#cerifae

Working some sketchy drafts of my Cerifae. Aka Mothstags.

Cerifae are creatures of magical decent. They themselves do not displays acts of magic, they can't conjure things, they don't grant wishes, nothing like that. But their bodies seem to hold extremely high value for medications and magic workings such as potion making.

These creatures are very kind souls. Extremely gentle with each other and whatever surrounds them. They only live in extremely old and overgrown forests, now often referred to as "King's Forests".

Think of the scene from princess mononoke where they're running across all of the clear water ponds.

Huge trees, lots of clear still water, very open for them to gently skip and glide across the water. They are extremely light, so light a child could pick them up. Even a full grown male Cerifae doesn't hold much weight. Their bodies are small, around the size of an extremely large dog to a pony height wise.

They use their weight to their advantage. They are not the best flyers regardless of owning moth/butterfly like wings. They usually tuck into themselves against the back, opening up side ways. Rarely do they flap or lift them high, Cerifae use them for gliding long distances and skimming over water to escape predators. Cerifae do not like getting wet and will be extremely slowed if they get their body/legs/wings wet. A soaked Cerifae is a defenseless Cerifae. Think of it like trying to walk through a pool of pudding, that's what it feels like to them until they air dry.

These creatures are incredibly rare and hard to find. If you see them it's said to be extremely good luck/good fortune. They are really only rare because they have been over-hunted and had all of their dense forest homes destroyed.

They tend to live in groups, family oriented or not, they naturally like to come together. The most one group usually has is 20.

They are pure herbivores. Grasses, roots, berries, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and occasionally algae. They also will eat/chew on bones for extra supplements. Usually nothing fresh, usually thinks like fallen antlers or long deceased animals that have already been stripped clean.

They groom themselves and each other regularly. It's a social thing in herds. They groom the fur on their legs specially to to be stiffer to brush and comb themselves, ex antennas. Their tongues are very flat and extremely soft. Gentle enough to even groom water off their delicate wings.

They have big eyes with thick lashes. Like a giraffe. Body overall is generically deer like except for the moth like accents of the antenna, tail, and wings. Their fur growth can change, the picture about is only an example of a type.

Because their tails are thicker than a normal deer they're not use for signals. Instead they use their ears and wings to signal other Cerifae of danger. It acts as a balancing system because they're so skinny and frail. It helps them with gliding.

They have these weird little smooth caps on their heads and backs where the wings and antenna are attached. They seem to act like exoskeleton shells and let the moth like accents grow from them.

They usually never stand their wings straight up, it's uncomfortable, but they use it as body language to each other if they are distressed or feel threatened. The fluff in their ears also puffs up. Think of a scared cat that puffs it's fail up, same effect with their ear fur.