#merleeches

Alrighty here’s a sketch of a pred/prey switch species I made when I was in a plague doctor-y mood! Merleeches! (uncreative name is uncreative)

They’re these weird lil anthro??? leeches with human-ish features up their upper half (that being arms and a distinct head). They still have very leech-like features, including the three-tooth mouth, suction cup things on their tail and fingers, six eyes, etc. They have supernatural abilities, too, such as shrinking and growing themselves.

Merleeches mainly subsist off of blood, which they prefer get from willing participants when they are able to find them. They get blood from both their prey and their preds. Their stomach has multiple chambers that have lil blood-sucking tendrils that attach to prey. When they are prey themselves, they attach their mouths to the inside of the stomach they are in. 

They make sure not to take too much blood, as most merleeches care about the well-being of their hosts. The saliva in their regular mouths and in their stomach tendrils contain several special compounds: one of them is an anesthetic that dulls pain, one of them improves mood, and the other speeds up the production of red blood cells so that their host doesn’t feel all tired and weak for long after having their blood sucked.

Merleeches make good companions, as they are compassionate and affectionate. They usually team up with healers and plague doctors, helping them with their work. They may also seek out people who suffer from chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and other such things that the compounds in their saliva can help treat.

Not all merleeches are helpful and kind- some of them are quite monstrous: enjoying terrorizing people and sucking blood from unwilling participants. Thankfully, though, cruel merleeches are a significant minority, and most of the species are sweet, considerate beings.