Heppi (hep-ee)
Draco foemina
Heppi are a Drakonic species with an humodoidal upper body, and serpentine lower body. Female Heppi average at about 15 feet (4.6 m) from head to tail, displaying as about 6 feet (1.8 m) tall. Male Heppi are smaller, averaging at about 10 feet (3.0 m) long and 4 feet (1.2 m) tall. They are covered fully in protective scales, with specialized ventral scales. They have feathers cresting the top or sides of their tails, also behind their ears. They have long hairlike feathers on their head, with some having plumage across their jaw.
Heppi have a collection of infrared pits under their eyes and at the ends of their ears. Their ears have bones at the top—called a helix bone—which support their pits. Their tongue is forked, and their teeth are sharp. Their jaw bone is fused, so they are limited in the size of their prey. To aid in breathing, they have a series of holes for gas exchange hidden under their tail feathers. They are a very abundant species that doesn't rely on magic.
Heppi typically eat a variety of small mammals, reptiles, and insects. Individuals may eat fruits and mushrooms instead. They may choose to starve themselves to eat larger prey, although that isn't common since refrigeration became popular. Heppi will use specialized digging claws to help them hunt.
Heppi men have small spurs on their hips. Heppi women typically are dominant, since males have long been treated as unintelligent and aggressive. Heppi can either breed, or reproduce with parthenogenesis—female only asexual reproduction. The women then dig holes filled with terracotta to lay their eggs—usually only one at a time. They'll take soft sand from water pools to fill the hole. Women will take care of the children until puberty, when the males are abandoned. Females are raised into adulthood. It is no longer legal for Heppi to abandon their kids, but it's still a problem.
Heppi treat water as sacred. They refuse to waste any, but they find large bodies of water frightening. Because of their biology, they cannot breathe when their tail is submerged. Furthermore, there is an ocean with massive amounts of wild magic which solidified their fear. Collecting sand for their eggs is considered a rite of passage for new parents.
