#cavewings

I looove these eyes. I don't know why, but the very subtle colouring/shading on them just makes them POP somehow and it feels like he's staring in my soul. For this being the closest I could get to a barn owl I think it works more than well enough >:)

Now, lore dump time:

Soren (from Ga'Hoole)

Species: Barn Owl, Tyto alba

He's the first character we're introduced to in the series when he was just a hatchling in his parents' nest. He was such a sweet big brother to Eglantine and, in contrast, the way he gets captured and taken from them was so shocking to younger me that I couldn't put the book down. I think I also just found barn owls super beautiful, or Soren made them beautiful to me. Whatever it was I'm glad it happened because it got me hooked into this super special world.

Soren begins his journey in the place farthest from where he ends up, but he always pushes through with courage and determination. Captured into slavery because your brother tried to murder you? It's ok (not really), just make some friends and learn to fly against all odds so you can get help to put a stop to it :)

He's so full of hope whenever the world tries to crush him and something about that just captivated me. There's one scene with him that, every time I read it, I get chills. It's nothing super special in the grand scheme of things, just him reciting one of the oldest owl legends, but it's the setting that gets me every time: he and his friend Gylfie were caught avoiding moonblinking (a process where owls are mind-controlled by the moon. Yeah, I know) and are tossed into the moon scalding chamber where I assumed they would finally meet their end... I actually thought they would die (not literally, but mentally be fully enslaved) and yet they manage to escape not by hiding or fighting but by keeping their hope alive through the Ga'Hoolian legends. It must sound insane to anyone who hasn't read it but the words to the legend and the way Soren recites them gets me every time.

Big Spoilers Ahead (if you care):

After all of that it's no wonder Lasky chose Soren to be the leader of the Band, Chaw of Chaws, and eventually the Great Tree itself. He never asks for any of it, just comes into it with humbleness and grace and nothing but the desire to defend others' hope. The journey isn't easy but I love to fly it with him every time I come back to re-read.

Soren (the WOF version)

Tribe: Full CaveWing

Oh God I spent way too much time explaining his book version XD

CaveWings were really the only choice. I wanted to keep it all to canon WOF tribes but none of them fit the vibe of a barn owl quite like that fantribe of mine does. It created some problems with the design, like the transparent wings, and it doesn't help any lore adaptations either but that was never the point with this. Just a fun design exercise I ended up taking way too seriously.

If you're wondering why the tip of his snout and whiskers have greyish colouration it's because in the books he's a collier, an owl who flies into forest fires to collect coal for the Great Tree's forge. That doesn't really apply to WOF but I really liked the way the author acknowledged that, yeah, after a lifetime of dealing with embers you'd get some discolouration and scarring. It makes him slightly more real and I loved him even more for it. The random pink and green colours is a part of the CaveWing design - though naturally pale and similar in colour to cave crayfish, healthy CaveWings have tiny splashes of iridescent colouring on their scales like opals.

-Female Cavewings tend to be much larger than males, tho their sizes can vary all around making this not always the case. Most typically they are sizes close to most other tribes

-Cavewings can all use silk like Silkwings do, they are also excellent climbers and use their "wings" to help with weaving and climbing, however they cannot fly and they do not have flamesilk

-They do not have fire breath but SOME of them do have deadly venom. Venomous cavewings will have brightly colored patches of scales around their eyes, more rarely all over

-They are usually very neutral colors ranging from brown, grey, and black to dull shades of red so they can blend into rocks and shadows, they can have undertones of more vibrant colors especially if they are venomous. They can have multiple eyes ranging from just 2 up to 8, tho extra eyes don't usually see as well

-They are more likely to be nocturnal tho some of the groups aren't. A good majority live in underground cities and tunnels but some live outside in a jungle type of area

-They all have a pair of extra wingbuds but they do not undergo metamorphosis UNLESS they are challenging the queen. They can control when it happens and ANY dragon can challenge. When they morph they become twice as large and much bigger than the rest of the tribe, usually become female if they are not already (they can choose not to however ofc, tho kings will likely be challenged much quicker), and receive an an extra pair of wings. (I have not yet decided if they will be flightless or not)

-The Cavewing queen will usually be separate from the tribe deep underground, only meeting with the leaders of the tribe groups, they are usually the ones to challenge her but not always. The queen can sometimes change often but the current queen has been very strong and remained in charge for a long time. (My oc Widow will become the next queen in my own lore) Also it is important to note the queen's challenge area is a giant death pit underground, it is a long journey to get there and it is rare to challenge her above ground since most queens have stayed underground for safety

-Cavewing names are typically either spider names or single word powerful/creepy names. (Any 2 part nightwing name could be halved to be one of their names for example) Some of my ocs include:

Widow, Recluse, War, Courage, Doom, and Hunger

I may add or update more lore in the future as I flesh them out since they are still a work in progress, also send me asks about them if you'd like, but for now here are these. If anyone wants to make a cavewing/cavewing hybrids feel free! You also don't have to follow my lore entirely, I just ask that you give credit please if you do make one using this design and use the bases or any of my lore :3

(Also I'd love to see so tag me too!)

Here is a transparent version of the base and also my ocs Widow and Recluse who are sisters!

I'm not the first person to think of a cave-dwelling tribe and I won't be the last. This is merely my take.

Fun fact: they were going to be called MoonWings, but then I saw someone else was using it and wanted to change it. I didn't change it to anything better...

If you think CaveWings look strangely emaciated, you're not wrong! In my quest to create three tribes that could have reasonably not encountered the SwiftScales, I very "cleverly" thought to put one in a cave. But there isn't a lot of food in caves, so they tend to not have a lot of meat on their bones. They also have a really low population, but on the flip side tend to live longer than other tribes. Think of them as a Greenland shark.

One of the CaveWing's most defining features is their large tail. It and the bottom of their talons are covered in special scales that help them grip onto any surface. Speaking of their scales, due to being underground for so long, they've lost most of their pigment. Their wings have gone completely transparent. They would usually be a pale cream colour, but since they are so thin their internal organs are also faintly visible and become dark smudges under their scales.

In order to make the most of their dark environment, CaveWings employ a variety of techniques to catch prey. They use echolocation to navigate their environment, seeking the smallest creatures by heat signature and sound. Many times their prey doesn't know its being hunted. One thing is for certain: if a CaveWing knows where you are, you're dead, as they never pass up an opportunity to eat. If you try to run, you may find yourself frozen under a bright glow...

You might have gotten this far and still have questions about the CaveWings. Unfortunately, I won't reveal everything here. I will say that if you think they have a lot of (re: too many) abilities, then you are correct. I designed them to be a "perfect predator", so to speak, something you couldn't outrun no matter how hard you tried. I wouldn't design them that way now, but I've found an interesting workaround that makes me think all hope isn't lost.