Mogon

## Description

   Mogons are one of the larger creatures in the southern continent, matching dragons in terms of sheer size, strength, and ferocity. Both mogon males and females have horns, although the males have far larger horns. Males also possess a dewlap that is more pronounced hanging down from the neck.

The Mogon possesses a pair of large avian wings that grant it the ability to fly as well as a long tail used for steering during flight. The front and back claws are split and allow for grasping as well as climbing up sheer cliffs as these beasts are as comfortable on the ground as they are in the air.

The coloration of Mogon does not vary much in terms of fur color, however the wing color can vary from blue to purple, to the rare vibrant red.

They are the clan animal of the Yurak'riti clan who have domesticated a herd of them which lives within their fortress and act as aerial mounts for the clan.

## Ecology

### Distribution and Habitat

The mogons are found throughout the continent, although they tend to stay closer to the mountain range where they house their nests. These giant predators only nest in the high mountains for safety for their young and for themselves as they rest but they do most of their hunting in the lower lands of the mountain. Given their size and the strength of their wings, they can cover a great distance, allowing them to hunt all the way to the shoreline where they have been seen swimming in the ocean, hunting large sharks or browsing kelp for a meal.

### Diet

The mogon are omnivores and are more opportunistic in what they will eat. They will hunt and eat other creatures that they can get their claws on but also known to supplement their diets with fruits and leaves from the jungle, fish, kelp, and other marine life from the ocean, and have even been seen chomping happily on cacti in the desert. A mogon seems to eat what it can get which sometimes means sentient beings who are lost or alone or wounded on the mountains. Often the Yurak'riti simply allow their mogons to fly out and forage on their own as strangely, these creatures do not like being fed in captivity. Young mogon will feed on the milk of their mother and then on the cud of parents until they are old enough to start hunting and foraging on their own.

## Behavior

### Hunting Behavior

Mogons on the hunt are ambush predators, often keeping high in the sky until they spot pray and then quickly drop down, looking to crush their prey beneath their feet, crushing spines and skulls. Mogons have also shown a level of intelligence as sometimes they will intentionally cause avalanches or pick up and drop boulders on prey first to throw them into a panic before coming in for the kill.

The mogon don't often use their teeth for hunting, instead using their claws and bulk to rip and crush. When foraging however, they often just use their claws to hold things in place as their specialized lips quickly strip leaves off branches and rip plants off the bottom of rivers and lakes. It is of note that mogons are very good swimmers and can actually hold their breath underwater for a long time.

### Behavior in the Wild

Mogons are very territorial, especially males, and they will fight each other and any creature they feel is invading their territory. They often give warning bellows that can carry for miles across the mountains to warn other male mogons off their harems. They patrol fast areas of land for hunting and foraging and often the female mogons will do so together with a single bull. keeping an eye out for intruders to the herd.

Typically in the wild, a herd is made of one bull and three to five cows and their calves.

### Domesticated Behavior

Mogons who are domesticated and found within the Yurak'riti clan are less territorial and more social, comprising of herds with multiple males and females together. This is believed to be because the warmth and better shelter afforded to them by living in the fortress has made them more sociable, especially when those that cause a fuss are driven away from a warm cave full of soft hay to lay on and easy hunting from wawas. This shows a level of intelligence in the mogon as they have learned that acting a certain way allows them a place in the Yurak'riti "herd" and even wild mogon have picked up on this and joined the domesticated herd and adopted their behaviors. They often treat the drowussu as their calves, often trying to feed them or tend to them, but also in turn, trust them around the nest and around their young.

They can be willful though and if a mogon doesn't want to fly, they will flop onto their side or even onto their handler and lay there until they are good and ready to get up once more.

### Play Behavior

Mogons can and will get bored if not given enough to do, thus it is not uncommon to see them rubbing up against rocks and trees, carrying around logs to chew on, and are known to play with their food. Mogons have been observed tossing wawas between each other in midair, while the wawa is alive, just for fun. Sometimes they will even return creatures they were playing with back where they found them, as was the case with an unfortunate traveler that was tossed about by a pair of playful mogons.

Given that mogons sometimes see their handlers as baby mogons, they will engage in play with them as well, giving false charges and bellows and looking to knock horns with the handlers. It is not uncommon to see a Yurak'riti handler prancing about and whistling while a mogon prances about behind them and giving small charges towards them, all as a means of playing and keeping mogons entertained.