Tatzelwurm
"That's not a strong poison. It just numbs you a bit, it's not serious." ~ Akuma
Tatzelwurm are agressive carnivores that usually hunt during dusk, dawn or nighttime. They have a great sense of smell and hearing aswell as great eyesight, which makes them very successful, dangerous and feared hunters. Tatzelwurm usually live and hunt alone, but other specimen can easily get attracted when they hear a hunt or fight nearby and will go and try to steal the prey.
Appearance
The tatzelwurm have a long, snake-like body, two front legs and paws with sharp long claws, a feline-like head, long ears and saber-like teeth. Their fur is commonly short and of darker color, the fur on the cheeks although is more fluffy. The tips of ears and tail feature bushy darker fur. The claws aren't fully retractable, so there's always a bit to be seen of them.
Commonly their fur color is in shades of brown, grey and sometimes even black, and their eyes range from yellow / orange to brown or green color. |
Abilities
Tatzelwurm are very fast and will irritate their prey by quickly moving and jumping around. They also hiss and roar to intimidate prey and opponents. Their sharp long claws can cause severe wounds and damaged veins or arteries, leading to lethal blood loss. Since they need their legs for moving, they don't use their claws often, mostly when they do their final strike.
Apart from their sharp teeth and claws, the tatzelwurm also feature another weapon: poison. By biting their prey they inject a weak neurotoxin into its body, which numbs and paralizes the areas around the wound. They often bite their prey on their legs, so that they're unable to lunge at them or run away. The tatzelwurm's neurotoxin itself normally isn't fatal, but a great way to immobilize defensive prey.
They can withstand weaker magic attacks, but they dislike fire and will get more agressive when attacked with that element.
Apart from their sharp teeth and claws, the tatzelwurm also feature another weapon: poison. By biting their prey they inject a weak neurotoxin into its body, which numbs and paralizes the areas around the wound. They often bite their prey on their legs, so that they're unable to lunge at them or run away. The tatzelwurm's neurotoxin itself normally isn't fatal, but a great way to immobilize defensive prey.
They can withstand weaker magic attacks, but they dislike fire and will get more agressive when attacked with that element.
Habitat
Tatzelwurm can live nearly everywhere. They're often spotted in more rocky areas, mountain areas, but also in forests. They usually don't wander around large open fields as they prefer to stay hidden until they strike.
Diet
Tatzelwurm are carnivores and will hunt nearly everything they see, even creatures much larger than themselves. When there's no living prey around, they'll also feed on carcasses they find.
Trivia
- The Tatzelwurm is no self made creature, but a cryptid said to live in the Alps. The design used in the series is only my own interpretation of it.
- The albino Tatzelwurm featured in Episode 1 is only an albino because I didn't fully know how to design them at that time.