So I'd like to know more about the winter sleep Kanai go through, is it involuntary or can they state it off? Also, Ruyak's uncle said that his brother died due to eating all his rations before he should have when winter sleeping (from what I can remember, my memory isn't the best)? Do they know for sure this happed or could it have been something else (like humans trying to make it look like that)?
Great questions!
So wintersleep for Kanai is very similar to irl bear hibernation, which some biologists say isn't true hibernation because there is no drop in body temperature. While body temperature stays almost normal, there is an extreme drop in metabolic processes, breathing, and heart rate, among other physiological changes.
Kanai don't eat or drink while wintersleeping, and although they sleep 99% of the time, they do shift around and sometimes even get up and wander around in a sort of sleepy daze. They can also be roused by threats, though not for very long before they run out of steam and get sleepy again. During wintersleep a Kanai will gradually burn through their fat stores, losing weight all winter. I actually worked out the math on how much weight they lose in a google spreadsheet somewhere.
Wintersleep is pretty much involuntary. The phases of wintersleep are triggered by shorter days, by the growing cold, and by food availability. It can't be staved off unless a Kanai has constant access to a lot of food, and even then it'd be a really bad idea.
Winterfright occurs when a Kanai's body fails to transition from their normal metabolic state into wintersleep, and thus their body continues to burn calories as normal, demanding they continue eating. (This is NOT a phenomenon that happens to irl bears, as far as I know) Because there isn't usually enough food around in the winter to support a Kanai that's not wintersleeping, they often die of starvation. (I say 'usually' because there are absolutely cases where winterfrightened Kanai, in desperation, raid human villages to survive the winter. This is not something that happens often, but it does happen.)
Kanai don't actually know the exact cause of winterfright, they can only speculate, because it pretty much only happens to Kanai denning alone. The only signs someone has died of winterfright, rather than merely passing away of some other cause in the winter, are that the individual's wakeup rations are gone and the body is obviously emaciated. In truth, death by winterfright happens because of stress. The chemical triggers that allow a Kanai to transition into hibernation are blocked by stress hormones. Harirak's speculation that it's caused by being alone and anxious is pretty accurate, but every Kanai is different, and stress can come in many forms. Most Kanai that succumb to winterfright do so because for whatever reason they are underweight or in poor health as winter starts.
In Harirak's brother's case, he died of winterfright after a bad season left him in poor condition. He then refused help from his family, and unfortunately paid for it.
Interesting thought though, about humans. <u< It'd be a bad thing indeed if humans stumbled upon a hibernating Kanai, wouldn't it? *rubs hands together evily*
