Windra - Cathartes draco [OPEN]

[Windra]

-:Name:-
Windra

-:Species:-
Turkey Vulture Scavenger Dragon
Cathartes draco

-:Gender:-
Female

-:Alliance:-
Neutral Good

-:Age:-
254 Years
Physically/Mentally/Sexually Mature

-:Mature Adult at Age:-
150

-:Appearance:-
[ Image ]
Windra is a long, wide mess of feathers, scales, and mottled skin. With the thorax, tail, and limbs covered in thin, faint, and powerful scales, she is well-protected from physical assaults aimed at her precious vital organs encased behind sturdy bones. A bright crimson-magenta hue encompasses her skull, stretching down to her underbelly and continuing until the white-feathered tip of the tail is reached. The bold coloring is meant for intimidation: a tool to scare of predators who have already gathered around her meals. Ebony beak, stained olive in some spots, spots the tip of her muzzle. Perforated nostrils - from the side one can see through its beak - and lacking a voice due to the absence of a syrinx. She hears through the hole just before both hazel eyes. Sharp teeth. A row of bright yellow spines begin in the midline frontal lobe and descend about halfway down the cervical spine, stopping at C-3. They emerge again further down the body, starting well pas the beginning of the coccyx. A large brown body, switching to dark gold/tan closer to the tail tip. Talons are a creamy orange, with the toes sporting some gray-pink. Thick pads of slate gray cover the anterior of the talons, arms, and legs. Wide wings expand up to twice Windra's body length. They begin as vulture wings, with brown and olive-gold feathers and white 'finger-feathers'. However the inferior of the wings are draconic, with gray membranes stretched between thick orange wing-fingers. A thumb exposes itself on each wing. White feathers jut from each elbow and knee. Height at the shoulder: 7'1". Length: 30'. Wingspan: 90'.

-:Personality:-
Windra focuses much of her energy on an inner world dominated by intense feeling and deeply held ethics. She seeks an external life that is reflecting of these values. Loyal to the people and causes important to her, Windra can quickly spot opportunities to implement her ideals. She is curious to understand those around her, and so is accepting and flexible except when her values are threatened. She has the ability to see good in almost anyone or anything. Windra is a believer in the Human Element and finds impartial judgment cold and demoralizing. She is extremely self-conscious and finds it hard not to get caught up in stressful situations. More comfortable in a setting with a few close-knit friends, she is not unreliable but has been known to slip-up on (sometimes many) occasions.

-:Abilities:-
Bacteria Bake= Increasing body temperature to kill off unwanted particles. When ensuing the 'bake', she will perch somewhere with wings spread. This position aids in the absorption of solar energy to head her core temperature.
Disease Imperviation= Yum ... putrefied meat. Of course eating such rotten stuff would mean you would be susceptible to all sorts of viruses and bugs, right? Not for Windra! Centuries of living off the dead have caused her species to gain an immunity to most toxins and unwanted impurities. For example, feasting upon a bovine which died from Mad Cow Disease will not affect her. Any ingested virus will be pass through her system or rise to the surface of her body, where it will be baked off later.
Flight= State the obvious much?
Senses= Increased sense of sight, sound, and smell - especially in terms of ethyl mercaptan, a gas produced by bodies in the beginning stages of decay.
Telepathy= Due to the absence of a syrinx, Windra cannot talk. Therefore, she communicates through mindspeak ... as well as grunts and hisses.

-:Disadvantages:-
Though is capable of shrugging off most comments, a few things she will take to heart. And what doesn't show on the outside burns on the inside.
Commencing 'Bacteria Bake' heats her core temperature. She must seek shade directly afterward. Staying outside in the sun for too long or not rapidly decreasing her body temperature would push it past 106 degrees Fahrenheit, wherein body cells will begin to cook. This is fatal, as some cells (primarily in the heart and brain) cannot regenerate.
Though immune to many disease, Windra is susceptible to the infection of new strains which have not affected her species before. Also, imperviation does not include envenomations from poisonous creatures, direct intravenous injections, or purposeful poisonings.
Flight in itself is a working of many muscles collaborating with one another. Too much strain on these muscles will cause temporary or permanent damage. The action of flying uses a lot of energy. Windra will tire easily if not giving herself an allotted time to rest.
Senses can be muddled due to the elements, the weather, and her own personal health. Should Windra be sick, her vision would be poor, her hearing muffled, and her sense of smell less than perfect. Strong flashes of light and loud noises will cause her to recoil.
Windra cannot telepath with those who have mental blocks. No form of communications will exist should she be rendered unconscious.

-:Family:-
Regolidra = (past life) brother /deceased - murder\
Flamedra = (past life) sister /deceased - hyperthermia\
Hydra = (past life) brother /deceased - forced air embolism\
Cantra = (present life) mother
Ischium = (present life) father
Naira = comrade

-:History:-
Mmm ... wanna find out? Then ask her.

-:Anything Else We Need to Know?:-
I will do anything for plot or fun. Just confer with me, and we can get the ball rolling.

-:IC (In Character) Entrance:-

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From the distance could be seen something large and winged floating out and about in the Wastes - far from the chilling cold of Deep Forest suffering through the latest stages of Winter, far from the hearing range of normal human beings. Those with the average sense of sight would spot nothing more than an avian with a black body and a red head - easily mistaken from a turkey vulture. Of course then others would consider that, hey ... turkey vultures were small, weren't they? This thing is out in the distance and looks about the size of a vulture you would see floating above your head! Maybe its much bigger when you're closer. Maybe its not a vulture at all ...

Maybe it was something giant.

Maybe it was something with forelimbs. And a large, reptilian tail.

Maybe it was something with teeth ...

Whatever it was, it was circling. Up, down, round and round, up, down, round and round ... Occasionally it would swoop in closer to the earth as if getting the down low on a particular presence. Then it would go up again, distracted by the warm thermals given off in the slightly warmer and dryer Wastes at mid-day. (You had to consider that these ... being ... was approximately five miles out. It was chilly where she was, but not nearly so bone-cold as it was in Deep Forest ... as it would be out there at night.)

[PridesPrice]

It was hunting time once again. Drifter had ranged ahead of Kibaki searching for their meal. He stayed with Kibaki often but when it came to hunting it seemed easier for the most part without him close by. If Kibaki found something first he would generally try to herd it to Drifter, however it was rare this happened.

Still, with the creature so high up in the air both Kibaki and Drifter were capable of seeing it, regardless of being out of each others sight. Kibaki had stopped the hunt honestly to look up at the creature...curious of what it could be...he imagined it was something large.

Drifter had likewise noticed it...it wasn't very close...he couldn't smell it from here..and a wolf's nose could smell for a decent distance. He imagined if it was so far off it wasn't much of a threat...though he stayed concious of it just in case.

[Windra]

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There were beings in the distance, but that was okay. Windra kept her eyes on the ground directly below. Never once did she lose focus. Never once did she stumble about in the atmosphere, having tipped too far to one side or something similar. No, this creature was concentrating very hard. There may have been no effort to her gliding flight - it was a relaxing drift - and that was surprising given the impressive size she bore. Perhaps her thermal was stronger and hotter than usual.

Either way, she grunted. And now her gaze did break. Windra saw movement all around. From the east, from the west, from the south and the north. Birds colored similarly to her: brown feathers, white feathertips, red heads, long thick bodies ... Vultures. Turkey vultures. And as Cathartes draco circled they joined in her fray, obviously dwarfed by her sheer size. First the group consisted of two, then three, then five ... More carrion devourers were coming from all directions. Within a few minutes that 'flock' of devastation would hold about ten.

There was something on the ground beneath them, which had captivated their attention. It was a carcass of some sort of cow, yes, but still warm, having only died five minutes prior. The scent of blood still lingered strong.

[PridesPrice]

Kibaki watched the growing number of scavengers. "Great..." The words were a bit sarcastic as he wondered what it was they had found. Fresh meat was of course always welcome...however if it was something long dead he had no real interest in it. Drifter he imagined might....but if something died that still left the question as to how it died. Kibaki looked about and then moved in the general direction his wolf had gone.
Just watch, Kibaki thought to himself, Drift's going to find some other predator's food and get into a fight over it...or he's going to find a corpse, eat it, and then not help with me finding any food.

Drifter's nose started to pick up a marvelous scent. Blood. He wasn't suprised considering the multitude of birds above him. Drifter ran ahead at a lope, slowing down the moment he spotted the corpse. Most likely even picky Kibaki would eat a fresh cow corpse. His tail twitched every so slightly imitating a wag as he neared it. Cautiously he moved towards the corpse, a glare to the sky and then sinking teeth into the upper thigh of one of its back legs. Shaking his head violently back and forth he started to work at trying to remove leg from cow.

[Windra]

<center>

Movement was noted down below. Windra noticed. She watched. She was silent: did not hiss, did not growl, did not bare her fangs in a show of aggression. Rather, she took the initiative. Slowly beginning her descent, wings flared out, dipping slightly. It was a sluggish action. Within moments, though, the dragon was on the ground. Legs stretched. Talon reached. They gripped soil firmly while the rest of her massive body came to a halt. And those bright eyes ... pinned atop that magenta neck ... It was all quite intimidating, especially considering those sharp teeth jutting from the maxilla and mandible. Sheer size alone was enough to petrify even the bravest monster!

And as Windra turned to stare at Drifter, she did not attack. Muscles were tense, but not motion to attack was made. Instead ... the beak lowered. Ebony maw dipped down ... and snatched the cow's neck. A first bite. She ripped a piece off and chewed, all whilst monitoring the wolf. From above came the other turkey vultures. They joined in the feast, though less wary of the canine ... especially with their larger cousing on the lookout.

[hawkfangor]

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[Schingiuire]

The mouse was a cleaver creature. It knew to scurry quickly through the snow and brush, popping up to actually seek to scurry up the side of one of the great trees of the forest. Hozadine followed close on it's tail, snapping his beak several inches just behind it. He ran hunched over, his slightly long neck low with his head almost parallel to the ground. Arms were held at an L bent at the elbows, his long flight feathers held upward while the hands at the end of his wing arms were clenching his fingers in his irritation at not being able to catch the mouse.

The tiny animal slipped upward into the bark of a great tree, swiftly perused by Hozadine. Using the claws on his hands and his scaled bird feet, he began to climb after the mouse, an uncustomary frown and intense look on his beak and face. The mouse slipped into a hole in which Hozadine pecked and clawed at for long moments before blinking his large orange eyes, lowering his golden crown feathers and sighing a twitter.

Letting go of the trunk, Hoza spread his arms, letting the feathers of his arm wings catch the air and spread his long tail feathers. His long legs were pressed together, stretched out behind him to offer balance in the air as he flew. Ahead there were several other flying forms, great vulture birds which squawked at him and did not seem to appreciate the presence of another avian. Spiraling downward, following the decent of other of the birds, Hozadine landed some distance away at the base of a tree, for now his bright orange eyes fell upon the dragon vulture. He maintained his distance, frowning slightly as he beheld the carcass. It was not something he was used to eating, but something he could if he was hungry enough, like now. However, he was willing to wait for scraps rather than attempt to steal any bits of food from the vulture beast.

[Windra]

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Undisturbed went the first few moments of the meal. Windra greatly appreciated this. While she enjoyed the company of others at all times of the day, dining by the self ... was comforting as well. As long as there was no competition over meals, then all was good. So she ate. And she chewed. And she swallowed. The cold, bitter flesh, fetid as it was, tasted beyond gourmet to the dragon who ate nothing alive. All it needs is the right amount of spices ... and voila! Too bad she was unable to get her claws around a glass of wine or this whole scene would be perfect ... minus, of course, the chilling cold that was Winter's grip on the lands.

Speaking of lands ...

Looking up, hazel orbs greeted Deep for the first time in a ... long time. It was the same locale, was it not? Towering trees ... the stench of magick ... a vibe rocking the gut that overpowered the sense of anything else: something so immense and palpable that it could not be ignored. Deep Forest. In her history she always looked up to it as a stronghold for those who were too strong for their worlds. Rejects unaccepted by society; Renegades seeking shelter; Children who would grow into powerful sorcerers ...

There was a reason Windra planned her aerial trip so that it intercepted these lands. And finding that reason staring her dead in the face, a sense of euphoria lifted all anxieties present before this moment.

So lost in her thoughts while rolling the taste of blood in her maw, Windra did not realize that she was closing her massive wings, one of which swept over the newfound stranger and accidentally clipped him on the head ... A slight 'knock' and nothing more.

[Schingiuire]

Too busy looking up at the, to him, huge creature's vulture head, Hozadine did not pay attention to it's wings. The soft thunk against his head startled him, though did not hurt him at all. His long tail feather's spread, and the golden crown of feathers at the top of his head lifted high. He let out a loud squawk, reaching up with both arm wings to hold his head in his scaled hands. The humanoid bird creature backed up quickly, not wanting to appear a threat to this creature and wondering if the carcass was even worth it. From here the thing stank terribly, and Hoza was not sure he was quite hungry enough to go after something that far gone.

But winter had hidden away most of the fruit and small animals he was used to feeding on, and a shy creature like Hoza was not prepared to wonder out of his usual area of hunting and foraging.

[Windra]

<center>

Well, funnily enough ... the corpse did not smell. It was fresh. Maybe an hour or so old. Rigor mortis had set in and the muscles were therefore stiff, but the actual process o decay would not begin for another day or so, especially in this rigid weather. So there was no odor to worry about. As or the humanoid avian ... Windra looked up briefly, shocked by the sound and amused by the gestures. She had noticed this thing entering the area before but had not deemed her as a threat.

However, she realized the reason for the actions and understood what had happened in a brief passing of seconds. Thus the massive dragon dipped her head ever-so-slightly. An ebony beak shimmered brightly in what little sun was no blotted out by the ever-gray clouds. Apologetically she clicked. A grunt escaped her throat, brimming in a low-toned warble while the yellow spikes atop her skull rose and fell in undulating waves.

All around them landed the turkey vultures. The feast continued without interruption, though Windra's attention was now attuned to the one nearby.

[Schingiuire]

Hozadine backed away from the grunting thing, not having a good feeling about this at all. His long tail feathers fanned, spreading and closing in his agitation. The golden crown of feathers atop his head were raised high, and though his stomach growled from lack of food to find during the forest winter, he did not wish to let this thing feel threatened of him in the slightest. He only wanted a little bit, enough to make his gizzard feel lest imploded.

Tucking his arms close to his body, Hozadine bobbed his head then dropped it low, backing up several steps. It was then that he realized that the smell was not from the corpse but from the buzzards and carrion creatures around him. They smelled like the decay they fed from. "Hozadine no threat," he twittered quietly. "Hoza wait, okay," he tried to placate the creature, hoping he wouldn't get snapped up, though he figured he would be barely a mouthful for this one.

[Windra]

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Now Windra ... she noted the way this creature behaved. Shocked. Fearful. Petrified. Was he worried that the tap upon his head was one of anger? That Windra had attacked him for no reason at all? Maybe he thought that the scavenger dragon was irate because of a stranger trespassing upon a private meal. But ... Wow, then he didn't know her at all, huh? Hozadine ... that was the name. Well then, Hoza ... No threat, you were. No trouble either. How would Windra express this, without making the guy quiver and shake his tail feathers all over the place?

So she did the next logical thing. Her neck stretched across the distance, body urging it forth with a tilt of muscles and bones. Turkey vultures scattered from the area of contact to give their 'leader' more room. And Windra ... pressed an ebony beak against Hozadine's back without warning, and gently nudged him forth towards the carcass strewn upon the ground. A peculiar murr-ing sound.

Then a voice, calling in the mind: soothing and gentle: a cat-with-the-cream tone. Telepathy, should Hozadine allow the noise to enter his mind ...

-: You're hungry. Eat. :-

[Schingiuire]

Hozadine was more shocked by the call, rather sweet voice in his head than by the mouth of the thing so close, bumping him toward the carcass. He squawked, facing the dragon and blinking, somehow KNOWING that the voice came from it. Tilting his head to the side and watching her with bright orange eyes, Hozadine reached out with a scaled hand and gently touched the edge of her beak, hardly believing that he was still alive. But then, looks were always very deceiving and hard to make choices by.

Suddenly smiling, Hozadine fanned his tail feathers, golden crown raised and pointed to the carcass. "Share with Hozadine?" he asked, his chirping voice whistling and betraying his nervousness.

[Windra]

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That squawk ... the eagerness underlying it ... it was amusing. Windra was a sap for humor, cold and crude or raunchy or golden. If it was funny she would laugh, holding back only if it was at somebody's expense - somebody she didn't want to offend. Well then ... Throwing her head back, the large feathered dragon let loose something of a warble and a grunt. It ripped from her throat and blurted out so spontaneously that a few of the turkey vultures scattered in surprise only to return a second later. How humorous! This poor bipedal bird ... was really spooked, wasn't he? Maybe he was getting over that fear.

The cranium returned to its natural position. Windra nodded, ebony beak dipping and rising in undulating motions. -: Share, then. :- Lacking in the proper facial muscles, she could not effectively initiate a smile: trying only gave the accomplishment of a partial grimace. So she laced her words with sugar and lifted them up in jovial spirits. -: It isn't much of a dinner for you, I should think ... being dead and all. But its better than little insects and rodents. :-

Another taste: the dragon snatched up a strip of flesh and sucked it down like spaghetti. A vulture landed on her head and did the same.

[Schingiuire]

Overeager as usual, the featherling clapped his hands and rushed forward, his stomach overpowering any good sense he might have had. Lunging over to the side of the corpse, he bent at the hip, his bird legs straight as he used his clawed fingers to pull off a strip of meat and snap it up into his beak. It was a small taste to test the flavor and freshness of the meal. Satisfied, he held his arms out at his sides to keep his feathers out of the blood and mess, and dipped his long neck to fill his stomach.

By this point, he had completely forgotten about the dragon creature and the carrion birds, happy to finally have a meal enough to make his gizzard poke out.

[Windra]

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Well the tensions had finally eased. At least the strange bird was eating now. That was good. She had no idea if this meal would actually be enjoyable to Hoza ... as he called himself ... But it was better than eating nothing at all, was it not? Swallowing her latest strip of flesh whole, Windra allowed the quills along the back of her spine to raise. They would collect some heat from the sun, making for warm perches for her vulture comrades. This meal ...was not that old. It still had some of that fresh blood taste. And Windra savored it, though she did not like recently killed beasts as much as she did sun-dried ones.

Windra's wings twitched. While they were feasting, they began to spread open to cover most of her feathered friends, including the peculiar bipedal. The process of baking off bacteria had begun. No doubt there would be germs crawling all over the carcass. Collecting the heat from the sun through the large wings and fully exposed back would make the threat of sickness a dormant subject.

-: Then ... Hoza? I am Windra. :- Hazel orbs blinked briefly at her guest of honor. -: A pleasure. :-

[Schingiuire]

Hozadine swallowed a final beakfull, patting his gizzard with glee. He was well set now for a day or so. So much better than running around chasing the mice that were so clever in hiding from him. He looked up at the strange dragon, bobbing his head once then performing something of a bow, sweeping his arm wings out and lowering his head, one leg forward. "Pleasure," he squawked with a smile upon his beak. "Windra. Nice!"


Running forward, he opened his arm wings, gaining the air and circling to rise in altitude then landed gracefully upon her head.

[Windra]

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He ... he ...

Jumped on her head?

And there he sat. Quite content, as a matter of fact. Just kind of chilling there. No nonsense. No problems. No squabble. It was like having her own little parrot. For a moment she imagined herself as Captain Blackbeard and jutted out front paw, holding her head high, uttering a haughty and proud snort. Now all that was required was a sword, a scabbard ... a hat! Tricorner, yes. They were dead smexy.

Incidentally, she had met the pirate captain a long, long time ago. Imagine yourself back into those days, looking up and suddenly seeing a huge, flying lizard just above your Crow's Nest. She scared the hell out of them. Damn near wrecked his ship due to a mishap, too. Luckily cannons couldn't fly that high in the air without being pulled down by their own mass, or she'd be full of iron.

Holding her pose for a moment longer, Windra's statue-like stiffness was disrupted by a single ... solitary ... feather. One of the many vultures about them had landed to also perform the bacteria bake procedure. It was an old bird, gray around the beak with age. A wrinkled, tattered, filthy feather was tugged out of its holding place in a wing by the wind. All it needed to do was drift by Windra's noise as she inhaled ...

Suddenly Cathartes draco was livid with coughing and sneezing, shaking and rattling this way and that so violently that the Turkey Vultures scattered to their own hiding places n the sky.

-: Ah ... Ah ... AH ... CHOO! :-

[ComfortablyNumb]

Incendanx was walking along the border of the forest and wastelands, lost in thought about his current position and situation, slowly getting what extra energy he could from the sun. As he trudged along, he heard a loud series of sounds, followed by a sudden ascension of many birds. He quickly dashed towards the direction from which the sound originated, slowing as he got closer, not knowing if it would be a threat or not. As he got closer, Incendanx noticed a large bird standing off in the distance. Wait...scales? Incendanx realized that this creature was no mere bird, but appeared almost reptilian from where he stood. Being a distance away from the pair, Incendanx did not notice the smaller bird-like creature.

[Windra]

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As far as Hoza was concerned, it was entirely plausible that the feathered friend had been sent flying with the force behind Windra's sneeze. If not then he was one very, very lucky bird. Cathartes draco lifted a forelimb, brushing it against her muzzle with a very wet sniff.

-: Augh, sorry ... Allergies ... :-

To what? This wasn't spring, so no hayfever, no ragweed ... Windra had a superior immune system, but her body didn't take kindly to some substances. Uttering a deep, guttural cough to clear the stuff from her throat, large hazel orbs looked this way and that until they found a peculiar figure standing along the Edge. Her Turkey Vulture comrades also spotted this looming creature and decided, unlike their larger guardian, that it was a threat. Something about lizards spooked them ... Off they went in a flight of fancy, feathers straying this way and that, some fluttering to the ground and others sticking to the carcass of the cattle.

Amused by the chilled hearts of her 'flock' but unafraid of an unknown danger, Windra tilted her head and stared onward with quiet curiosity. -: Well, you certainly look odd ... You remind me of Gex. :- The voice was telepathic, breaking and entering minds ...