Gii-le

     “The noisy one that walks far.”

     Gii-le (pron. “jhee-lay”) are a species native to the Vei homeworld, long-domesticated as pets by the Kiravai. They look considerably different to their wild counterparts, collectively known as aai-le, but like wolves and dogs aai-le and gii-le can successfully breed and produce fertile offspring (although it rarely happens, as it is frowned upon by most Kiravai as akin to “blasphemy”).
     Many thousands of years of selective breeding has given the gii-le a longer “beak” than the aai-le, highly-desirable large ears, and smooth skin. The Kiravai trialled cosmetic genetic therapy on the species, leading to a number of different breeds/subspecies. (Until this time, there were no distinct breeds, and most gii-le looked fairly similar, excluding colour differences.) The Imperial gii-le – roughly four foot at the shoulder, sleek, straight-limbed, and readily trained as a “bodyguard” – is the most desirable, but ownership is currently restricted exclusively to royalty and high-ranking individuals such as the most powerful Domine. A smaller breed, with a more graceful and more doglike build than the average gii-le but shorter and less feathered than the Imperial breed, is more readily available, but cost still precludes most from ownership.
     In its most basic definition, the gii-le is a “froglike bird-dog”; it has a fairly doglike build, and walks quadruped, although its hind-legs are slightly longer and springier, more like a frog’s, giving it a somewhat ungainly walk. Its muzzle is long and tapering, and although it has no defined horny beak it does look beaklike. Its skin is smooth and satiny, although not wet nor slimy – not scaled, but each skin cell contains sufficient metallic elements to give it a sheen. Like many species on the Vei homeworld it has heat-radiating ears; unlike the Kiravai that domesticated it, its ears are not leaf-shaped but triangular and catlike, and used for expression.
     The creatures are divided into two distinct sexes, although there are around twice as many females as there are males. Many are castrated, to prevent any unpredictable mood swings, but those still capable of breeding have distinct mating seasons, two to three a year. They are an egg-laying species, although the young spend some time developing in the mother before the eggs are laid. The shells are slightly “rubbery” in texture, and in the wild would usually be laid in holes or crevices to prevent crushing.
     Gii-le are not highly intelligent; they have large eyes and large ears, but a comparatively small head, which doesn’t leave a lot of room for brain. They are playful and obedient, and easily trained, but otherwise fairly stupid. They are kept as a pet by very many Kiravai families, especially families with children.

Aai-le

     “Wild one that walks far.”

     Unlike the gii-le, whose name refers to only one species with several breeds, “aai-le” refers to a family (like, for instance, the Earthly “canid” family), adapted in various ways to living in most global environments except polar conditions. (For matters of technicality, the gii-le is a species of aai-le, like the dog is in the same family as the wolf and coyote.)
     Aai-le are the wild, undomesticated counterparts of the gii-le; they are smaller and scrawnier, and tend to be more froglike in build. They have pebbly skin, covered in sparse bristly hairs over the back, and usually a short, scruffy crest of feathers on the head (longer on the male), although some species lack it altogether, instead having either hair or a bald skull. The tail is thin and whiplike – once prehensile but now more for balance. Their ears and beakish snouts are a lot shorter and rounder than those of the average gii-le, but their eyes are comparably large, for good vision at night.
     The forerunner of the gii-le was a scrub-dwelling species, some of which still exist in the wild state in the equatorial scrub-forests of the Vei homeworld.

     There are a number of individual species in the family, some of which follow:

      Zei’ha-lemu (“He who roams the wind corridors”) - a small, slight species favouring canyons and mountainous areas. This species has large, flat feet with soft, conforming pads on the toes, and highly silicised skin to guard against the worst of the sun in the exposed lands it usually lives. Although it usually hunts and moves about in the half-light of dusk and dawn, its habitat is often unstable and its den of the night before may not be habitable the next day. Its ears are usually large, and fringed with hair, as are its eyes and nostrils; these are mostly adaptations against heat and dust.
     They usually lay up under boulders by day; a dangerous pastime, but they are highly sensitive to slight tremors in the land and sleep very lightly. Provided there is shade, this animal will sleep anywhere; there is little that preys upon it as its flesh is sour and unpleasant. There is little need for a defined underground den as they are not highly territorial, and simply go wherever there is food.
     An obvious exception to the general rule is the breeding season – the young hatch from eggs, which are obviously immobile, and their skins are poorly silicised in the early days, all of which requires that a mother make an actual burrow of some sort. Several underground breeding dens are made each season; most go unused, as the mother will always pick out the most stable cave in her territory in which to nest and lay her eggs, but should the need arise she will move her entire brood. Young are small but able to run when only a few hours old, and the mother will move them for any of a number of reasons – predator, landslip, better prey density elsewhere. The father plays an active part in feeding and defending his young, but is rarely permitted near the breeding den.

     (more to come later)