left: design concept for red. cloud critter with a very bad attitude. most who avoid her recognize her by the notable neck scar. how she got it who knows

right: some poor random guy with snarlmouth. Basically rabies, highly contagious, gross stuff. cloud critters aren’t dumb but they can’t figure out how to cure it, so they throw anyone that catches it off the jungle canopy. and hey if they don’t die they’re someone else’s problem right?

Creature Journal #1: Wendigo

“The creature has a thin wiry body and a pair of antlers. It’s a wendigo. Wendigo have become very common since a large number of the population started resorting to cannibalism. Once a human gives into hunger and devours another human’s flesh, he or she is possessed by the spirit of a wendigo. The wendigo stands over a body. It digs into the chest cavity pulling out chunks of flesh and organs that gleam red in the dim room. I want to turn around and run, but I need to check the body. It’s not her, it can’t be, I reassure myself. The rickety floorboards creak and the wendigo freezes. Fear gnaws at my insides and I stop breathing. Please ignore the sound! Please ignore the sound! The wendigo’s pointed ear twitches and it swivels around to face me with burning yellow eyes. The wendigo pulls itself up on hind legs and stands up reaching a height of about 10-15 ft. My legs shake beneath me and I find myself unable to move. The wendigo has a gaunt human-like face covered in bodily fluids, yellowed fangs and a long tongue that awkwardly hangs out of its mouth, like a stretched out piece of pink taffy.”

Today, I will be speaking about my time with Pogrebins. As a native to Europe, I hadn’t been accustomed to them or really even remembered they existed until I decided to take a brisk walk while on holiday with my family to visit my aunt’s family in St Petersburg. These creatures are interesting because of their ability to hide in plain sight as a rock... unfortunately for me, this was my downfall as I started taking my walk.

I had been captivated by the pure white landscape of my tetya’s back garden under the snow; it was so quiet and serene without a single thing disrupting it. If I had looked closer, though, I may have seen peculiar rocks that didn’t look snow-covered at all, but I didn’t or I at least didn’t register them. However, my senses were heightened when I felt a vibrating in my pocket, underneath allof the layers needed to get through a Russian snow. My tetya had placed that device on my person just before I went outside, and upon reading this lesson, I understand why. Thankfully, I had taken her advice and simply left that area as quickly as possible instead of looking around to investigate.

After a prolonged absence from my wizarding studies, in which I struggled with muggle jobs and school, as well as some scary mental health things, I’m glad to say I’m now back to learn!

My return post to my creature journal will be about Nifflers - cute little creatures that have a predilection towards shiny objects. (But don’t we all?) I have a personal connection with Nifflers, as I often see them near my home - trying to break in to snatch something shiny away from me, I imagine. Now that I’ve begun my magical education I understand what these creatures truly are and how to handle them, and I actually hope now to one day keep one - they’re so adorable! 

I’m currently in the process of building an underground habitat for my future Niffler - which I’m tentatively calling Nellie - as well as learning the required spells for it to remain in its intended area outside. Despite the fact that it seems easier for me to simply take a wild Niffler and attempt to domesticate it, I will instead be purchasing one from a breeder in order to strengthen our bond.