Serafina and her allied gods upon their visits- because it was only among the gods that they found solace in a primordial and developing world that didn't pull any stops for their survival. 

Upon the arrival of humans, Mimic fey too- were frightened, at least at first. Would this be the last nail in the coffin of their survival? These strangers stomping through the woods, killing others of their kind, warring with each other and slowly killing off the elder races? They lived in small clustered societies, and for this they brought together their elders, begging to their gods for help. To the goddess who'd blessed them, who'd created them. "Is this the last for us?" 

Hoping for a sliver of insight, they were at first met with silence. Their prayers went unanswered. Their population shrunk and shrunk under the attacks of other fey, their homes being destroyed, and yet their faith did not waver. Since creation, they were always creatures pure of heart. They believed in those who'd placed them on their world. And finally, they received an answer. A human child. Finding their home, the poor creatures starving and struggling to get by, who lacked even the strength to run from him, he felt sympathy. He gathered the small mewling creatures of that colony in a box, ignoring their panic-induced rapid form-changing as he brought them to his home. At first- his efforts to help them were met with scorn. Hissing, creatures turning into snakes, and spiders, and all sorts of awful things. But he did not relent. He brought them food, water, tried to build them small homes. He tried everything to earn their trust. But they were cautious. Why would they trust a human? A human who destroyed their home? Being spirits, they quickly picked up on the language of the humans, and finally their elder stepped up to ask him. "Why do you help us?"

And the boy smiled and answered "Because you need help." he answered matter of factly. He'd seen other creatures talk- this wasn't much different. And in his answer, the Fey mimics could sense his purity of heart. The sort they themselves had nearly lost in their sorrow. And so they decided to trust him. They allowed him to help them, allowed him to build them a village in his family's garden, and in return, they helped him to learn magics and practice them. He would help gather other fey colonies- and soon there was a bustling hub of mimic fey living behind his family's farm. As he shared them with others, other humans came to see- and when visiting would often make friends with fey themselves and bring them home as new companions. The fey competed often to find a form that would seem most appealing- and through these trials they ended up with the form they currently have today. A cute puppy- no human could resist that! And wings- of course, because they are too tiny to get far without them! You've got to be practical too. 

As more people invited Mimic Fey to their homes, they spread further and further, and their species flourished in companionship with humankind. The elders proclaimed the young human who had saved them a hero, a hero sent as a messenger by Serafina herself. They never would truly learn if his appearance that day was her doing, but the young boy, Oribus, would later go on to become the greatest sorcerer who ever lived. And one who still to this day has a great love of his tiny mimic friends.