Angora Vyrm

Physical Properties

The angora vyrm is a very small and light blueform vyrm whose body is mostly coated in a fluffy covering of wooly fur (similar to that of angora rabbits, if a bit more coarse). Though this mauve, patterned fur covers the majority of the angora vyrm's body, its tail, limbs and snout remain uncovered. Difficult to pluck out but only slightly more difficult to cut than the average human hair, swift slices from a knife will typically slide through its fur with only minor, occasional splitting, but sharp enough scissors can cut it.

The angora vyrm's exposed skin is soft, warm and pleasant to the touch, capable of a moderate degree of stretching, and its internal contents are light and foam-like, flattening when pressed but returning to its original shape when pressure is released, much like polyurethane memory foam. Due to this, the angora vyrm's body deforms when poked or pressed, springing back within a few seconds. Its small, beady blue eyes peer through its fur, and are hard and smooth, like the glass eyes of a stuffed animal.

It communicates through short, high-pitched honks, beeps and squeaks. No words have been observed.

Generation

The angora vyrm appears in suburban residential areas. Small towns with quiet neighborhoods and little outdoor activity are likely to attract angora vyrms. Though it can generate either inside or outside, it dislikes generating in direct sunlight, and when generating outdoors, it will often appear below trees, underneath awnings, or out in the open on cloudy days. In these places, the angora vyrm appears in groups of 7 to 18, as a palm-sized, fur-coated ball. This initial form elongates over the course of roughly 10 minutes before its snout, tail and eyes emerge from the mass, and the angora vyrm crawls along its way. Angora vyrms that generate outside are slightly more active and vibrant in color than indoor-generating angora vyrms.

Behavior, Effects

The angora vyrm's disposition is relaxed and inattentive, paying little mind to its surroundings. It crawls along in a low-standing, lizard-like manner, resting on its belly when not in motion. Angora vyrms will wander their environment, but will not deliberately disperse from their groups, and will not willingly travel out of a roughly 19-foot "territory" around their point of generation. They do not appear to be prevented from leaving this radius; rather, they simply turn around at the edge of it as though disinterested. However, an angora vyrm does not attempt to return to their territory when displaced from it.

Angora vyrms that generate outdoors enjoy sunlight, and will regularly lay down and bask if their territory expands into an area that recieves sun. Conversely, they become restless and huddle together in the cold. Rain does not perturb the angora vyrm outside of its response to cold, and water slides over its fur without affecting it.

The angora vyrm is a highly social species, and groups will frequently converse and interact with each other, their honking speech rarely ceasing. Angora vyrms physically interact by pressing heads together, laying side-by-side, or crawling on top of one another. Though very social, they do not seem to notice when a member of their group dies or is removed.

Behavior w/ Vyrmseers, Potential Uses

The angora vyrm is as ambivalent towards vyrmseers as it is towards the rest of its environment. It pays a vyrmseer little mind even when they enter its territory (though the group's constant conversation slows somewhat), and is very passive towards handling, allowing a vyrmseer to pick up and hold it without struggling. The only time an angora vyrm will respond to touch is when it is harmed, at which point it will crawl away, or squirm out of a vyrmseer's grasp.

The angora vyrm is too small, weak and passive to pose any severe physical threat to vyrmseers, but a typical vyrmseer's skin is irritated by the angora vyrm's fur, causing a mild itching sensation. The intensity of this feeling is different from individual to individual, and increases gradually over the angora vyrm's life. An angora vyrm at the end of its lifespan may even cause a rash that persists for a few days. However, this sensation is not directly harmful to a vyrmseer outside of annoyance and potential skin damage from scratching, and as such, the angora vyrm cannot be considered a threat. As the angora vyrm has no proximal effects, it often goes unnoticed by non-vyrmseers.

Because of their passive nature and lack of directly harmful effects, angora vyrms are often kept as pets by vyrmseers who can tolerate the itching produced by handling them. Angora vyrms exhibit signs of loneliness when kept alone; as such, vyrmseers usually keep them in pairs.

Aging, Death

An aging angora vyrm's fur begins to turn white at its face, limbs and tail, with a salt-and-pepper pattern spreading through its fur. It basks more often if it is an outdoor angora vyrm, and is generally less active and less social regardless of location. It dies silently at the end of its life, its faded fur falling out of its skin and forming a pile around its body. Its skin and foamy innards crumble into powder and are carried away on the wind, while its pile of hair remains for quite some time. Other angora vyrms will root about or roll in the leftover pile, seemingly having little regard for its origin.