Early morning sketch! Sort of blog related.
This is my ‘headcanon’ pre-Combine and post-Combine Hunter from HL2. They come from the same planet as HL1′s houndeyes did, but were heavily synthesized by the Combine following their takeover. Without all of the augmentations and armor, they appear more houndeye-esque. There are bioluminescent ‘stripes’ on their bodies, giving them that signature aqua glow. They have four ‘mandibles’ on their undercarriage, where their mouth/beak is, kind of like a Predator. They also have two claw-fingers to help feed that mouth, which are used to catch nearby prey and pull them in for the kill. They are skilled climbers, and will often perch on their strongest hind leg to observe their surroundings (like a houndeye). They even have little whiskers on the front to inspect meat and other food. Finally, the Combine had taken the venom from their poisonous barbs and altered them to make fletchettes. The barbs themselves do not explode, but the fletchettes release a toxin upon bursting.