1.) You are intrigued by the race of my son, Ichiru Masaki.
2.) You were bored and wanted to learn something new.
Either way, you are welcome to learn and obtain new knowledge from my archives.
~~~Origins~~~
No one trully knows the historical origins of Shadow Beasts. But what is known is the vast legends of this race. The most famous legend being Gywneth's curse. The tale goes as such:
In the vast land, there lived a knight brave and true named Aaron. He defended his kingdom with much heart and devotion. But his devotion soon blind-sided him to the truth and before long he lost his way. He became a fearful knight, that struck down his foes without much thought or consideration. He started to walk a dark, chaotic path.
He slaughtered many light creatures in his daze. But he made one fatal flaw. He slaughtered the child of Gywneth, an arcane sorceress. Enraged by his act, she cursed and bound him in a beastal form as punishment for his inhuman act. It is said that Aaron wanders the world, searching for a way to regain his humanity.
Of course, this is only a legend. No one has ever heard or seen the knight Aaron or Gywneth. So the origins are still a mystery.
Historically, Shadow Beasts were used in the Dark kingdom as guards and protectors. Because of their habits and pacts* however, they were hunted down by both the Light and Dark kingdom and driven close to extinction. Now only an elite few remain in this world, only lurking in teh shadows.
~~~Biology and Lifestyle~~~
Shadow Beasts are a unique race. It is a bit of an insult to even call them creatures, since they usually walk in human form. Matter in fact, the only thing that distincts a Shadow Beast from a shadow weilder is their canines. Their canines can enlarge when they are in danger, stressed, angry, or hunger.* Other then that, they look perfectly normal.
Of course, Shadow Beasts have a secondary form. This secondary or beastal form is usually used during a time of severe hunger* or life threatening situations. In this form, there body types takes shape to a more predator-like form. Females usually take the form of more predatoral animals known in the wild, like panthers. Males in the other hand, are different. The usually take a more shadow-humanoid form. Both forms have the same feature of spikes that ripple down the spine and across the back of the arms. These spikes have no known use, other then to intimidate and threaten their pry.
Example of a male Shadow Beast:
http://images.elfwood.com/art/i/s/isaac/shadow_beast.jpg.rZd.128078.jpg
Lifestyle for Shadow Beasts depends on the Shadow Beast in question. Most blended into human societies, which works efficiently due to their primary forms. But an elite few strive in the dark wilds of the Shadow Realm and live secluded lives.
~~~*Eating Habits and Pacts~~~
Possibly the most dangerous thing about Shadow Beasts are their eating habits. For the most part, Shadow Beasts are omnivores like most human beings. But because of their abnormal balance of mana energy, once low in mana energy these beasts roam about and try to drain victims of mana.
But in ancient times, these beast used to make pacts. Pacts are basically a magical contract allowing any two beings to share the magical prowess between themselves. Simply put, Shadow Beasts would aid the pact maker in strength as long as the pact maker allowed them to partake in their mana. Of course, the problem of this pact and ritual is dangerous. If the pact maker lacks any mana to begin with, they may die in the process of the pact. At the same time, a long pact or contract would eventually lead to the pact makers death anyway. Mana is the essence of most living beings. When too much mana is drained, the living being becomes weak. Too much lose of mana over time can cause death. So, after a while other mythical beings of the light and dark kingdoms began to label Shadow beasts as higher demons and hunted them down.
It is because of this, Shadow Beasts became predators. They evolved to only partaking small amounts of mana, leaving their victim tired and still alive. But even with this change, their have been reports of Shadow Beasts draining their victims of all their mana. But these reports are rare and few.
For young Shadow Beasts, their mana develops very abnormally at an early stage. From age 9-15, they usually start showing signs of their mana devleoping but not hitting it's peak. Matter in fact, their mana stays at a low amount. This cuases ailments like headaches and stomach pains to occur. It isn't until late teens to early adulthood do they begin to crave mana and hunt. It is around this time, that Elder Shadow Beasts teach them how to hunt and drain small amounts. After which, they become full fledge beasts and can hunt freely on their own.
Shadow Beasts are usually confused with Vampires, blood-sucking undead. This is because of their canines and the bite marks the tend to leave their victims. But unlike Vampires, the victims are drained of mana not blood. Another thing to note, the canines or fangs are sometimes used to drain victims of mana. For the most part, Shadow Beasts usually make pyhsical contact to drain the victim of mana.
~~~Conclusion~~~
For the most part, these beasts are harmless. The only thing that makes them lethal is when they hunt. If anyone has become a target to a Shadow Beast only two things can drive it away: Light energy and fire. Light energy is an obvious weakness since light is the polar opposite of these shadow-like creatures. But fire is an oddity. It is unknown why fire effects these beasts. It could be contributed to their low amounts of mana. None the less, this can drive a Shadow Beast away.
But if you or anyone else has become a victim, do not fret. If it is an elder, the victim will awaken within a few minutes only feeling tired or drowsy. This is just a small simptum of mana drainage. If the victim has been drained of a large amount of mana however, the victim may not awaken for a few hours. Possibly even as long as a few days. In the case of that happening, the victim must be given mana potions and watched over daily. If their mana drops below average, it could cause them to go into a comatose state which can lead to death.
Overall, I hope that all of you have found this information helpful.
