#ra-taro

[yautja-lair]

The young brother became the older brother

While Kajiy and D'unar-i know what happened to Dek, T'e'pa is still unaware of Kwei's death.

"Ah yes a nice sweet found family au with my ocs and dek to make light hearted doodles about" I say as I throw all the bricks at myself

[demonic-lair]

Reference page of the Re-menda group.

(For better quality, click on the images)

It includes their casual clothing, armor, height comparison with the Ra-taro/human and crew's scars map.

Later on I'll link more informations regarding the crew.

Ask Box is now also open.

(version without clothes below the cut, valka is the only one that needed to be censored in a way. I also did a quick thing on how hu'nri'a or their armors look like at night)

[yautja-lair]

The drawing is still in progress, but in the meantime, have Ca'rhak (Kajiy's Ra-taro) and Bud napping together

Because between the angst, I throw in some comfort with cute weird alien companion.

[yautja-lair]

Animals of the Naghe-tih clan: The Ra-taro.

The Ra-taro were brought on Yautja Prime a long time ago by a Naghe-tih clan ancestor and, since then, this clan has always had these faithful companions.

The Naghe-tih are known by nearby clans because of these creatures.

The handlers (known with the local term Na'rato) have high importance in the clan, to the point their rank is just below the matriarch.

ROLE IN THE CLAN

The Ra-taro is a sacred animal that helped many times the survival of the clan, and the Na'rato always had the final word or decision when it comes to these creatures.

Other hunters can learn a few commands useful for their hunts and travels, but the trainers are the one that hold a more detailed, vast knowledge. The Na'rato knows each click and sound these animals respond to. Even a subtle movement of the hand can put them on alert, changing their behavior completely.

As for the matriarch, the moment she is named as the clan leader, she must become a well experienced trainer to ensure order and avoid harm to the Ra-taro and guide the Na'rato.

Ra-taro hunts usually in packs of six; once they target a prey, they hardly leave even the bones after a kill. They are very voracious beasts. If one has control of them, the whole pack can turn into a killing machine, causing problems even for elder hunters.

This is why Na'rato that turn into bad bloods are too dangerous to let them roam freely in an area full of these animals. The matriarch need to avoid a bad blood turning every Ra-taro against the hunters (Bad Blood Na'rato are the only one that won't be easily allowed in the rehabilitation program, since they hold a dangerous knowledge about these animals. Mistakes regarding the Ra-taro are hardly forgiven, so Na'rato bad bloods are killed by enforcers or other Na'rato).

Yautja, in the Naghe-tih clan, that wants to become Na'rato start getting trained at a young age and they have a different type of Chiva to go through, right after their Blood Hunt trial.

This was the same for E'ko: he started a few years before being blooded, his Ra-taro Chiva happened not so far from it. He was one of the youngest to pass the test.

Yet training can last even after the chiva of a yautja, if someone wants to go through more advanced Na'rato levels and eventually to become an Elite Na'rato.

E'ko is still learning, although he picks up teaching fast and now is the trainer in charge of the Ra-taro of his group. His goal is to join the Elite group of handlers.

Yautja can ride the Ra-taro for long travels and explorations (some yautja even have personalized saddles crafted depending on their activity).

Ra-taro are used also to guard the young yautja or to help the adults through the daily activities (they can help deliver objects through the village or use their strength to do heavier tasks).

Ra-taro can be trained as therapy/assistance animals for those who didn't or are recovering from more traumatic hunts (the matriarch N'rithe has always one next to her side, she is still dealing with a lot of mental health problems after years, from a disastrous hunt she was in).

Yautja that lost the ability to walk or see can use the Ra-taro to move freely around the village and even resume hunting or other activities if they wishes to do so.

As for when a Naghe-tih yautja dies, they are let floating on one of the many streams of water that surrounds the clan.

Priests prepare their bodies to allow the hunter to pass through the judgment of Cetanu and they gently lower it in the water, letting the water flow do the rest.

As the body will keep flowing, the Ra-taro will start eating the body.

They believe that, after Cetanu approved of that soul, the hunter shall be reincarnated in a Ra-taro. This way, they will keep hunting and protecting their clan even after their 'first death'.

Since the Ra-taro are deeply involved even in religious aspect and ceremonies like funerals or births, they have a whole area of the temple dedicated to them and their deity. The Ra-taro priest often works together with Paya and Cetanu's priests.

BEHAVIOR AND BIOLOGY

They are very intelligent animals with high energy and endurance; they can climb trees and rocks thanks to the thick claws on the front and the crow like feet on the back, altough they prefer sunbathing or lazily float in the water streams that surrounds the Naghe-tih village.

They consider the yautja of the clan as members of their pack, so they will get highly protective and aggressive when their trainer or owner gets harmed or is in distress. They are very loyal and willing to put their life on the line, which is why the Naghe-tih have strict rules on which kind of hunts these animals are allowed in, to avoid unnecessary deaths.

These animals always hunt with a number of five or six, so they can be used by a larger group of hunters, explorers and enforcers, but for short periods of time they can stay alone, which allow for more relaxed, fast hunts with one single hunter.

As said previously, they are good animals for longer expeditions and can handle space travel if treated correctly.

Outside of being loyal and tenacious animals, their hunting reputation comes also from their speed.

On land, they can run with a speed of 88.5 km/h (55.0 mph), while their swimming reaches 30km/h (18 mph).

In more open spaces, running is another of their favorite activities and, during hunts, they can cover long distances in little time (which is why they tend to be rather voracious, they have to recover a lot of energy).

Their hunting techniques are similar to those of lioness: hunting in group to corner a prey and eventually go for their neck to block them.

Underwater they can't be underestimated as well. They can camouflage with the muddy floor of the rivers or between fallen logs, waiting for someone to step close to them. Eventually they grab their prey by any limb available and spin on themselves, stunning their prey with the constant hits, making it loose balance and dragging them underwater (Rak'ne learned her signature kill by observing such hunting method).

The only differences between males and females are height and scale patterns.

Females reach an height of 2.40 m (7.9 ft) while males are shorter, with a maximum height of 2.30 m (7.6 ft).

Females have mostly dark green patterns, while the male Ra-taro are characterized by colorful patterns on their lips, back spines and exposed teeth, to court the females.

The colors may vary, but usually, it's a dull blue with glowing spots on the four main spines on their back. The spots will glow with a specific rhythm during mating season, and the female will choose the male with the colors and glowing she prefers best.

They choose a mate for life and, since they are divided all in small packs of six, each group is lead by two Ra-taro, male and female, but there are cases of packs lead by two females or two males.

The Ra-taro are oviparous. A female can lay up to 20 eggs and they take two months to hatch. They hide their eggs under mud and dead leaves that surround the mangrove trees, a perfect hiding spot from eventual predators.

During the nesting period, not even the Na'rato can easily approach the parent that's guarding them. Both mother and father become highly territorial and aggressive, willing to attack their own trainer if they step too close to the eggs (E'ko learned this the hard way when he was younger, loosing a finger to a protective Ra-taro mother).

The parents alternate with eggs guarding duty: if the female is hunting and providing food for her partner, the male will be protecting the eggs and vice-versa.

While Ra-taro are good at guarding their nests, some yautja are put as guards around the chosen nesting spot to make sure nothing too bad happens.

They won't be disturbing the flow of nature, some animals need the eggs to eat and usually not all of them survive till hatching (out of 20 eggs, usually only 8 or 10 make it). The Naghe-tih understand this is a necessary outcome.

Their duty is mainly to avoid other yautja, especially bad blood, to kidnap those eggs.

With fight arenas becoming more and more popular in a certain space station, the poaching increasingly grew, with bad bloods working for such organization and willing to kidnap not only other yautja to throw in these arenas, but also taking alive animals for it.

Ra-taro unfortunately tends to be a target. Thanks to the protectiveness of the Ra-taro parents and the 24/7 scouting and guarding of Elite hunters and Na'rato, the eggs manage to survive such attempts.

Once the eggs are hatched, the pups will stay with their parents for a year before they start their training along the unblooded yautja assigned to them.

The Naghe-tih always pair a Ra-taro and a Yautja since they are newborns, so their bond can grow stronger and be loyal hunters to each other.

The chiva applies not only for the yautja but for the Ra-taro as well. Once both pass it, they are ready to start their hunting journey together.

[demonic-lair]

Wip of a drawing that will introduce another bad blood being rehabilitated by the Re-menda crew.

Doodling Lancia with his Ra-taro always fills me with joy.

Bit of lore time: That is Lancia's personal Ra-taro. His name is Ithya, an adult male that shows the ability of his handler for how well trained he is (though medical checkups are still a challenge. Ithya becomes rather cranky)

He is one of the five Ra-taro that travels with the crew.

U'yre, female, owned by Hu'nri'a. U'yre is the eldest of the pack. An older female tends to be rather tall, which becomes the perfect ride for someone as tall as Hu'nri'a. U'yre matches Hu'nri'a with her patient attitude and calming nature, making the Ra-taro a perfect assistant during therapy sessions with bad bloods.

Ta-gha, she is the Ra-taro of Rak'ne. Ta-gha came from a litter of pups from the same Ra-taro owned by Rak'ne's mother. N'rithe gifted her to Rak'ne when the huntress was barely a toddler. Ta-gha and Rak'ne have a rather strong bond.

Ca'rhak, he belongs to Kajiy. The hunter picked Ca'rhak even though he was the runt of another litter. Kajiy patiently took care of him and trained with him until he became a rather healthy and strong Ra-taro (Kajiy saw a lot of himself in this animal and wanted to make sure he survived).

Ar'kte, a young male assigned to Valka during her training. He became officially hers after her successful Blood Hunt. These two both share a rather similar personality: aggressive, impulsive, but loyal and protective.

The hood Ithya is wearing is inspired by falconry hoods, used with the same principles of keeping the Ra-taro calm during examinations or traveling in a ship.

[demonic-lair]

I have doomed yuri. Now is time for the doomed yaoi plot with Lancia (E'ko).

Veduri, right hand of Tha-garn. He is known to be extremely loyal towards them, as well highly violent.

He is a hybrid between a sea yautja and a Nox Yautja (hunters that live solely underground and are sensible to the sunlight, the same kind Lu'hn is), causing Veduri to be a rather large male compared to his peers; he is the same height as Rak'ne.

He was cast out by his clan after killing a few hunters in impulsive rage, as well as having strong opinions against the honor code of a hunter.

Due to being a hybrid, violent and having a peculiar scale pattern, he fell under Tha-garn favoritism easily since Tha-garn loves to collect rarities of all sorts.

However, when he started rehabilitation, he stopped behaving in such way. He is still loyal to Tha-garn and follow them around, yet Veduri is the only one taking rehabilitation seriously, compared to Tha-garn.

He often does the tasks Tha-garn doesn't want to do and more. He prefers to have work to do.

Veduri seemed to have grown close to E'ko, so Rak'ne assigned the handler to take care of Veduri training.

While a bad blood, even if redeemed, will never be allowed to become a Ra-taro handler, these animals can still be used as therapy animals and ex bad bloods can become assistant for the handlers. This seems the path Veduri is tempted to follow.

Nobody had ever seen his face, not even Tha-garn. E'ko is rather curious to see it, but never press Veduri about it. This only made Veduri like E'ko more.

[yautja-lair]

Naghe-tih Clan: Ra-taro Training and Games

Naghe-tih clan has training sessions or games that involve Ra-taro riding and learning how to fall without too much damage.

This involves the Ra-taro bucking off the rider or putting the yautja through harsh riding situations.

For training sessions, young yautja are taught to use their legs' strength and balance to not get thrown off by the Ra-taro.

They learn to stay on top of the animal no matter the hunting conditions. They are also taught to prioritize the safety of the Ra-taro over their well-being, when possible.

Especially wannabe trainers have the duty to practice regularly this training, they will be the one riding and handling the Ra-taro more than other hunters.

As for the games adult yautja (even elders) attend to, it is seen as a way to prove their skills and hunter worth.

They are also used to impress other male or female hunters, especially when mating season is closer.

One of the main events is bareback riding.

Unlike young yautja, who train with a small saddle, the adults will ride the Ra-taro with no support at all during the bucking game.

The Ra-taro is not forced to do this. They actually perceive it as a game: they get many treats and praises if they manage to buck off the rider. Their pups also learn how to play without harming their yautja owner by watching them.

The Ra-taro have rough ways to play, which involves lots of biting and ramming against the other, so this is actually a tame activity for them.

The assigned handler will make a specific sound to give the animal the cue to start bucking.

The Ra-taro that manages to throw off as many yautja as possible is celebrated in an honorary way at the end of the games.

The Ra-taro are super spoiled before and after the games, with handlers making sure the animal is well.

The slightest sign of fatigue or distress and the Ra-taro is taken back to their resting spot.

Yautja from other clans are welcome to take part in these games. The Naghe-tih are proud of their Ra-taro and don't mind involving wandering traders or hunters in their social and cultural life.

It's often used as a way to establish trades or alliances between clans.

These games always end up crossing the celebrations that the Naghe-tih clan makes for the goddess Paya.

Once the riders that won the contests are rewarded and congratulated by the other participants, a long feast starts: food and music fill the jungle for four days and four nights.

Even the Ra-taro are dressed up for the occasions, with harnesses and saddles full of intricate decorations and drawings. They get all the delicious meals, and their skin is painted by the priests and acolytes of the temple.

Dhe-hak and E'ko often participate in these games with good results: Dhe-hak manages to court plenty of potential mates during these events, while E'ko is more focused on having fun and improving his skills.

N'rithe used to be a champion during these games, yet now she doesn't take part in it anymore.

She mainly organizes everything as the matriarch in charge and watches all the games unfold in her honor seat, always accompanied by her Ra-taro Ven'te.

[yautja-lair]

Blood Hunt (Chiva) of the Naghe-tih clan.

The Naghe-tih clan has strict rules regarding where the Ra-taro are allowed to go in a hunt.

A Kiande Amedha hunt is not one of these.

Ra-taro are strictly forbidden to be around a xenomorph.

To become a hunter, young ones have to learn how to cohesist and hunt with the Ra-taro.

Yet, since the Naghe-tih clan doesn't allow Kiande Amedha hunt for their blooding, the Blood Hunt consist of going to other planets to hunt other dangerous animals, where the Ra-taro can be useful companions and have higher chances of survival.

They are sacred animals and having one infected by a face hugger would lead to a catastrophic sin to the clan's eyes.

N'rithe killed Gahra, the previous matriarch, because she deceived them enough to bring a pack of Ra-taro inside a Kiande Amedha nest.

Kiande Amedha becomes a hunt reserved for when the new hunter gains more experience and is confident enough for a solo hunt without their personal Ra-taro (usually, yautja of the Naghe-tih Clan will try to kill a Kiande Amedha before mating season start, to court potential mates with).

The cooperation between the hunter and their Ra-taro is the focus of this rite of passage: the animal get assigned to the yautja since a young age, so they both get trained at the same time.

If a young hunter gets their Ra-taro killed during the Chiva, a whole trial will focus on the matter, deciding the fate of the young blood by checking the recording of the mask: if the death was caused by something out of control from the hunter, they will be granted another chance to prove themselves, however with stricter rules.

If the death of the animal was caused by the reckless and irresponsible behavior of the hunter, because driven by a big ego or greed, they will be exiled from the clan, condemned to always be Unblooded (This was unfortunately the case of one of the many sons of Dhe-hak).

If the hunter gets killed in the Blood Hunt, yet the Ra-taro survived, then the new blooded hunters have the task to take the Ra-taro back safely. The animal will be given time to process the loss (Ra-taro are highly intelligent and emotional animal, they can mourn the death of someone they were close to), then the Ra-taro will be assigned to another hunter or to other tasks.

Valka's case was peculiar. Being a human who decided to join a yautja group definitely caused many question if they wanted to turn Valka into a hunter recognized by the crew and the clan.

Valka was trained together with rehabilitating bad bloods; when Rak'ne and Kajiy thought she was ready to approach the Naghe-tih Clan way, E'ko was the one who started training her, along with the other two hunters.

E'ko gave Valka her current Ra-taro, Ar'kte, who was a Ra-taro whose hunter, from another hunting party, died.

Valka had a hard time at first since the animal was way taller for her to climb on, nor could she mimic the command sound E'ko was teaching her, yet at the end she managed to do it her own way and starting to build a good bond with Ar'kte.

She passed her Blood Hunt successfully, much to the joy of the crew (and begrudgingly Kajiy too).

Once the Re-menda will be back to the clan's grounds, Rak'ne will need to show the recording of Valka's hunt to N'rithe, to demonstrate that the human is fit to stay in the clan.