Zoogs

Zoogs are a race of sentient rodent-like creatures that inhabit the Enchanted Woods. Spiteful and nasty, zoogs are mortal enemies of cats.
Zoogs are small creatures, the size of cats, with large eyes and toothy maws surrounded by a cluster of short pink tentacles. They have dexterous forepaws with which they use weapons and tools. Their hairless tails are prehensile, allowing them to hang from limbs and bars like opossums. Commonly, zoogs eat fungi and plants, but they also have a taste for the meat of sentient creatures, treating the butchering and consumption of such beings as a rare privilege.
The curiosity of the Zoogs has lent them to the occasional habit of parleying with other races for information, rather than just ambushing them for meat. They will even befriend specific individuals that bring them new and exotic stories or foods, but they are fickle and dangerous to deal with.
== Zoogs and cats ==
The Zoogs only appear in "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath", in which they direct Randolph Carter to Ulthar. Several of the Zoogs follow him to the town, where it is illegal to kill a cat. While Carter talks to Atal, one of the Zoogs attacks and eats a small black kitten and the cats attack and kill the Zoogs in retaliation. Wanting to get revenge, the Zoog leaders plot to make war on the cats of Ulthar. Carter discovers their plan and warns the cats, who attack and take over every known settlement of the Zoogs. They are then forced into a treaty in which they must provide the cats with an annual tribute of grouse, quail, and pheasants. The Zoogs are then allowed to leave, with a warning that if any cats go missing in the Enchanted Woods then the cats will take revenge.
== Zoog villages ==
There are numerous zoog settlements within the Enchanted Wood. These villages consist of groupings of burrows beneath the forest floor, although some, notably the noble families, do live in the trunks of great trees. Each village is presided over by a Council of Sages drawn from the eldest and most experienced zoogs in the village. Toward the center of the Enchanted Wood lies the largest of the zoog villages.
Category:Creatures
Category:Species