Istahe

:"Subject is... unnervingly humanlike in demeanour. It watches me in the dark. Hate. I can feel its hatred and I hate it back.” - Moreau Ryder's audio notes on Istahe.
Istahe is a creation of Moreau Ryder, currently under the charge of UNWD agent Tahcawin Ryder. Extremely intelligent, he is engineered to navigate rocky, blizzard-fraught mountains - befitting of his frigid attitude.
==Biology and Appearance==
Centaurid in shape, Istahe has four goat-like legs and the head of a snow leopard. He has sharp saber tusks and long curved horns, and ape-like hands. His body is covered in a dense wooly white fur, and he has a long, fluffy tail.
Though he often is equipped with a leather saddle, he often carries a wooden cask full of medicine attached to his leather collar.
==Behaviour and Abilities==
Likely the most humanlike in temperament of Ryder's charges, Istahe is aloof and somewhat aggressive. Highly proud of his ability, he learns quickly and can be somewhat territorial. He considers himself to be the 'pack leader', which leads him to occasionally butt heads with the wolf-like Tathanka. His demeanour is icy and solitary, but he respects Ryder as his handler; he can also sometimes be caught playing with the other charges.
He is extremely strong, capable of shattering boulders with his horns and hooves. His primary ability is his climbing, able to balance easily on narrow passages, scale sheer cliff faces and brave dangerous icy terrain. He can withstand freezing temperatures and has high stamina, crucial for missions that require long treks into high altitudes.
==History==
One of Ryder's last creations, he was created to be a god-creature and 'Eye of the Mountain', hence his name. However, Moreau Ryder was unnerved so deeply by Istahe's apparent intelligence that he moved on hurriedly from experimenting on the being. Following the doctor's arrest, he did not actually rendezvous with Tahcawin, but showed up much later at the UNWD base after tracking a mission-related flight of Wakize.
Currently, he resides in the manmade cavern where Ryder's other charges stay, in a habitat adjacent to Tathanka's lake - cold, rocky and resting at the foot of a series of cliffs. When not on missions, he largely spends his time patrolling or taunting his rivals - Wakize and Tathanka - or, rarely, playing with Akayake or Icamni. Due to differences in climates and the latter's shyness, he rarely interacts with Phetaka, but is highly curious about her.
==Trivia==
* His name comes from the Lakota words 'Ista', meaning eye, and 'he', meaning mountain.
Category:Ryderidae
Category:Monsters