After emerging from its egg, the humble squire, but one of a clutch of as many as fifty, gorges itself on porridge oats before finding itself a safe space beneath a shield or within the buttresses of a castle where it can undergo its extraordinary transformation into a knight.
Once safe, the squire wraps itself in spun chainmail which develops into a sturdy, protective cuirass to guard it from natural predators such as clergymen, lords, and even fully mature knights.
After a sennight, the squire begins to emerge from the cuirass as a juvenile knight. This time and energy intensive process, aided by the squires specially developed dagger, can take a full day.
Once freed from the cuirass, it takes a further three days for the juvenile knight's plate armour to harden. This armour is formed of interlocking plates, which depending on the genus of the knight may be made from iron, steel, or in some cases even bronze or copper.
During this process, some sub-species of knights also develop their heraldic colours. These are typically displayed through shielding or upon the knight's cape, which will usually fully unfurl in the few hours after they emerge from the cuirass. These colours are often used to attract a mate, indicate allegiance, or as showy threat displays.
Once a knight has reached sexual maturity, it will develop a lance; a hard, long protuberance used to attack and ward off competitors. Territory challenges are regular and deadly, and mature knights can often be observed jousting in the field, during which they rush at each other with their lances. Often, this results in the shattering of a lance, which will lead to the knight's death.
During breeding season, knights will construct an intricate bower to attract a mate. The choosing of a mate is demonstrated through the giving and receiving of a favour, entering the two knights in a season-long bond. Favour-stealing is extremely common, especially amongst younger knights.
Despite their territorial nature, wild knights are very social, and thrive best in areas where they are able to feast and play fight with other knights. Solitary knights can become depressed and reclusive, and have been known to create vast, maze-like bowers, steal mates, and invade pack knight's feast days. Solitary knights are often easy to identify thanks to the vibrant green patina of their armour.
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