Breeding

Breeding for Moroks it's a long, complicated and beautiful process all the same.

Only the high-ranking males will get to breed, selectively chosen after a long process of tests and stamina to see which is the strongest stock. Those who make it are accepted into the pack, those who don't - may be killed and eaten or dispersed into the surrounding territories to live and fight another day. If an animal is female it will generally be treated better by the males and will make sure to give them safe passage, just chasing those over the territory boundary if they do not meet the requirements. 

Moroks are large animals so require a lot of space to roam and live in a forest environment, where there are plenty of bogs, they love that kind of habitat. When our Morok comes of age(and that's 6 y.o.+), they seek out mates.

Males will fight to the death sometimes to secure breeding rights and eliminate all rivals who do not defer to them. 

Rutting

The rutting season makes your Moroks bolder, more fearless, territorial and energetic. It's almost an untameable creature, in season and ready to find a mate. Like deer, rams and other animals that use their horns or antlers to fight, Moroks do the same. They fight as they are, or use the skulls of other animals with anthers attached to their heads to fight the opponent. Sometimes the opponent will literally run away, frightened at the sight of the Morok they are supposed to be fighting. Moroks would roll in dirt or something rotten and would hunt animal carcasses to make themselves look more terrifying and larger.

Courtship

The courtship begins with the male bringing the Moroka gifts, shiny objects to which Moroks seem to be drawn but also brightly coloured flowers and leaves as they are drawn to natural beauty. Prey is brought to her and she gets the choicest pickings which the male Morok feeds to her to show off his prowess as a caregiver and show his fatherhood potential. It may take not one day to achieve. Morok is patient and attentive to every whim as he knows what he's heading for. 

If the female gets unwelcome attention, she will use force if necessary and may send a male away with his tail between his legs and with battle scars if she does not agree to a mating. Only when the female is ready, which is a pretty rare thing to happen, she will accept a male. 

As time progresses scenting around the female, his nostrils flaring and his heat sensors feeding him information on her status, he flicks out his tongue from time to time to taste the air. 

Next the male play bows to the female and if she is somewhat receptive to his advances, she will take off leading the male on a merry dance through the forest where he must attempt to catch her and show off his prowess, the faster and fitter the male the more of a chance he has to win, her. 

Mating Process

The next phase is the mating itself after following the female around for a week, and showing that he is the ideal candidate, the female leads the male into a large cave, or other secluded areas, where they are least likely to be disturbed. This "luring" may be followed either in a playful chase or the female literally may nibble and pull the male after herself, until he takes the hint. 

First, the male grooms the female licking around her neck and ears and then when she is ready to receive him the act itself is carried out. Mating is like that of the canine with a tie and can go on for up to two hours. The pair often repeats the process several times until the female's oestrus is over. Sometimes depending on the female, reproduction is not all about providing young but also about renewing the bond between Morok and Moroka. They live long lives so they have to show each other that they still care for one another and that the Moroka will still be provided for. If this is the case she will decide whether to lay her clutch or absorb it into her body before it develops. 

New life

After 10 months a single egg is laid, very rarely two or three, The female lies on them while the dominant Morok feeds and cares for her providing her with food and where possible water. After about two weeks they hatch and are suckled by the Moroka while the male stands guard to make sure that they are well cared for and that no rival male would try to eat their young. 

Morok's life cycle is depicted in such periods:

• Early development(in the bosom): 10 months.

• Egg hatching time: 2 weeks.

• Cub: 1 month - 6 months, including 3 months of weaning.

• Junior: 6 months - 12 months 

• Yearling: 12 months - 4 years

• Adult: 4 years - 10 years

• Mature: 10 years - 200 years

• Old: 200years - 400 years 

• Ancient: 400 years +

All first ten months and two weeks of the pup in the shell are kept under the careful watch of the babysitters or the actual parents. The Morok's body is too heavy to basically sit on the eggs until they are hatched. For this, they have a cobra-like hood which can be stretched into a nice "blanket" that covers the eggs and keeps them warm enough, giving them plenty of time for development. 

When the pup is ready to come out of the shell, it bursts through it with a special sharp horn that develops from 9 months of early development to the last week of the hatching. This horn falls off a week after the pup is out of the egg. 

When pups are born, their ears and eyes and tightly closed. In 10-18 days the eyes and ears of the pup start to open.

In the third week of life, the pup can already walk, and drink and will develop its first teeth. In the fifth week, it may be offered first food which is first carefully chewed by the babysitter. And since this time the little predators start to fully experience the life and try it out. They will grow up too quickly to notice.