Khundii are large, obligate carnivores that look much like foxes. They stand about as tall as a small horse, and primarily hunt and live in the wild in packs led by an Alpha Male and Alpha Female in a consistent claimed territory. Packs will often include several young adults that are the children of the Alphas, as well as pups. When these members of the pack reach full adulthood, they will generally strike out on their own to try to find a mate and form a pack of their own. Generally only the Alphas reproduce, and they are monogamous to each-other.
Khundii also team up with the nomadic humans of the Steppes as companions, hunting beasts, beasts of burden, and even riding animals. Just about every band of humans have some Khundii as part of their group, as they form the backbone of the nomadic lifestyle. Humans also breed Khundii for specific coat colors and patterns. They may enter Khundii in competitions of beauty, strength, or skill, especially when they congregate during the Spring for the festivals of the new year.
Khundii are intelligent animals, comparable to very smart dogs or horses, but they are still animals, and they also have paws without long fingers or opposable thumbs. Those that join human “packs” get many benefits such as access to medicine, more reliable food, blankets when they’re cold, and generally being looked after. Whether this makes such subordination to humans the smart thing to do, or makes them soft and no longer free to dictate their lives, is a question you’ll have to answer for yourself.
Khundii hunt small prey by speed and larger prey by endurance and strength, first running the prey to exhaustion and then taking it down for the kill. However hunting large prey is not without risk, and probably shouldn’t be attempted with a pack of less than 3 Khundii.
Regarding roleplaying survival, an individual Khundii requires about 5 kg of meat a day to remain healthy. They can also gorge on up to about 40 kg of meat in one sitting after a big kill, although expect them to be sleepy and sluggish while they digest! If worst comes to worst, a Khundii can survive about 14 days without food before they become too weak to hunt. Don’t worry about losing kg the currency from your account when your Khundii eat though - roleplaying survival mechanics is not required, nor will it be penalized by costing kg.
Khundii body language is much like that of other canines, with the exception that unlike dogs, Khundii do not wag their tails to express happiness or excitement. They instead close or squint their eyes and open their mouths wide as if yawing, in a kind of Khundii smile. A confident, healthy Khundii will carry their tail held high and their ears pricked upright.