In the world where V&A live, there are some animal species/cultures that you definitely wouldn't find on our world. Yumars are one of them; here's another, the stellix.

Stellixes can be likened to fuzzy mammalian-dinosaurs, almost like a cross between kangaroos and velociraptors. They are indigenous to Australia. Obviously they don't -look- as vicious as raptors, but don't let that fool you. Their teeth are very sharp, and they are very quick. :)

Stellixes are unique for two reasons. One, they have a sort of symbiotic relationship with fireflies, which often live in the scraggly manes of the male stellix. So if you meet one of these fellows in the daytime, yeah, he's gonna have bugs swarming around his hair, but at night, when the fireflies light up, it's an attractive sight. Males use this as a status symbol and to attract mates; the more fireflies you've got, the more powerful and desirable you're considered!

The second unique thing about the stellix is that, much like penguins, both the female and male take an active role in the laying and hatching of stellix chicks. No, the males do -not- get pregnant, but they do have a pouch in which they incubate the egg after the female lays it. When the chick hatches, it's handed back to the mom.

This stellix is a particularly surly 20-something male named Galena, who was uprooted and fled from his home after a tsunami wiped out the majority of the coastal population. He's got a short temper and a thick Aussie accent, and that middle shot is about as close as you'll prolly get to a smile from him. He's a grump. :)

I should note that L'il Guy is NOT his kid; it is a stellix egg he came across while evacuating his home. Figuring he'd find the mother afterwards, he tucked it into his pouch. And then as it ends up, he can't return home and he's one of the few survivors. So, he dubs the egg "L'il Guy" and takes it with him when he relocates to Ballpointe. He is still hoping to find either L'il Guy's real mother or someone to adopt the egg when it hatches. He's not terribly keen on having anything in his pouch (it's rather uncomfortable), and he doesn't relish the idea of being a single parent to a chick that isn't even his, but who knows? He might change his mind.

He's currently enrolled at Staedleter (Ballpointe's Penn State campus!) and majoring in Anthropology. And yes, he normally does wear clothes. :)

I'll do a color version later. His colors are pretty easy, actually. All white fur, save for the top of the muzzle, the spots on his cheek and left eye and the left ear, which are black. Mane's a dark gray, eyes are hazel. Fireflies are either black or glowing, depending on the time of day. :)