Corvafélid

Common name: Corvafélid
Scientific name: Corvafelis nager
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Corvafelidae
Genre: Corvafelis
Species: C. nager
Type: Winged mammal
Diet: Omnivorous
Habitat: Humid, dense, and ancient forests
Activity: Primarily twilight, although it can adapt to other times
Behavior: Solitary and territorial
Intelligence level: High for an animal
Temperament: Cautious, astute, patient, and observant
Size: Large
Locomotion: Quadrupedal and occasional bipedal
Diet: Small and medium-sized animals, fish, eggs, carrion, fruits, roots and fungi
Natural predators: Virtually none in adulthood

Body: It has the body of a large feline, muscular and robust, but adapted for sitting on its hind legs. Its torso is broad and powerful, while its hind limbs are remarkably large. A male Carvafelid is distinguished only by its reproductive organs.
Coat: Its coat is completely black, relatively abundant, and somewhat shaggy, especially around the body. It doesn't form an exaggerated mane; it maintains a feline silhouette.
Head: Instead of a conventional animal head, it possesses a coal-black skull that forms its head. It has no nose. The eye sockets contain small, piercing black eyes, with a predatory gaze. The jaw is closed, and its teeth appear to be part of the skull structure itself.
Forearms: They are long, feline, and covered in fur, but with a more robust structure than normal. Their hands retain the appearance of a large feline paw, with black claws and an additional thumb, giving them a certain gripping ability without losing their animalistic look.
Hind legs: They are larger and more powerful than the front legs, allowing it to maintain that characteristic sitting posture.
Claws: All are black, long and sharp, contrasting slightly with the fur due to their hard texture.
Wings: From its back sprout two enormous raven wings, black and covered with long, overlapping feathers. When extended, they are huge in comparison to its body and give it an imposing silhouette.
Tail: It has a relatively short, flattened, and very furry tail, completely black, which retains an appearance similar to that of a skunk but adapted to its feline body.
Proportions: It is a large creature, with high shoulders, large hind legs, long arms, and a back wide enough to support its gigantic wings.
General appearance: Its entire body is dominated by black: black fur, black skull, black claws, and black wings.

Intelligence: It has a great capacity to learn from its experiences. It can remember places, people, and dangerous situations for a long time. It is also capable of finding unconventional solutions to obtain food.
Cunning: It does not rely solely on strength. It can stalk, ambush, distract other animals, or wait patiently until an opportunity arises.
Curiosity: He is quite curious. He may investigate unknown objects, strange sounds, or new places, although he always maintains a certain distance until he determines if there is danger.
Caution: It is wary of the unknown. A corvafelid rarely approaches a human or other unfamiliar animal directly. It prefers to observe from a distance.
Territoriality: It has a large territory that it patrols regularly. It doesn't necessarily attack every intruder; it first tries to intimidate or drive them away. It only becomes truly aggressive when it perceives a serious threat.
Patience: This would be one of its main characteristics. It can remain motionless for a very long time waiting for the right moment to act.
Behavior: Generally calm. Even when alert, it may sit with its front paws tucked in, simply observing its surroundings.
Aggression: It is not inherently aggressive. It is a pragmatic, not bloodthirsty, predator. If it can avoid a fight without losing a food source or endangering its territory, it will.
Memory: He has an excellent memory. He can recognize individuals he has met before and recall both positive and negative experiences.
Adaptability: It can modify its habits depending on its environment. If prey is scarce, it may temporarily become a scavenger or feed mainly on fruits and vegetation.
Personality: Individuals can vary. Some may be more curious and daring, while others are extremely reserved.

It doesn't meow or roar. Its communication is mostly silent. When it needs to make sounds, it can produce clicks, low grunts, hisses, and a kind of deep, muffled croak.
Its wings aren't just for flying. It also uses them to intimidate. When it feels threatened, it can open them fully to appear much larger than it already is.
It can sleep sitting up. Thanks to its enormous hind legs, it can remain seated for long periods. It can even fall asleep in this position with its wings partially folded.
It is capable of recognizing voices. It can distinguish familiar individuals by their sounds and learn which people or animals pose a danger.
It doesn't always eat what it hunts immediately. If it finds an abundant food source, it may hide some of it in different places and return to it later.
It has excellent orientation. It can memorize routes, trees, caves, rivers, and places where it found food, allowing it to move through vast territories without easily getting lost.
Its feathers can reveal its emotional state. When relaxed, it keeps its wings close to its body. If it is alert, the feathers are slightly raised; if it is frightened or trying to intimidate, it spreads them fully.
It can mimic some sounds. Its intelligence allows it to reproduce simple sounds it has heard repeatedly. This doesn't mean it can speak, but it might imitate the calls of certain birds to attract your attention.
He is extremely curious about new objects. He may spend several minutes examining something unfamiliar before deciding whether to touch it, ignore it, or walk away.
It has a strange relationship with fire. It doesn't necessarily fear it, but it avoids getting too close. It may observe forest fires from a distance and later take advantage of the dead or weakened animals.

Young individuals are much more reckless. While adults are usually cautious, juveniles may get too close to other animals, explore dangerous places, or attempt to capture prey that is still too large for them.
Learn by observing. A young one can learn certain techniques simply by watching another adult corvafelid perform them, especially methods for finding food.
It can change its diet rapidly. If it lives in an area where its usual prey disappears, it can switch from hunter to scavenger or almost exclusively plant-based omnivore for a time.
It doesn't need to eat every day. Its large size and ability to utilize a wide variety of foods allow it to withstand relatively long periods of scarcity.
It has "lookout points." Within its territory there are usually trees, rocks, or elevated areas from which it can observe large expanses of the forest.
It's easier to hear it than to see it… but usually it's the other way around. It can move through vegetation with surprising silence despite its enormous size.
Its coloration serves as nighttime camouflage. In dense forests and at dusk, its fur and wings make its silhouette extremely difficult to distinguish.
It doesn't necessarily see humans as prey. It usually observes them from a distance. A close encounter typically occurs because the animal is investigating the person or because the person has approached its territory too closely.
You can remember dangerous places for years. If a particular place gave you a negative experience, you can avoid it even long afterward.
Each individual has a distinct personality. Some may approach out of curiosity, while others may immediately hide upon detecting movement.

Sometimes it observes other animals without any intention of hunting them. The corvafelid seems to enjoy observing unfamiliar behaviors. It can sit for hours contemplating other animals, manipulating objects, or simply following everything happening around it. Hypothetical researchers might even debate whether some of its behavior demonstrates a primitive form of entertainment or play.

The world is in a period known as the Gunpowder Age, a time of transition in which ancient magical and feudal traditions begin to clash with new technologies, political revolutions, and firearms.
There are kings, knights, castles and military orders, but also flintlock pistols, muskets, cannons, printing presses and large industrial cities.
The difference is that humanity was never alone.
In the forests live elves, fairies, and ancient creatures. Griffins and dragons nest in the mountains. Some animal species have developed enough intelligence to build their own societies and are considered civilized races. Humans coexist with them—though not always peacefully.
And above all of them there are individuals capable of performing feats that no normal human being could achieve.

Magic is known as Art.
Not everyone can use it.
Some people are born with a natural affinity, while others need years of training to learn it.
There are different ways:
Elemental magic: fire, ice, wind, earth, electricity, etc.
Body magic: allows you to temporarily increase strength, speed, and endurance.
Spiritual magic: allows interaction with souls, spirits, and certain creatures.
Blood magic: extremely powerful and dangerous.
Runic magic: used to make weapons, armor, and enchanted objects.
Natural magic: practiced mainly by druids and certain species.
Magic has also begun to combine with technology.
For example, there are rune guns, capable of firing magically enhanced projectiles, although they are expensive and uncommon.

The world is not made up solely of humans.
Humans
The most numerous and politically dominant species in many territories.
Goblins
Small, intelligent, and extremely adaptable. Some live in rural communities, while others control markets, workshops, and trade networks.
Taps
Intelligent creatures capable of understanding human language. Some live in the wild; others have formed bonds with certain cultures, and there are even griffin knights.
Civilized beasts
There are animal species that have evolved to develop intelligence comparable to that of humans.
They possess:
language;
societies;
religions;
tools;
governments;
cities;
unique cultures.
They are not simply "talking animals".
They are intelligent breeds.
The corvafelid could perfectly fit in here.

The corvafelid is not necessarily a civilized race.
It is an extremely intelligent animal species that lives mainly in forests.
Its intelligence is comparable to that of some human children or even superior in certain aspects, but it would not have human language or a civilization of its own.
That would make it something strange in the world.
Humans know that intelligent animals exist.
But even among them, the corvafelid would be considered exceptional.
Some naturalists believe that it may be one step away from achieving truly rational intelligence.
Others believe it is simply an extremely intelligent predator.
And there are legends that claim that the first corvafelids were created through ancient magic.
Nobody knows which version is true.