Kerual

## About the Kerual

The Kerual, while not the wisest of species, they are the most intelligent. If they put their mind to it, they could know a lot about just about everything, and they’re a wealth of facts. They tend to be the most curious as well, spending time around other species, including humans.

Having a very good sense of humor, the Kerual are referred to as “the tricksters of Arilyan”, enjoying a good joke, even if it’s at the expense of another creature. They are extremely clever when it comes to setting traps, or teaching other creatures how to set traps for them, so it’s not unheard of to fall prey to a kerual playing a joke now and then, even if they’re long gone, and left a harmless trap for you to fall into.

They’re also the species to most likely be seen with a companion. They are extremely fond of animals that enjoy learning and helping others, and will sometimes keep three to five companion critters around to run their errands, or get into trouble on their behalf.

## Climate

* They prefer to live in the open plains, enjoying wide open spaces to run and stretch their legs.
* Contrary to other canine species, the Kerual isn’t fond of water. While they’re the fastest creature in Arilyan, they’re not the best swimmers. Young mothers even go out of their way to avoid living near rivers, as it’s a common occurrence for cubs to be washed away after a bad rain.
* Their diet consists of meat, fruit, and plants, but they have a hard time killing some animals. Not because they’re morally opposed to it, but because they want to know more about the animal and wind up creating a bond with said animal. Because of this, they will occasionally become scavengers, so they don’t have to worry about starting a conversation with their food.

## Temperament

Curious is the absolute best way to describe Keruals. They’re strong willed and stubborn to a fault, but if you can peak their interest, they’ll forget what they’re arguing about long enough to give you a break from a tongue lashing.

They can come off as know it alls, believing that their way is the only way, and rarely seeing the other side to an argument once they get it in their head that they’re right.

Above all else they value knowledge, and have the best relationship with humans. While they’re not domesticated, they will go out of their way to sit and watch humans work, and if they find a human group they trust enough, will even live with them for a time. Due to their high intelligence level, even as a cub, they’re almost impossible to catch, so most humans treat them like partners, and are the least likely to be hunted as they’ll go out of their way to help humans if humans help them.

## Other Random Facts

* Keruals aren’t driven to physically fight. In fact, many keruals are offended by even the idea of fighting. They’d much rather play mind games, or take part in verbal sparring.
* Their favorite creature to indulge in these debates, besides their own species, is the granthera, finding them to be the only one intelligent enough to discuss the ideas they’re trying to figure out.
* Keruals are incredibly good caretakers. They treat their pups with a mutual respect, and believe that even their companion “pets” have their own agency in their life.
* Females lose the ability to breed 5 years before the min age of death, while males can father cubs until their dying days.

## In Packs

Keruals are often times found in packs, if only to protect themselves from other creatures who find them unbearable.

All jokes aside, unlike the Alkeru, that live and fight as one unit, Keruals tend to have a very relaxed demeanor in packs and value individuality that benefits the family unit. It’s not uncommon to find them in family units, mother and father sharing as much as they can with their pups before they’re old enough to go off on their own. Many pups will return home with more knowledge to share with any new siblings or just give it to their parents to share with other species.

It’s uncommon to see a kerual living out on their own and holding down a territory without help. If they don’t have at least a “pet” with them, they’ll usually team up with other creatures, and use the experience to learn something new about that species while also keeping to their belief in “safety in numbers”.

A lone kerual is almost always going to be extremely large, as they’re the few that can hold their own in a fight, but again, they’d rather team up with even a human than be on their own.