What are Scythe hounds...?

Overview: Scythe hounds are my creation. I made up the first one when I was about four; his name was Oddysseus (Like in the Odyssey, but with two d's and the emphasis on the 'dih' sound that the 'ddy' makes rather than the eeyoos on the 'eus'). Then I added more and more until I made a whole pack. Then I made up their histrories and I wrote a bunch of stories about them. Now I am putting together a book's worth of information on the race together on my computer, but here I can give you some basic information about them. They are my favorite animal.

Appearance: They are an intelligent race of beings who, for the most part, resemble canines. Some, however, look like bears and some look like cats or hyenas or foxes. They are all about the size of a draft horse. They tend to have rather puppy-like perportions, where they seem to have large paws. Their paw-pads are huge because of their retractable, six-inch claws. They can speak, but more than half of their language requires sign language to compare with their tones. Sign language is done with their tails (They have no hands, only three toed paws that are about as nimble as a bear's, plus a dew-claw) which make up about two thirds of their body length, somewhere from twelve to fifteen feet.. These tails are very think and have no bone in them at all. They are comepletely prehensile. Near the tip of the tail, there is an iron protrusion that grows over time from iron deposits in a gland under the protrusion. The growth rate is about one eighth that of a human fingernail. There is an old scythe hound proverb; "The only thing faster than a scythe hound's tail is another scythe hound's tail." These are some of my pictures of them.

This is Ghost. He's got a vulpeculine structure (like a fox). He's one of the scythe houng characters. Figure that he is about five feet tall at the shoulder. Ghost's scurff is not prominent because he is already so furry. Unlike most Scythe hounds, he has four toes on each foot. See his white eyes? That means he's a shaman. More on them later. He has an earring on his right ear and cuffs on his left legs. Ghost is fairly old, probably about 400 years, but he has not retired from his profession yet. He is from the Hyo clan, who live on the tundras north of most the scythe hound clans, and acts as their shaman and oldest living member. His mate (Zakne) has since passed on, and his son (Tsoga) has chosen a mate (Linna).

Right: A picture of Oddysseus. He's relatively young and he is an experienced caller/brawler and can more than hold his own in battle. Oddysseus dyes his fur yellow, the actual shade is a grey-ish tan color and his scruff is brown. He is from the Ho clan, and he speaks the human language well. He does not get along well with others, though he has been forced on many occaisions to work alongside a female name Allena that he despises with great intensity. Oddysseus is, in fact, named for the character in Homer's Iliad and Odysseus.

Sensory: Scythe hounds use similar methods of recognition as humans. Scythe hound memories are most accurately triggered by scent and they see in full color, though they are prone to macular degeneration around the time they reach the age of 500 or so. Their sense of smell is similar to that of a blood-hound's and their overall eyesight is much like a cat's (meaning they have nightvision). Like canines, they sweat only through the pads on their feet and they pant when warm. Their touch-sensory is like a human's on the body but five times that on the tail and around the ears. They lack whiskers, but seem to have a sixth sense to replace them. They have an excellent sense of balance and sometimes give the impression that they can read minds, though the truth is that they are very observant when it comes to another's position and speech and so on.

Pseudoscientific Energy: What humans refer to as magic is part of the scythe hound lifestyle, and comes in three primary colors. Blue pseudoscientific energy is representative of 'brawler' affinity. Brawlers are the scythe hounds who are known to push their bodies to the limits, often with the longest life spans. some brawlers grow to a height of eight feet at the shoulder, dwarfing the others who are only five or so feet. Red energy, on the other hand, means that the hound is a 'lorekeeper'. They have affinities for healing, arts, and are normally very intelligent and studious. Yellow energy notes a 'caller', one who has ties to other dimensions and their inhabitants. Callers are the most rare and are the most observant. Callers are the only ones who really push the limits of their pseudoscientific energy and summon beasts from other dimentsions to fight for them, hence the name. Sometimes, scythe hounds are born with a mix of energies, or no energies at all. The mixed energies are colored green, purple, orange, and white. Green is a mix or brawler and caller, orange is caller and lorekeeper, purple is a mix of lorekeeper and brawler, and white is all three. White pseudoscientific energy is the most rare and only a scythe hound with white energy can become a shaman, as they are blessed with the ability to summon the dead.

Lifestyle: By nature, scythe hounds are gentle and artistic. For the most part they are content to sleep and write. They strive for self discovery and perfection, but are almost always happy. Children live with their parents but are, in effect, raised by the community. Others their age are called Age-mates, and for the most part they get along well together. Scythe hounds do not differentiate among themselves the way humans do because they have no money system and the only ranks they have among their tribe are assigned by vote so that the whole of the clan will benefit. An alpha female and Alpha male make executive descisions and a shaman is responsible for important cultural ceremonies, et cetera.

The Tails: The most noticeable aspect of a Scythe Hound ishis or her tail. Tails are vital to their survival; providing balance and a much needed organ that takes iron out of the blood, as Iron is lethal to scythe hounds the way arsenic is lethal to humans. The metal is forced out through a large pore near the tip of the tail and thus the scythe hound's tail scythe grows. The metal also settles in their claws, so older scythe hounds sometimes seem to have bladed talons. The name 'scythe' comes from the way the tail grows, as it comes from the side of the tail and arcs out, very mush like a scythe. Only one side is sharp, the other is blunted. Tails sometimes shed their outer skins, and the iron is sometimes melted down to make weapons and tools. The tail is usually carried arched over the back like a scorpion.
Scythe hounds use their tails for almost everything; sparring, running, gardening, farming, games, hunting, ceremonies and even the equivalant of a hug by hooking tails together or clanging them in the case of good friends. Some scythe hounds shape their tails with steel tools and create serrated blades. Some drill holes in them and weave strings and beads through them.

Asthetics: Scythe hounds do not strive for beauty, but Tatoos and scarring are common among both genders, often displaying their clan and intricate patterns regarding their personalities and pseudoscientific energy type. Some keep their scruffs tied back in braids or with colorful beads and some spike their hair out and dye it bright colors. Both genders wear earrings with beads and feathers on them. Once an earring is put it, it is never removed unless torn out in a fight, but the attatchments are often switched around. Some scythe hounds wear wraps on their legs and armor for fights (Armor is made from discarded tail scythe flakes) and scythe hounds frequently compete among their age-mates to see who can stand out the most.

Communication: Scythe hounds have their own spoken language, but some also speak human languages. They have a pictorial writing system with a phonetic alphabet comprizing of around eighty marks for differend growls and barks and hisses. Emotion is conveyed more by posture than by facial expressions, expecially when a scythe hound talks with a human, as a smile could easily be mistaken for a snarl. The tail will sway if the scythe hound is anxious or scared, and will tremble if they get excited. Hackles in the scruff will make the hair stand straight if they are angered or suprised.

Well... that's the gist of what scythe hounds are to me; my outlet for when I need to be creative in a peacful way. If you still can't picture them, I've noticed that Red XIII bears a striking resemblance to some of the more feline ones, especially in terms of skull and leg structure.