Naascha | Navajo

[clouds just clouds]

Naascha | Navajo
nah-sh-kah | nah-vah-hoe

_{Region of Origin:} Satskanna

Basic Biology:
At first glance, they look like normal humans. Their height varies from four-foot-six to six foot four. Hair color depends on their "second skin". Second skin is their second form, which is the mix of two animals. The animals are either a canine or a feline mixed with a bird. Males are found to be canines, and females are found to be feline. The look of their second skin often varies dependent on the color of their animal and the color of the bird that they are a part of. Here are some examples: male, and female. While they often can have vibrant colors for their fur pallet, it isn't common to have a rainbow pallet. Hermaphrodites have a dominant gender, and so which ever gender is the hermaphrodite's dominate will determine whether the hermaphrodite is canine or feline. No one of this race has ever had any wings. They are quite flightless despite of the bird gene commonly found in their DNA. This race lives on an island that is split in two. While they are slightly secluded by other races and don't have any form of electronic technology, their medicines are very advances with herbs and such. Diseases are not common among this race. They are immune to diseases such as asthma and heart disease, and other diseases commonly found among humans. While they are immune to diseases such as though, they are susceptible to the common cold and if not treated correctly they can die.

The males of the race are called Navajo and the females are called Naascha. While they are called two different names, the only difference between to two genders stand to be that one turns into canines and the others turn into felines.

Male Biology:
As said before, males are found to be canines. They tend to be a bit larger than the females. In human form, their skin color ranges from dark brown to pale, all natural colors. Their eye color tends to be one of the colors found in their second skin. A lot of the males tend to have tattoos that have to do with their race and bird. In human form, some of them collect their feathers that they might occasionally molt and will either make necklaces of them or put them in their hair. Males do not transform into their "second skin" until they hit puberty (which often can be between the ages of 19 and 27). For males, it is harder for them to transform into their second skin than females for reasons unknown. There often needs to be someone who will teach the young male on how to transform. When males know that they are ready to transform, their eyes will often change colors. Before males hit puberty, their eyes can often be more of a dull color (brown, grey, black), but once they are ready to transform, their eyes will become a brighter color. This change is a slow process and often will start with discoloration in their eyes. 

Female Biology:
The naascha often are smaller than the males. They tend to be shorter, too. The tallest female ever recorded was said to be 5'5", versus males who can stand up to 6'4". There are two types of naaschas, those that have a ton of muscle, or those that are very round and quite curvy. Stick-thin of any gender is seen as sickly and very unattractive. Much like the males, naaschas are unable to transform in their early years. It isn't until they first start menstruating that they are able to transform (and this is around 16 to 28 years). Their eyes can often change to five different colors throughout their life. When they are first born, they are more dull, and won't start changing till they start to hit puberty. After that, it depends on the naascha. The female can keep the same eye color from their first transformation for the rest of their lives, or their eye color can change different colors in the span of one year till finally settling on one. Mostly, though, their eye colors slowly change over the span of their lifetime (the most colors changed is five which is actually quite rare.) Unlike males, transforming comes quite easily to females. They rarely need any sort of teaching and can figure it out on their own. Like males, they can have tattoos that have to do with their race and bird, and they are more likely to decorate themselves with feathers and make themselves beads and necklaces.

_Lifespan: 374-401^YRS

General Behavior:
This race usually lives on its own and is secluded. They aren't kind to outsiders. They won't automatically attack, but prefer for other races to leave them alone. The race is extremely religious and has many superstitions. While they do not have any electronic technology, they are quite modern and will wear jean pants and so on. They hate any sort of pollution and often are very kind to nature.

Usual Habitat:
The island that this race has claimed is quite small, so they are all found in one large group. The island is covered with tall, sturdy trees and only a bit of mountains, it is sibling to another island that is connected to it by a thin land-bridge and an actual bridge. Any member if this race rarely crosses the bridge because they detest the race that dwells on the other side of it. Because there are so many trees that cover their island, all houses are found in the trees, including the whole village, making a very complex tree house/village system. There are many "elevators" of sorts to get down to the ground. 

Aliment:
Despite having a bit of bird DNA within them, they are omnivores. They can eat anything from meat (not raw!) to seeds. They do stay away from bugs, but they often do include a lot of herbs and plants. (It is a superstition among other races that after living off of these plants for so long that they have evolved to become immune to other diseases.) This race does need to drink water, but not that much. A lot of the water they get is from the plants that they consume.

Basic Social Structure:
This race is headed by two leaders, a navajo and a naascha. All males are subject to follow the navajo leader, and all females follow the naascha leader. Even if there are two different leaders, they all live together and they all follow the same rules. Everyone is viewed as equal, even those who might have interest in the same gender. Those that are cast out are ones that kill others. Once cast out, they must leave the island or be killed themselves.

Family Life/Gender Roles:
Once the female gives birth to the children, she is allowed one week of rest. The father of the children often steps in to take care of them and will do so for the rest of their life. As children, they are still dependent on their mother's milk, but milk found from a special plant is just as good for the child and is often what they are raised up on. The female may step in and help the father after a week, or she may just abandon the children and leave them with their father, it all depends on the relationship between the male and female.

“Marriage” between two people occurs in a special treehouse dedicated to this. The binding between them is shown by the two exchanging feathers. They also may exchange bracelets and other items. After the binding between the two, they have a great dance with one another and then have a great feast.

Procreation:
As of any race, procreating is normal. It can happen in either form, though usually it is done in their first skin. If the intent to make a child is there, usually a couple will get married. If not, then the couple will have to make sure to be safe. Females are only fertile two weeks after their menstrual cycle (which occurs every three months, usually). Children born out of wedlock is looked down upon, especially if the father isn’t there to take care of the children. Though, it is the male that is shunned, not the female.

This race is unable to mix with any others. If this race tries to mix with any other, there will be a miscarriage, or a stillborn, or often something that kills the female in the process of carrying the child.

Childbirth and Childcare:
Childbirth is as normal as any childbirth, except for the fact that the mother often sleeps through the entire birthing process, leaving it up to a midwife to make sure the children are alright. There are always multiple babies born at a time, and they are always born in an even number. To each navajo born, there is a naascha born. (Though, at one time, there is usually only up to six children at most.) If one child dies during childbirth, the other is seen to have bad luck for the rest of their lives. In order to avoid this, the child is given a tattoo on their chest near their heart. This tattoo is twisting, black design that represents the child that has been lost. Everyone often helps to take care of the children and disciplines them if needed, but a child often always goes to its mother or father to get food and to sleep. And, of course, to find comfort. 

Magic and Abilities:
This race has no elemental magic at all. Abilities include well-developed senses and the ability to climb very easily and to run fast. Every person of this race has the ability to transform into their second skin. Another ability found among this race is intuition (which often is believed not to be magic, but to simply read people better than other races). As a person of this race grows older, their intuition gets better and better. (It is a superstition that the elders of this race can read minds, which is completely false. They simply are very good at guessing what people want after living so long.) Some people of this race have better intuitions than others. These intuitions include on what people want and intend to do. Some also may be able to read if it might rain soon, or if there will be a natural disaster. 

Legends and Folklore:
This race believes in all the main gods, and one more. They believe in a god that is one with the birds. It has a dragon-like body, but has feathers instead of scales. This god has many names but is often referred to as Ekek. There is a statue of this bird in the main city hall, and often found throughout the village. Ekek is believed to be a bit of a trickster god who enjoyed causing mischief, especially to those who are not graced by a bird. It is believed that he started putting bird souls into animals to cause mischief on the other gods. Finally, the other gods moved all the poor, mutated animals to a new island. It is there that the mutated animals started to separate into three different species--canines, felines, and mixed. In the end, there was a great war and Ekek saw his beautiful creations destroying one another, so he split the land and forced them to divide. He made sure that the canines and felines would never mix together by assigning each a gender. Ever since, there has been two species who have continued to hate each other. Superstitions among the race is uneven numbers, they always prefer to end on an even number, be that an even number of houses in the village, or an even number of forks on the table. Also, it is seen as bad luck to kill a bird. If a bird is killed, the one who killed it must plead forgiveness then take a vow of mourning silence for an entire day.

Every year on a summer solstice there is a festival that occurs for the celebration of Ekek. The festival has many competitions that day, and a parade. In the morning, a group of people will dress in a large costume in what is believed that Ekek looks like, and they will dance around the village. Also, several little Ekek statues are hidden throughout the village for children to find. The competitions of that day are purely for fun. The competitions include races, dances, largest vegetables grown, and so on, like a fair.

History:
Truth be told, no one really knows how this race came to be, or why they are the way they are. They remain to  be secluded from other races, though there are some who branch away to go explore the world. This number remains very little. Few are let in to experience the average life of this race, because they are so secluded and often do not appreciate other races coming in and disrupting things (especially if they come in an odd number!). This race has been known to have a few wars with the race that is found on their sister island, and often all the wars end in an uneasy truce.