Starwalker

**Starwalkers,** also known as **Spacecats**, are a sentient species, native to no home planet, but most commonly found on the planet Kira. They are characterized by a cat-like appearance, with fur, tails, digitigrade feet, a muzzle, and feline ears on top of their heads. With a long history going back at least 100 000 years, the Starwalkers have played parts in some of the galaxy's most crucial battles, including the Battle for Humanity and the Great Null War.

## Physiology

### Life Cycle

#### **Birth**

Starwalkers begin their life as small kits, almost indistinguishable from standard Earth kittens. Born blind, they gain the use of sight within a few weeks. Naturally curious, these Starwalker kittens (or **kits**) immediately begin to explore their new surroundings, though they always make sure to stay relatively close to their parents and siblings. Generally, Starwalker kits are born in a litter, with mothers giving birth to 1 - 7 kits, though twins are by far the most common, with 54% of Starwalkers being a twin.

Newborn kits stay in their quadrupedal kitten form for a period of about two years, where they suddenly undergo a violent growth transition, in what is known as "Kitaria", the Starsong word for 'growing pains'. When Kitaria has finished, usually after a period of four to five months, the young Starwalker is now the mental and physical equivalent of a five-year-old human child. Now bipedal, the young Starwalkers remain in this state for about a decade, whereafter they undergo the second phase of Kitaria. This phase, over the course of about eight months, leads to the Starwalker becoming a full-grown adult, physically and mentally mature.

#### **Adulthood**

Adult Starwalkers look drastically different from their previous kitten forms. Their soft kit fur has been replaced with smoother and tougher adult fur, and their faces have lost their roundness, replaced with harder angle and lines. Adult Starwalkers are generally tall, standing anywhere from 5'10" to 6'10", with their ears adding several inches to a foot in height.

Starwalkers remain in this 'adult' form of Starwalker for about another 45 or so years, to about the age of 55-57. At this age, the Starwalkers undergo their final major physical transformation, with Kitaria rapidly stacking their years onto them. A 53-year-old Starwalker appears no older than a 13-year-old Starwalker, but a 60-year-old Starwalker bears the appearance of an elder. Following this final phase of Kitaria, they will continue to age, generally dying in the age range of 60-70 years old.

### Morphology

Starwalkers have a felinoid form to them, appearing as anthropomorphic cats. There is little physical differentiation between males and females, to the point where those not familiar with the species often can't tell the difference. Generally on the taller side, Starwalkers have a pretty uniform body shape, with 97.5% of all Starwalkers fitting well within the healthy range of weight, and the remaining 2.5% generally leaning towards underweight. All Starwalkers, regardless of breed, possess a long tail and glowing (not just reflective) eyes, though the ears differ depending on the breed.

   As a constructed species, Starwalkers were built with many biological advantages, such as twin livers and a dense skeleton. These advantages, however, also carry with them many disadvantages that other races can utilize. Nonetheless, Starwalkers remain a powerful species, commanding the respect of anyone who actually knows the species well.

Patterns possessed by earth-dwelling cats such as tigers and leopards are somewhat common amongst the species, though smooth, unpatterned fur is the most common fur type. Similarly, though Starwalker eyes come in many shades, the most common shade is amber making up roughly 64% of the eye colours. Following this are green (20%), blue (7%), brown (6%), violet (2.2%), pale (0.5%), and other uncategorized eye colours filling in the rest at 0.3%.

#### **Breeds**

Starwalkers, much like traditional cats, come in several breeds. Though these breeds, named predominantly after cardinal directions, seem to indicate planetside evolution, they are in fact designed. Each of these seperate breeds was bred for unknown reasons, but their construction at the hands of Those Who Came Before isn't disputed. Each of these breeds shares a similar morphology, but each has key differences separating them from other breeds.

* Northerns
	+ The rarest breed of Starwalker, the Northern Starwalkers resemble lynxes in their physiology. Generally possessing grey fur, they have tall tufted ears and long chin tufts. Suited for colder climates, Northerns are quick to overheat, often requiring long timeouts in the shade. In winter climates, a Northern's already-thick-coat thickens and they're able to handle the most biting temperatures.
* Easterns
	+ The most common breed of Starwalker, Easterns resemble caracals in their appearance, with reddish-brown fur and tall-tufted ears. Easterns are usually the tallest breed of Starwalker, with their ears adding around a foot in height. Polar opposites to the Northerns, Eastern Starwalkers are most ideally suited for warm climates, where their large ears help them radiate heat.
* Southerns
	+ Appearing like cheetahs, Southern Starwalkers make up the second-most-common breed. Bearing smaller ears than their Northern or Eastern cousins, Southerns are also almost universally patterned, again resembling cheetahs. Despite this similar appearance, Southerns aren't the fastest Starwalker breed.
* Westerns
	+ The second rarest breed by a slim margin, the Western Starwalkers appear somewhat similar to Southerns, albeit shorter and with dark grey fur instead of golden yellow. Ideally suited for mountain climates, Westerns can adapt to any temperature well, and are amazingly stealthy hunters.
* Nightfang
* Proto-Starwalker