Anteaster

Artwork by CompliensCreator00

**Anteaster** is the Egg Crackin' Complien. It belongs to the Plain and Passion Elements. It is not known to grow into or from anything.

## Appearance

Anteaster is a furry, brown bipedal Complien with a long snout and a long tongue. Its legs are arranged in such a way that allows them to leap great distances, and they have a large belly with a large pouch in front to store many eggs. Various white patterns can be seen around their body, and their arms end in two sharp claws each. They have long tails, which balance out their body's weight. Most Anteasters have half the shell of an Eggmaton on their head as a helmet, painted in various colors using berry juice. Anteaster helmets are common between members of the same pack, but few packs share identical patterns. Anteasters have tall ears that point backwards.

## Information

Anteasters are a somewhat specialized Complien evolved to prey on Eggmaton specifically. While most Compliens are not able to break through the shells of an Eggmaton, Anteasters are equipped with sharp claws, that allow it to easily take out the Yokko inside. When an Eggmaton retreats into its shell, the Anteaster's long snout and long tongue easily allow it to reach through any holes, and if there are no holes, its claws prove efficient for creating some. Anteasters may also prey on wild Yokkos as a slightly easier target, but generally they prefer Eggmatons as they are much less mobile. Although their specialization could be seen as crippling, Eggmatons are generally more common than Anteasters, meaning that there is often enough prey to go around.

Once they finish drinking the insides of an Eggmaton, they will steal the shells for themselves, and redecorate them by painting them with berry juices. Anteasters are territorial pack hunters, and the patterns on their shells are shared between other members of the pack. Few Anteaster packs share the same patterns, and rarely in the same areas, so typically, most packs remain solitary of one another. However, if two Anteaster packs that happen to have the exact same pattern come into contact with one another, they will readily accept the other pack as part of their own. Occasionally, when Eggmatons are scarce, they will resort to stealing eggs of other Compliens and storing them in their front pouch, and utilizing them as temporary helmets for younger Anteasters.

Anteasters are known for their great physical strength, with legs that have evolved for leaping and kicking, and sharp claws that allow them to easily slash opponents. That being said, Anteasters are also clumsy, as their limbs are short and their bodies are slightly front-heavy. Their tails exist predominantly for no other reason than to balance out their body, but can occasionally be used to sweep opponents off their feet.

### Habitat

While Anteasters have been known to travel great distances to hunt off Eggmaton packs, their predominant habitat is around the nations of Cuze, Zuya, Gastricion, and Usmya.

## Growth

### Name

Anteaster is derived from "anteater" and "Easter." It's a bit of a strange name, in-universe, considering that ants do not exist in the Compliverse (thought ant-like creatures may), Anteasters do not prey on ant-like creatures, and furthermore, since Compliens do not annually observe the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

### Design

Anteaster's design is a blend of anteaters, kangaroos, and bunnies. Its design is slightly evocative of the Easter Bunny specifically.

## Trivia

* Anteaster was first conceptualized in late 2018 around the same time as Mintprey as an effort to design Compliens that specifically prey on other Compliens. Its design was finalized for Easter 2019.
	+ The rough sketch of its design had a disproportionately large head, which was adjusted for the final artwork.