White one transformation 07

The Aetherian Long-tail is very interesting, everything from it's Diet to it’s looks are no less than interesting.

The males are ornately scaled in several hues of blue and grey from chest to waist the waist to the calves are feathered and calves down are almost leathery in texture. The calves are also the darkest part on their body, only lightening slightly during the breeding season. The upper shoulder and arms are heavily feathered tapering to a set of almost gryphon paws with heckish claws that can be as long as ¼ inch long. The neck is covered in a thick mane that goes from cloudy-grey to gunmetal grey{think russian blue} depending on age. The head and face are much akin to a lions, save a pair of thick curled horns that jut from the sides of head much like a bull. Their eyes are mammal-like in all respects, save the coloration which can vary on their age, Children having lighter eyes than adults and the eldest of the species having a starburst pattern with a light center. The males have the longer tails, often between ⅓ -½  the length of their bodies, which are scaled like a dragons till just before the tip which has a thick tuft of needle like fur that tends to match the mane.

Females are a little droller with simple grayscale patterns from chest to knees, the entire area being covered in heavy platelike scales, from knees down they have a mix of leather and Feathers, the feathers more apparent and generously thicker from shin down,often covering a set of talons that can be between ⅙ -¼  inch long and are used to defend their young. The tails are slightly shorter, often ⅕ -¼  the length of their bodies and forked about ½  way down, like the male's they are scaled like a dragon's save near the tip which is -instead of furred- covered in a thick layer of feathers  or fin-like scales and often used by the water dwelling females to circulate water around their young as they incubate. Their shoulders and arms are adorned with thick feathers and softer scales near the lithe paws, which are donned by nearly ½ inch long claws, The females are the only members of the species with wings, and the type varies depending on the habitat they are found in.The plains and grasslands will often have more Butterfly-like wings, often in patterns similar to Monarch butterflies or Raja Brooke butterflies, the Desert and Pseudo-desert tend to be more leathery, better for temperature regulation in the hot climes, forest dwellers are known for their immaculate feathers, river dwellers are more known for their fins than feathers but they are amphibious, The tundra and alpine members of this species are the rarity, no wings just more feathers, and furred than the others in the species. The neck and head are furred, the ears and muzzle  akin to a lions while the teeth are much longer than the male's, often giving them a notable overbite{think the Felis primals}. The eyes of an elder female often take on a ringed look with a gradient look to them, the older the female the darker the gradient.

The young, proper name is a Nipper, can look like either parent regardless of gender and will change to match their gender-set as they age. The Nipper tends to be large when born live but can be, and usually are, rather small if hatched, which is common of the water dwellers, but they grow quickly.The Nipper is known for holding the shortest Child-stage of any semi-feral beast at less than six months, after six months old they are called whiptails, because the scales on their tails have not thickened and thus their tails are very narrow and whip-like, they are often kept here for up to Twenty years before they are sent through a rite of passage, which has a less than 45% pass rate the first time it’s undertaken. Nippers tend to be almost solid white or grey when they are born,  and then as they approach whiptail age the males are often taking on more Blue-esque colors while the females are more grey.