Qeltha - Original Species

Appearance:

• They have thick skin covered in a dense layer of short fur
• Most have short manes of fur on their heads, but the style can vary, and some have manes that stretch down to the base of their neck, back and even tail
• They always have white unders and faces (hence the name of their species, a word that means "bone": their white faces often give the appearance of skulls)
• Markings on any Qeltha’s face are the same color as the rest of their fur
• Their fur color can range from blacks and grays to ruddy red, cream, brown, and many others (as long as they're natural colors)
• They have dragonlike eyes that can be just about any color, natural or unnatural
• Most have colored whites, but some can have whites that are black or another void-dark color
• They have markings on their faces, though, similar to SeaWings, some of the stronger Qeltha or those from dominating bloodlines will have white markings along their backs and tails - these designs are known as "royal" designs
• The markings along their backs and tails are always white
• There are occasional cases of both albinistic and melanistic Qeltha, though it's extremely rare
• Qeltha with either condition don't have to be all black or all white (though most of the time they are), they can have odd dark-colored fur patterns and features
• They are also suceptible to conditions like vitiligo, just the same as other animals
  • Markings on affected Qeltha will be either light gray or white
• They have semi-opposable dewclaws like Odah do
• They have long, thin ears with short fur on the insides
• They have large black claws that are wickedly hooked
• They have downward curled horns on the back of their heads, as well as a few smaller ones, and they can have 1-3 small horns on their noses and on the corner of their jaws
• They have pitch black mouths with normal, rounded teeth in the back and much larger, flatter teeth in the front (think about a shark's)
• Two of their bottom-jaw fangs in the front are much larger than the rest
• Their tails are thick and muscular, most often used for balance and to swim
• They are universally well-built and muscular, but their bodies are long and slender, built for speed and agility
• Their dragonlike eyes can be any color, and they always have an eerie glow to them
  • In the dark, they can glow so brightly that their irises and pupils will disappear
• Females are typically larger than males a lot of the time and often have slightly larger features (aka horns, manes, etc.)
• Cubs (aka babies) are born with minimal features: they develop patterns in their fur as they grow
  • Occasionally, they'll have a stripe down their nose, but for the most part they're born with plain white faces
  • They don't start to grow manes for a while, and it takes a few years to grow a full one
  • They have extremely small, rounded horns that grow pretty quickly over their first week or so
  • Like Odah, they don't have claws until they're at least 3 months old and instead have thick-furred paws
  • The stripes or "stars" seen in both standard and "royal" Qeltha appear later on as well
  • Cubs are born completely blind but gain their sight after only a few days
  • Their eye color will stay very dull for several weeks longer

Behavior/Traits:

• They are carnivores whose diet consists mostly of fish and other smaller aquatic life
• Some outsiders have integrated aquatic plant into their diet as well
• They spend a lot of their time hunting underwater and can hold their breaths for up to an hour
• They are exceptional swimmers due to their powerful tails, able to reach speeds of up to 50 miles an hour (for reference, about twice as fast as a sea lion) - on land, they're just as fast
• They are very territorial and won't hesitate to attack if they think their space is being encroached on
• They are mainly English-speaking, though they have an ancient language of their own that has a few different variations across clans
• The language originates from ancient Odahn, with whom they're related, and changed over time to accommodate them (for lack of a better explanation)
• They make a lot of noises, but they're most often characterized by their deep, screeching roars: many that hear them liken them to the metallic "sounds of the apocalypse" (look it up, it's hella creepy)
• They tend not to growl much, but they have a throaty hiss that they use to intimidate - when they do growl, it's a very deep and guttural sound that is hard to hear
• Huffs and sighs are a universal sign of affection or respect, and they're also used to communicate surrender
• Underwater, they use clicking made by snapping their jaws shut to communicate - it's similar to morse code
• They have exceptional senses, especially underwater
• They are somewhere between being warm and cold-blooded, able to regulate their body temperatures to an extent but needing to watch it from time to time

Society:

• They most often live in large clans of up to 30, each with a loose hierarchical structure
• Each clan is led by one or two Qeltha
• Below each leader are 1-4 "barons", similar to deputies in their function
• Warrior, elder, queen, and apprentice titles all remain the same as Warrior Cats
• Alongside the clans, there are many outsiders and smaller factions, mainly of bandits and thieves,
• Most outsiders are simply those who were born and raised as nomads outside of the clans, while any other factions are almost entirely Qeltha who have been exiled from the clans

Habitat:

• They are a coastal species, living exclusively near large bodies of water, typically in colder climates: however, they can be found as far as a mile back from any shoreline
• There are more clans living in warmer tundras, but there are two clans that live in the same harsh environment as the Odahn
• They make their home in small caves or burrows, often near hills or bluffs
• Forest-dwelling Qeltha will construct dens out of boulders and fallen trees
• Some thieves will make homes out of underwater caves, as they are hard to get to and good for hiding things they've stolen
• The clans and many outsiders choose to stay away from humans, but a lot of travelers don't mind crossing paths with them

Name Theory (cuz why not lol):

• Qeltha name theory isn't limited by a lot of factors, but it still has some structure
• Some have language-based names, typically Nordic, Latin or even Irish - their own language is also a popular device for naming, and it is most often used for naming in dominant bloodlines
• Ex: Vulaun + Junnesejer, Daithi (a friend of Jun's) or Siobahn, etc.
• Many have names based on the color of their fur
• Ex: Timber (brown or reddish coat), Porcelain/Alabaster (creamy white coat), etc.
• A lot of outsiders have odd names that other Qeltha would consider "human-sounding"
• Ex: Gunmetal, Wolf/Wolfe, Reno, etc. (this one's pretty open-ended, I just didn't know how to describe it lol)