Timberlurkers are POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS.
ART BY: MANGOPAWSS
Timberlurkers are very large animals with the body of a bear and heads resembling that of a canine. They have thick and rough grassy green coats with lighter undersides and darker green mossy paws, tail, and mane. Large tree-like branches sprout out from their head like horns, adorned with leaves and often infected with types of hanging mosses and vines. From their massive paws sprout huge and long wooden claws. Perhaps their most striking feature besides their size are their eerie yellow eyes, which bare no pupils of any kind and glow in the dark. These traits allow the Timberlurkers to easily blend in with the VerdureClan’s dense rainforest. Timberlurkers are typically found closer to the edges of the territory near the Farlands rather than closer to the inside of the rainforest. It's suspected this behavior is to find water sources to drink from easier and to avoid the Clan cats, based on how rarely they are encountered.
Timberlurkers are highly territorial and solitary creatures, marking their homes strongly with their musky scent -- either by rubbing up against trees, scratching trees, or marking. Their glowing, slow blinking yellow eyes can often be spotted watching anything that gets near their homes. If you manage to spot their eyes before they attack, consider it your warning. The best chance of survival is to maintain eye contact and slowly back away until you're out of sight, as sudden movements cause it to charge with gnashing teeth, and eye contact lets it know you in fact see it, which makes them less likely to attack.
Despite their aggressive nature, these large creatures are herbivores, and won't resort to eating meat unless they absolutely have to. Their diet mostly consists of leaves high up on trees, which they stand up onto their hind paws to reach and their strong claws and teeth to pull down branches. They have also been observed eating the bark of trees when they're fallen on the forest floor and soft from rot.
Timberlurkers have no special abilities other than their brute strength, which they use to both defend their territory and fight eachother during mating season.
ART BY: MANGOPAWSS
ART BY: MANGOPAWSS
While there are no color variations among the species, Timberlurkers do vary slightly depending on their gender. Female Timberlurkers are larger than the males, with thicker legs and wider, blockier heads. Their branch horns are typically smaller as well, and sprout small white flowers come wet season. Males are smaller with more tapered, streamlined faces, and thinner legs. Their horn branches are slightly bigger, and they do not flower.
Many VerdureClanners believe that since the Timberlurkers reside closer to the edges of the territory that they are VerdureClan's protectors, keeping out anyone who may want to bring VerdureClan harm.