Carrion Hounds

Carrion Hounds are aptly named creatures, appearing as a bizarre mix of canine and vulture.

Biology
Roughly the size of a common timber wolf, they possess taloned feet, a pair of feathered wings and a head much like a species of wolf, save with a hooked beak as a snout.

As a base, they're more or less identical to a grey wolf in terms of size and shape. 1 to 1.6ish metres in length, 80-85 cm in height. The front two legs are canine down to the elbow, at which point they change into raptor legs for the remaining length. Back legs are canine for a bit longer, down to the hock, and then into raptor legs and talons like the front.

The heads are canine barring the eyes and snout, both of which are avian. The beak is the full length of what would be the snout and resembles a griffon vulture's, with the distinctive hook.

Their wings are attached similarly to a classic griffin, joined to the body above the front legs. The wingspan varies from around 2 metres to 3.5 depending on the size of the hound in question. Despite the wings, Carrion Hounds remain largely incapable of lengthy flight, but can still propel themselves upwards and glide for some time before needing to land again. The feathers of a Carrion Hound cover the upper head and cheeks and run along the beast’s back, meeting the wings, and on to the non-prehensile tail, which itself is covered in larger, longer feathers. The colouration of a Carrion Hound is rather varied, ranging from blacks to greys and browns, and can range from mottled and speckled to solid in pattern. By and large, the colouration changes depending on the region the Hound in question is native to. Tundra packs tend to lighter greys, packs who roam the forests are more commonly shades of brown, and those that scavenge in the deserts lean towards lighter browns and reds.

With their beaks and talons, Carrion Hounds can be fearsome creatures to battle, but the true danger comes from the packs. Despite being non-sapient creatures, they possess a cunning typical of predatory animals and a startling amount of coordination with their packmates. This allows them to overwhelm even the largest of prey, and give hardened warriors a fair fight, even alone. Still, a lone Carrion Hound can be easily dispatched by a hunter with a modicum of experience.

== Sociology == Carrion Hounds are a prolific and widespread creature, inhabiting most geographical regions. Much like the wolves they resemble, they are natural pack animals, despite the natural inclination to fight over food. Packs rarely stray from their individual habitats unless driven on by a particularly enticing source of food, such as a war. Carrion eaters as they are, packs of Carrion Hounds have been known to follow warbands for miles on end to pick the bodies left in their wake. Despite being naturally drawn to carrion, the Hounds are also adept at hunting with their packs, though they will usually leave whatever prey they kill to fester for some time to better suit their palate. Humans seldom fall prey to these hunting expeditions, though Hounds are still willing to waylay lone travelers or small groups if their hunger is great enough. They will, of course, gladly make off with livestock from human farms and settlements, if the opportunity presents itself. Despite their ferocious appearance and abilities, Carrion Hounds are ultimately fairly timid when it comes to living prey who fight back; packs of Hounds will begin to waver once one or two of their members are slain.

The strange and unnerving appearance of Carrion Hounds lead most to believe a higher power had some hand in their creation. Some rumours say strange eldritch rituals from a bygone age, some say dark mages, and some say separate entities entirely. Ultimately, however, they behave much like any other beast of the land and exhibit no magical properties.

Carrion Hounds are honestly pretty weak flyers compared to actual birds, but they can glide for a good while. The highest lift they'll get is around 800 metres and that's the strongest flyers. What they do is fly up and glide around in bursts. It also gives them a vantage point to spot any carrion or general prey. Hounds will very frequently make use of terrain to help them fly, like gliding down deep valleys and so on. They are capable of swoop attacks but considering they prefer meat that's been dead a while they usually don't attack at all, swoop or no.