THE
ROLLING
HEDGEHOG |
Rolling Hedgehogs are a rather spiky little creature found trough most of Caelereth. It is the smallest known Hedgehog species, and is known as a cowardly little creature that prefers to “roll” into a small ball with all the spikes pointing outwards instead of fighting.
Appearance.
The Rolling Hedgehog’s body is like a spike-covered cylinder with a triangular
head (not spiny) and four legs. An adult Rolling Hedgehog can reach about 20-35
nailsbreadths from snout to tail. The spikes cover the back and sides of the
body, but leave the stomach unprotected. The spikes are usually brown or black.
The entire body of the Rolling Hedgehog is covered in a light brown flea ridden
fur. The Rolling Hedgehog got four furry legs, and five-toed paws with small,
curved brown-or-black claws, mostly used for digging.
The face is pyramidal, with a jutting, three-cornered snout. The mouth nearly
splits that mouth in half, with two black eyes balancing just over the mouth's
corners. The mouth is filled with small, yellow teeth. There’s cutting teeth,
piercing fangs, and some for grinding the mouth-full. There are usually some
pieces of rotting meat and plants stuck between the teeth.
On the end of the snout you’ll find a small, square black nose. This is in
constant motion, gathering necessary information for the Hog. This is also the
beasts sensitive point; so when you’re handling one of these, make sure to avoid
touching this area.
Special Abilities.
The Rolling Hedgehog can make itself a spiky ball in self-defense, climb trees
and survive harsh climates, as it is found in nearly entire
Caelereth. To touch a spike is like touching
a needle. Press to hard, and it will draw blood. That has kept Rolling Hedgehogs
alive through many dangerous situations.
Territory.
The Rolling Hedgehog can be found nearly anywhere on
Caelereth. They live in great masses around
the Thaehelvil River, which seems
like a little paradise for the Rolling Hedgehogs. They also prefer the
Isles of R’unor, the northern part of the Bay
of Wealth, the bay close to Lanssar and the Falloenon Allfaenath in northwestern
Nybelmar.
Generally, Rolling Hedgehogs prefer to live close to water and food, so if you
are looking for one, look around rivers, lakes and marchlands – the wetter, the
better.
Habitat/Behaviour.
Any Rolling Hedgehog is a rather calm and quiet little creature, and won’t
attack unless provoked, and then most likely roll into a ball. They are not pack
animals, living in solitude for their entire life, unless when mating, and then
only for a brief hour. Hedgehogs are not very territorial, and will generally
move around a lot, even tough it is possible to see the same Hedgehog in the
same area for a couple of years. But that rarely happen unless there’s a large
food source nearby.
If you find a Rolling Hedgehog, it’s usually hunting. If its not, its in a
sheltered lair (cave, bush, anything providing cover within reach).
Hedgehogs aren’t very bright. They might go into the same trap each day in their
life, and won’t learn a thing. They are easily fooled, and as mentioned, easily
trapped.
Diet.
Rolling Hedgehogs are omnivores, and might eat insects, carcasses, other
Hedgehogs and plants. They usually prefer snails, which don’t fight back.
Rolling Hedgehoges also like farmers, who give them milk during holy days and
feasts, and they might as well toss any snails they find into a bucket. Such a
bucket may be emptied by the first Hedgehog found, which will quickly make a
bloody carnage of the insects. Peasants believe the Hedgehogs will then stay and
keep vermin away from their crops. Other creatures of choice are
orms, makos and, well, anything else they might find
edible.
Mating.
All Hedgehogs mate in the late autumn, when the males find the females, and
reproduce without any fuss. The females will stay around
water in hope that a male will find her.
It is strange, however, that a creature with such a spiky back reproduces the
"ordinary" way, as it is obvious that the male is hurt during the process. To
their luck, the males got a thick layer of though skin at their underside, so it
might not be much worse than a few painful stings.
The females give birth to about 8-16 blind little Hedgehogs. After a few days
they can see, and after a few weeks, their soft spikes turn hard. About half the
newborn Hedgehogs survive their first year.
Myth/Lore.
A lot of farmers put out a bowl of milk, just outside their door at holidays.
They believe that the milk will persuade the Hedgehog to stay, and keep vermin
away. If this helps, nobody knows. It is also common to drop snails and similar
things in front of a Rolling Hedgehog, "bribing" it to stay.
Information provided by
The Akorn
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