The Magical Creature Handbook

Ahool

Author~ Ricardo Bessa

AHOOL
(ah-who-ou-el)

Historical Context:

The Ahool (or Athol) originates from Indonesian Mythology.

Height: ≈ varies between ten feet and two feet
Weight: ≈ varies between seventy kilos to five thousand kilos
Life span: ≈ seventy years
Attack: 100 // razor sharp teeth and claws
Armour: 40 // leathery skin
Defence: 15 // large ears to detect an oncoming offence
Stealth: 30 // with a large wingspans and air suited, the ahool is always be heard but might not always be seen
Diet: carnivore // any meat is good enough for them
Habitat: forest or wood areas

Artist Unknown

Sex:
The males are referred to as sires and the females are referred to as dams. The offspring of this beast are known as whelps but can be referred to as chits. A group of related youngsters are known as a litter.

Appearance:
An ahool takes the appearance of a large bat with the wingspan of twelve feet. Their body is covered in rubbery leather that can vary between the colours of dark brown, black and dark grey. Their wings are covered in a thicker layer of skin, making it harder to damage the wings and conceal it from flight. Large claws that vary from one or three are at the top of each wing and serve as hands when the creature is grounded and needs more support when walking. An ahool is support by two large clawed paws which helps the beast hang upside down in its natural habitat to sleep. These claws are extra large and are used for impaling it's prey, killing it faster. Sometimes the ahool grows fur on the skin behind its neck, it's only purpose is for its young to cling to its back because the skin is too thick for the whelps claws. They have large, squished faces with small beady eyes that give them the ability of night vision. Large ears to detect predators and prey.

Mating:
Ahools mate three times during their long lifespan, and they can produce up to four whelps at a time. When an ahool has given birth, it stays in that same tree for one week, feeding the whelps chewed up pieces of meat (much like human bird) and small bits of milk that are produced from small nubs on a dams chest. The sire of the family will do the hunting at this stage, suppling the dam with food to feed the litter. Once a week is up, the family must move to a different location because of predators, so the litter (or whelp) cling to the dam or sires furry back for travel. Once one hundred miles away, the whelps will learn how to fly and start to learn how to hunt. An ahool will spend most of its life alone until it comes across a mate and spend three or so years with them before reproducing and spending another two. With ten years in between each time, an ahool will do this three times with a different ahool.

Artist~ ProdigyDuck on DeviantArt

Hunting:
Both dams and sires hunt throughout their life, but within the first week of the whelps birth, the sire will hunt for the dam. If the dam leaves her offspring at any point during the first week, they will end up in another creatures belly. Whelps begin to learn how to hunt and survive after that one week, because, unlike the human bat, ahools do not travel or live in a colony. An ahool will spend most of its lifetime alone unless with a mate or offspring in which hunting is shared.

Temperament:
Ahools are vicious and merciless creatures that attack in the night. With no warning, the swoop and impale prey from above with anger. They can be tamed after lots of cuts and bruises, once trust is earns, they are loyal. Ahools are one of the hardest creatures to tame because they are one of the most hostile creatures known to anyone.

Rarity:
Most ahools are exactly the same, other than varying in size. If anything, it is a rarity to see a tame one or one with a rider because they are harder to tame than dragons. They distrust humans or any like wise creatures and kill on sight. There has been word from the human world that an ahool has escaped the world of chlazons. So watch the skies tonight, there might be one flying by.

Artist Unknown