#dromae

Dromae moult once a year. The primary leathers on the legs and arms follow a pattern, with the outermost feather being replaced first and each following after in succession. Generally each feather is fully regrown before the next falls out, but occasionally one will drop before the next is full length. The secondaries are less coordinated in their replacement order but still broadly follow the same out to in sweep, beginning once the primaries are complete.

The feathers of the crest are often shed two or three at a time and in a more random distribution, occasionally giving the raptor an unfortunate lopsided look for some weeks. Tail feathers are shed starting at the tip and moving down the sides, in theory dropping in pairs. In practice one side will inevitably get ahead of the other and so fall out of step. The contour feathers of the body are moulted sporadically throughout the year.

Many dromae choose to trim the long feathers on their arms and legs since uncut feathers limit the clothes that can be worn and for most occupations only serve to get in the way. Some jobs will even require feathers to be kept below a certain length as part of their dress code. While their balance and jumping distance is restricted a dromae can still hunt with their feathers clipped. Consequently some raptors in occupations taking them into dangerous parts of the wilderness will still choose to clip their feathers so that they are able to wear armour, trading attack prowess for survivability.

On the flip side, possessing particularly long, well groomed and decorated plumage is considered a sign of status. Considerable time must be dedicated to preening to achieve this as well as one's job both allowing it and not being likely to cause quill damage.

For most dromae attention is mostly given to the feathers of the head and crest. These are an important part of a raptor's body language and may be enhanced with lightweight jewelry or daubs of paint. More daring raptors may chose to dye their crest bright colours or even trim the tips and sides of feathers to create dramatic shapes.

Dromae and their relatives, both close and distant, have feet with four toes. The outer two digits are strong, flattened and bear the individual's weight as they run. The claws are capable of damage but ground contact naturally blunts them and they serve primarily to provide grip against the soil (or the hide of their prey). Individuals planning to hunt particularly large and challenging prey may sharpen their running claws the evening before to enable them to better pierce skin and aid in clinging to a panicked beast. In cultures that mark adulthood with a traditional blooding it is common for the ceremony to involve the huntmaster ritually sharpening the running claws of the adolescents, or for one of their older participating family members to do so.

The second toe is held aloft from the ground and bears the lethal sickle claw the Deinonychosauria are known for. In childhood the sickle claw is of similar size to the running claws and only grows to full size in early puberty. It is a weapon and all children are taught to treat it as such. In adulthood, one's sickle claw will only be touched by one's closest friends and family members, or by medical professionals. Many dromae with urban jobs choose to keep their sickle claws slightly dull and only trim when necessary, to reduce wear on their claw covers.

During social engagements it is considered polite to place a claw cover over the sickle claw as a gesture of peace. Traditional claw covers are woven from plant fibers and decorated with bright feathers or tassels, or carved from wood. Modern claw covers are still split into soft and hard. Hard covers better protect the claw and are often more utilitarian, although intricate designs in wood, metal or ivory are available. Soft covers are crafted from a variety of fabrics or leather and are decorated to accentuate the foot, with more fashionable varieties connecting to anklets and other foot jewellery.

In contrast, dromae who's lifestyle or occupation requires their sickle claws as tools or weapons will devote considerable time to sharpening and maintaining the edge. Generally speaking a pocket knife will be a better tool for cutting but it can be much more convenient to use a claw to cut a small cord or a piece of tape. In rural areas the opportunistic hunting of small game is common and much more difficult if covers are being worn. Rangers, police, guards and military consider their feet backup or even primary weapons and maintain them accordingly.

There is significant debate amongst dromae paleontologists about whether their primitive dinosaurian ancestors were capable of flight. It is clear that their distant cousins the birds are, and that some species closely related to raptorian ancestors may have been more than gliders.

Dromae paleontologists are firm that they are not descended from birds. The presence of teeth, prominent primary feathers on the legs, partially keeled sternum and shoulder girdle adaptions indicate the split was from the protoavians. Unfortunately the small size, fragile bones and forested habitat combine to form a sharp gap in the fossil record. Primitive raptorians next become obvious in desert salt-lake deposits and there are multiple potential paths that could have brought them there.

It is thought that small primitive raptorians may have roosted in trees and outcroppings and retained the legwings for ease of return to the ground for hunting. Hunting techniques are thought to be similar to that used by young dromae or by adults against small prey: the prey is pounced upon from a distance, with the spread arms lengthening the jump and acting as large control surfaces while the tail and its feather vane stabilise and make fine alterations. Upon landing on the prey the sickle claws sink into its flesh to provide an anchor point while the wing feathers are rapidly flapped to stabilise the hunter and prevent falling. The jaws are used to tear into the prey and inflict injuries. Prey death is by shock and blood loss from the combined teeth and claw wounds. More skilled hunters will dispatch the prey with a targeted bite to the neck or spine.

Larger prey is hunted communally. While the sickle claw of dromae is still curved, unlike ancestral dinosaurs the base is straighter and the claw more pronounced at the tip, and the inner surface sharper. After cutting out and harrying a chosen large prey animal pack members will leap onto its back and flanks, avoiding the threatening front quarters where possible. Front and rear claws are used to grip the prey's hide, sometimes supplemented by jaws, while one or both legs kick out with sickle claws to inflict deep injuries. Once the prey has been sufficiently weakened and dragged down the neck and throat can be safely targeted and the prey dispatched.

Dromae eggs are laid in pairs and a clutch is either two or less commonly four eggs. While clutches of one or three eggs are very rare it is not infrequent for one of the eggs to be non-viable, resulting in one to four hatchlings. Ancestrally the female would lay eggs in warm sands and (depending on location) cover them with vegetation once laying was complete. The clutch would then be guarded primarily by the male, but with the female and the rest of the pack taking turns as well.

More basal ancestors brooded their clutches directly but as the [genus name] grew in size this became less practical. This was compounded by the development of thicker protective tissue on the belly to assist in hunting that reduced the size of the brooding patch (a section of bare skin covered by enlongated contour feathers that allows better heat transfer).

Newly hatched dromae are called egglings. Egglings are born almost completely covered in white down, with only their snouts and the soles of their feet bare. Sight and hearing are well developed, balance and coordination are not. Within a few days of hatchling an eggling is capable of walking short distances but is unable to hunt for itself. Instead the mother will lay special unfertilised eggs for her children to eat and continue this for their first few months of life. Because of this, the male takes responsibility for protecting the clutch as the female must hunt for the significant amount of food required to do so.

At four months old the infants begin to shed their down in favour of juvenile plumage. The colour of these feathers varies somewhat based on geographical region of origin, but is mostly brown or grey mottled tones. Contour and body feathers are fully formed but primary arm, crest, tail and leg feathers are not. The hatchings will begin to hunt insects and be weaned off eggs and onto supplied meat at this point. As the offspring grow they will begin to hunt small prey to develop skills but will still be dependent on their parents until they are teens and large enough to hunt with the pack.

Adolescent plumage grows in at roughly eleven years of age. The juveniles will begin to take on adult body colouration and the feathers of the belly and inner legs will be shed as the skin structure changes to scutes. This process is often very uncomfortable and itchy for the raptor. Primary feathers of the limbs and tail are fully formed along the adolescent still has a reduced crest, and the colourful breeding markings of adults are absent.