RVA: Grass Chasers
Feb. 20th, 2016 04:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalDescription: Grass chasers (diabolica praesumptio in human taxonomic texts) are (barely) domesticated riding beasts in the Foxen Prime ecological system. Described by one human researcher as “an unholy cross between a fox and a saber tooth tiger” they are quadruped pack carnivores that live in plains regions, specializing in long term chases of prey, driving their targets into terrorized exhaustion as they nip at their heels.
Adult females stand about 1.5 meters at the shoulder, males slightly smaller. Their jaws are large, with ten centimeter long fangs that extend past the lower jaw, which can open to about 120 degrees when biting, and they have retractable claws. Their coats are thick with long fetlocks at the ankles, ranging from bright orange to dark brown, with contrasting stripes. Children are born in pairs, after an eight month gestation period, and grow to adulthood in about two years.
Psychologically they are extremely territorial. Any creature outside of their packs (ranging from six to ten adults, with an Alpha female), is not tolerated, even other grass chasers. They tend to attack such intruders with little warning, and have been described by laymen as being in a constant state of pure anger. Displays of affection are generally displayed only towards young offspring, with adults maintaining a strict hierarchy enforced by occasional, but vicious, dominance battles.
Domestication: Foxen history, from the beginnings of agriculture to their industrial age, had a problem. There was no animal equivalent to the Terran horse or oxen, that is to say reasonably intelligent, strong, and tractable. Some beasts were as strong or better (between the size of rhino and a triceratops) but were bone stupid at best. Some were tractable and even friendly, but about the size of a small cat. Some were very intelligent, but limited to sea creatures or birds. Faced with this dilemma, the foxen settled for two out of three, and tried to domesticate grass chasers, with mixed success. Grass chasers were suitable for riding, assuming they were socialized with foxen from an early age, but attempts to harness them to carts or plows proved disastrous. Use was limited travel, couriers, and cavalry. [1]
This led to many social peculiarities in foxen society, prior to the invention of the steam engine. Lacking creatures to haul carts or pull plows, the foxen were limited to their own muscle power. This led to feudal caste system that still permeates the Mother Country today, reflected in contemporary illustrations of teams of foxen commoners hauling carts and plowing fields, under the direction of benevolent Nobles, while Military/Service caste foxen guarded them both and made sure the exhausted Commoners were fed and otherwise provided for once the work day is done. [2]
As a result this spurred early technical innovation in foxen society, with crude examples of practical steam engines first appearing in the middle of their Iron Age, leading up to fabulous sextuple expansion engines, surviving examples of which attract rail fans from across the Alliance.
Foxen Appreciation of Grass Chasers: “Appreciation” could be more accurately termed “hate” actually. Even the few remaining breeders of Grass Chasers admit the species is cranky and dangerous, and the peculiar habit of some Noble caste families of riding them for sport is seen as an example (even by a lot of Nobles) as why Commoners are “closer to the earth” ie: more sensible. Grass Chasers are the subject of a thousand macabre jokes, and b-grade science-fiction vids and text stories about making them even worse are a staple. [5]
Suffice it to say that one of the earliest imports from Earth after First Contact were horse embryos, which went a long way towards cementing the growing Human/Foxen friendship and creating the Alliance.
[1] The latter they were very terrifyingly good at, though it was vital for their riders to maintain control, in order to assure that only enemy soldiers were eaten.
[2] The Foxen Society for Democracy would like you to know that the previous rose-colored image of ancient Commoner-Noble relations is a load of dingo’s kidneys, and the Truth is considerable more sordid. [3]
[3] The Foxen Historical Society would also like you to know that while the actual history isn’t all flowers and foot rubs, the reality was closer to a mutual support system than the Master-Slave system the FSD implies. [4]
[4] Well, not accounting the Bloody Decades, but who wants to dwell on that?
[5] Hydragon vs. Megachaser is a perennial favorite among foxen Kaiju fans.
Adult females stand about 1.5 meters at the shoulder, males slightly smaller. Their jaws are large, with ten centimeter long fangs that extend past the lower jaw, which can open to about 120 degrees when biting, and they have retractable claws. Their coats are thick with long fetlocks at the ankles, ranging from bright orange to dark brown, with contrasting stripes. Children are born in pairs, after an eight month gestation period, and grow to adulthood in about two years.
Psychologically they are extremely territorial. Any creature outside of their packs (ranging from six to ten adults, with an Alpha female), is not tolerated, even other grass chasers. They tend to attack such intruders with little warning, and have been described by laymen as being in a constant state of pure anger. Displays of affection are generally displayed only towards young offspring, with adults maintaining a strict hierarchy enforced by occasional, but vicious, dominance battles.
Domestication: Foxen history, from the beginnings of agriculture to their industrial age, had a problem. There was no animal equivalent to the Terran horse or oxen, that is to say reasonably intelligent, strong, and tractable. Some beasts were as strong or better (between the size of rhino and a triceratops) but were bone stupid at best. Some were tractable and even friendly, but about the size of a small cat. Some were very intelligent, but limited to sea creatures or birds. Faced with this dilemma, the foxen settled for two out of three, and tried to domesticate grass chasers, with mixed success. Grass chasers were suitable for riding, assuming they were socialized with foxen from an early age, but attempts to harness them to carts or plows proved disastrous. Use was limited travel, couriers, and cavalry. [1]
This led to many social peculiarities in foxen society, prior to the invention of the steam engine. Lacking creatures to haul carts or pull plows, the foxen were limited to their own muscle power. This led to feudal caste system that still permeates the Mother Country today, reflected in contemporary illustrations of teams of foxen commoners hauling carts and plowing fields, under the direction of benevolent Nobles, while Military/Service caste foxen guarded them both and made sure the exhausted Commoners were fed and otherwise provided for once the work day is done. [2]
As a result this spurred early technical innovation in foxen society, with crude examples of practical steam engines first appearing in the middle of their Iron Age, leading up to fabulous sextuple expansion engines, surviving examples of which attract rail fans from across the Alliance.
Foxen Appreciation of Grass Chasers: “Appreciation” could be more accurately termed “hate” actually. Even the few remaining breeders of Grass Chasers admit the species is cranky and dangerous, and the peculiar habit of some Noble caste families of riding them for sport is seen as an example (even by a lot of Nobles) as why Commoners are “closer to the earth” ie: more sensible. Grass Chasers are the subject of a thousand macabre jokes, and b-grade science-fiction vids and text stories about making them even worse are a staple. [5]
Suffice it to say that one of the earliest imports from Earth after First Contact were horse embryos, which went a long way towards cementing the growing Human/Foxen friendship and creating the Alliance.
[1] The latter they were very terrifyingly good at, though it was vital for their riders to maintain control, in order to assure that only enemy soldiers were eaten.
[2] The Foxen Society for Democracy would like you to know that the previous rose-colored image of ancient Commoner-Noble relations is a load of dingo’s kidneys, and the Truth is considerable more sordid. [3]
[3] The Foxen Historical Society would also like you to know that while the actual history isn’t all flowers and foot rubs, the reality was closer to a mutual support system than the Master-Slave system the FSD implies. [4]
[4] Well, not accounting the Bloody Decades, but who wants to dwell on that?
[5] Hydragon vs. Megachaser is a perennial favorite among foxen Kaiju fans.
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no subject
Date: 2016-02-20 04:46 pm (UTC)Let's assume they have the same calorie requirement as a horse.
Let's assume that there are animals capable of converting vegetation to meat as efficiently as pigs (3:1 ratio).
An owner would need to spend three times as much on food to raise the meat needed to feed the grass chasers.
The owner would also need to hire someone to tend to the food animals providing the meat, in addition to the staff needed to tend to the chasers.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-20 07:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-02-21 07:07 pm (UTC)People do keep carnivores. Dogs and cats. Dogs even get used for transportation (sled dogs).
no subject
Date: 2016-02-22 03:59 am (UTC)So do some tribes of paleolithic humans.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-22 11:11 pm (UTC)Humans are omnivores and in the tropical paleolithic hunter gatherers I've read about, meat is a supplement and not the entire energy budget.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-23 12:47 am (UTC)And the majority of cultures that still live as hunter-gatherers get the majority of their calories from meat. We can't digest cellulose and a lot of plants with low-cellulose parts are poisonous, while meat is very high-cal. High-meat diets are ideal when sustainable.
As for the specific method, there's tribes in the Kalahari who hunt antelope by chasing them until they have heart attacks. Literally.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-28 02:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-02-28 08:46 am (UTC)-Timony, Hydragon vs. Universe Beast.
Given foxen antipathy towards grass chasers, it was hard for them not to root for Hydragon in that battle. And foxen civil protection in that universe has a lot of experience in emergency evacuations of downtown. ;)