Firds

The firds are a race from one of the high dimensions of the Multiverse which have not been officially revealed yet.
== Early life ==
Firds are born in two separate pieces. One resembles an ordinary trout while the other resembles a hawk. The two are linked from the moment of conception. If one dies, the other dies as well. The two parts are not sentient, and remain only vaguely aware of one another until such time as they become physically near. The bird part of the fird then feels an overwhelming urge to pick up his other half and carry it away.
== Amalgamation ==
Once the two pieces of the fird have reached their nest, their bodies merge, bit by bit, until they are completely amalgamated. The resulting creature resembles a fish with a beak, bird wings and talons, also having front fins which have been modified into arms with prehensile flippers. The amalgamated fird is fully sentient.
During the amalgamation, the forming mind of the fird is fully open, allowing it to touch the thoughts of other firds and learn basic communication and survival skills. Unfortunately, this also renders it highly vulnerable.
== Reproduction ==
Firds have two sexes, but they are not strictly male and female. One sex has female fish parts and male bird parts, while the other has male fish parts and female bird parts. During mating, the bird-male fertilizes the egg of the bird-female. Upon reaching climax, the mating pair become locked together while the fertilized egg divides in two. One half remains in the bird-female and develops into a bird egg. The other migrates through the fish-male's genitals into the fish-female, and develops into a fish egg. This deposit causes a second climax, after which the parents separate and go their own ways to lay their eggs and raise their respective halves of the offspring.
== Culture ==
Firds are highly telepathic, but reserve their telepathy for very specific uses. The morals of their culture dictate that telepathy is only to be used to teach newborns, to enhance sexual relations, and in those rare cases where no other means of communication is possible. Firds regard telepathy in much the same way humans regard nudity. It has its place, but in most cases, it is indecent.
Ironically, firds do not wear clothing, and seldom use tools. Because their combined form allows them to go practically anywhere, they have no need of most technologies.
Firds live in flocks or schools of unrelated individuals which seldom stay in one place.
== Separation ==
There are rare instances when a fird begins to separate into bird and fish. This is caused by one half of the body rejecting the other. when this happens, the bird and fish are cared for by the community as if they were aged and senile.
== Mismatch ==
It doesn't happen often, but occasionally, a bird and a fish which are not part of the same whole will amalgamate. The remaining orphaned parts will nearly always amalgamate as well. The result is two individuals, often one fully female and one fully male, who are literally part of one another. They cannot bear to be separated and depend on one another for life. Many years ago, an overly romantic movement attempted to deliberately create these pure-sexed pairs, but it was found that these couples produced heavily deformed offspring which could not amalgamate. The movement died very quickly.
category: races