#carnin

The races of Thea:

Part 2, Carnins (carno-sapiens)

Biology:

Carno Sapiens, or Carnins, are a very common race found on Thea. They resemble humans, yet they have many significant differences that distinguish them. The biggest difference is that they are 100% carnivorous, rather than omnivorous like humans. Because of this, Carnin bodies have evolved in ways that pertain to consuming and gathering nutrients from meat only. The biggest defining factor of the carnins is their face. Carnins have much larger jaws than humans, wich are lined with a row of pointed teeth used for biting and tearing into the meat that they consume. They grow these teeth at a very young age,around 2-3 years old, which allows them to begin eating and digesting meat as soon as possible. Aside from their mouths, carnins also possess larger ears, wider, front facing eyes, and a pointed, upturned nose. This allows the carnins to have much more acute senses of smell sight and hearing than humans do. Their larger eyes are also semi-nocturnal, which allows them to see clearly in the dark. Carnins also have a very high metabolism, causing them to be much smaller, and thinner, as well as giving them a very big apatite. Their arms are longer than humans and their hands are larger to allow them to grasp and hold onto prey whilst hunting. Carnins can run at incredible speeds if they have the energy, but only for a short time before they need to catch their breath. Carnin skin also has a rosy pinkish glow due to the meat they consume (kind of like flamingos)

Carnins gain all the nutrients they need from meat, so plant diets are just about useless to them. The only thing that a carnin may use a plant for is medicine. Carnins do not possess a digestive system capable of digesting plants, and so if a carnin happens to accidentally eat a plant, it will most likely vomit. 

Because carnins are a subspecies of humans, they are genetically capable of having offspring. Carnin human hybrids are unique, and often differ in appearence depending on their parents. If the father was a carnin and the mother was a human, they will have the sharp teeth of a carnin, yet if the mother is a carnin, they will have normal human teeth. carnin hybrids are also capable of eating plants without vomiting. Also like humans, carnins will take on a different appearance depending on the region they evolved in (asian/black/white facial features, skin tones). 

Carnin behavior differs from humans in many ways.Their fast metabolism causes them to be more hyperactive and twitchy at times, and their eating habits are traditionally messy. 

History:

Carnins started off similarly to humans. They began as nomadic tribes who traveled the world to survive. But while humans would eventually settle into a stationary location, carnins had to continuously track the herd migrations of their prey in order to continue hunting. Humans used hunter/gatherer methods, carnins had no need to gather plants except for medicinal purposes, so their culture was primarily based around hunting. Food was often scarce for carnins, and a failed hunt could mean death to an entire tribe, this caused carnins to often clash with humans, carnivorous wildlife, and even other carnins for food and territory. When food was scarce, some carnins would desperately partake in cannibalism against humans and other carnins. They would raid nearby settlements at random and take anyone they killed back to their encampments where they would cook and eat the bodies. But while humans would eventually settle into a stationary location, carnins had to continuously track the herd migrations of their prey in order to continue hunting. They lived in tents made of animal hides that were easily assembled and disassembled, and very light so that they could be carried long distances. Carnins would eventually settle into stationary areas as well, but it would happen centuries after humans had already established settlements. 

The main threat to carnins other than humans, were wolves and other wild canines. The carnins often had to share their hunting grounds with wolves, and the two species would frequently clash over the dead carcasses of recent kills. The carnins owed quite a lot to the wolves however. It was through observation and imitation that the carnins developed their own style of hunting based on the behavior of the wolves. Eventually, after centuries of fighting, the carnins would begin to befreind and domesticate the wolves, marking the first ever domestication of non-livestock animals. The modern world of Thea owes the ownership of pets to the pre-historic carnins.

Humans were obviously the first to win the race to civilization due to their omnivorous socioty, and they eventually gave up their hunter gatherer ways for a more civilized culture. The carnins were at a disadvantage when it came to civilization, because they could not have a need for crops, and had nothing to provide a basis for their culture other than hunting. By the time human beings had built stone cities and forged metal weapons, the carnins were still using primitive stone spears and living in wooden huts. There are a few records of primitive human settlements and carnin settlements making peace and living in an merged socioty, yet it is vastly overshadowed by the former. 

With primitive culture, defenses, and no-written language, the carnins were easily exploitable by early human civilizations. As a result, many carnin settlements were raided, and their inhabitants were forced into slavery Carnins had no time to form their own civilization, and so the carnin slaves and servants would come to adopt the human way of life. Carnins were heavily discriminated against, and often were not allowed in some venues weather they were slaves or not. 

Magic was a common practice in early human civilizations, and carnins were compleatly capable of learning and using it just the same as humans were. Slaves were forbidden to use magic, but servants to human nobles were permitted to use minor spells to help them with various tasks. Some carnin slaves would steal pages of magic scrolls attempt to learn the spells for themselves. This often led to disastrous misfires that killed the user, but one carnin was able to perfect a magic spell and taught it to his fellow slaves. They would eventually lead a slave uprising and escape to hide in the wilderness. After weeks of hunting, they were eventually found by human soldiers, and executed on the spot, but their sacrifice inspired many other slaves to try to rebel against their oppressive human masters. 

Carnin slavery was eventually abolished centuries afterward, and carnins would slowly but surely integrate and live in equally within human society.