Jirra, the Kangaroohound

Name: Jirra
Age: 4 years old (equal to a young adult)
Species: Kangaroohound: The kangaroohound is a creature from the great deserts of the earth kingdom. Kangaroohounds have well built forelimbs, but most of their strength is in their hind limbs, which are significantly more powerful. They move by leaping forwards, and can clear distances of up to 10 feet with ease. For this reason, they make excellent mounts. Additionally, their exceptional hearing and senses of smell make them excellent hunting and tracking animals. Their long tails are used to stabilize them while making sharp changes in direction.

Kangaroohounds survive primarily on a carnivorous diet to maintain their high metabolism, but they are omnivorous. Though they can survive long stretches without water, they will frequently eat cacti and other desert flora to get water.

Appearance: Jirra stands a full 4 feet 6 inches from forepaw to shoulderblade. His fur is a deep red color and is consistent over his entire body with the exception of the tip of his tail, which is yellow. From his neck to the top of his shoulderblade is a bristly mane of dark hair.

When Ryou discovered the animal, it's limbs had been decorated with steel bangles, to stabilize the extremities and allow the creature to carry heavy loads. Another notable feature of Jirra are the brands on his left side. Most likely, the sand tribe that sold the creature had it branded with patterns and designs from the tribe's religion.

Around Jirra's forelimbs his a harness connected to a lightweight leather saddle. It is designed to not impede forelimb movement which would hinder the ability to land after long jumps.



Personality: Like other kangaroohounds, Jirra is fiercely loyal to his master, Ryou. The creature is used to living in pacts, and quickly forms bonds with those it trusts. Jirra is only stirred to aggression when he sees a person or creature behaving menacingly towards one of its pack. When provoked, kangaroohounds stand on their hindpaws and lash out with their forepaws, which are strong and well developed. However, they lack a killing nature and will typically choose to flee from a confrontation when given the opportunity.

Background: Ryou encountered Jirra when he raided a traveling caravan rumored to contain precious cargo. By ambushing the group, he was able to quickly neutralize the two guards and the merchant. The group was primarily transporting smuggled goods from the desert and the starved kangaroohound was kept in a cage at the back of the caravan. After some consideration, Ryou decided to steal the beast and the saddle. The other items were of significantly lesser value and most were large ornamental pieces of pottery that would have been difficult to carry and which Ryou knew little about.

For the next few weeks, Ryou brought the weakened kangaroo hound with him where he went. The only reason he could keep it under control was its lack of strength from being imprisoned for so long. A few times it would escape and flee only to collapse a few yards away. Ryou fed and nursed it back to health, and eventually the beast came to trust him. Since then, the two have been traveling together.