Arda Vosto

Arda Vosto are a Halloween 2023 event release.

### Young

Sleek-furred and light on its feet, this juvenile is quite good at climbing, though sometimes it may become stuck on a high ledge or rocky outcropping after a particularly ambitious ascent. If this happens, it will mew piteously until rescued by whatever adult happens to be nearby. As it begins to eat solid food, it is not shy about tussling with other cubs over meals, and scientists who are hand-feeding in a laboratory setting should be wary of having their limbs grabbed by its multiple dexterous front paws.

### Adult

Found in the mountain range that encircles the very steppe where Stepa Safidos dwell, the Arda Vosto is an incredibly dangerous predator that hunts both ovines and other prey animals with vicious might. The species has an intriguing split of features, with some Arda Vostos displaying two furred tails, thick manes, and horns while others possess a single tail but display numerous fleshy appendages. The former tend to hunt in small prides on the steppe, whereas the latter are more commonly found deep in mountainous caverns where they lure in prey with bright bioluminescence. During breeding season, the prides gather among the foothills and mix freely, with males fighting over females for mating privileges and then patrolling the birthing grounds to scare away potential dangers until the cubs are old enough to move. Cubs featuring either combination of traits may be born in the same litter but will be separated when it comes time to leave, with each cub being adopted by a pride with similar characteristics, ensuring they will have the greatest chance of survival.

### Extra Info

#### Exceptional Evolution

When first discovered, Arda Vostos were thought to be two separate species, but in fact, this incredible predator can be categorized into two subspecies with a rather complex interrelated social structure. How this came to be is as yet uncertain, though it is possible some catastrophe isolated part of the population of an ancestral species long enough for evolutionary adaption to occur but not so long that they became incapable of interbreeding.

#### Multi-Motion

Capable of both bipedal and hexapedal movement, Arda Vostos tend to prefer to remain on six paws. They can sprint short distances at high speeds, making them powerful ambush predators, and use their frontmost paws to grab and pull their prey down to the ground. Walking on their hind paws is used both for intimidation displays during mating season and for extra reach in cases such climbing or swiping a birds nest down from a ledge.

#### Distinctive Duality

Steppe-dwelling Arda Vostos have bright, colorful manes and tails that provide camouflage in their vibrant surroundings. Though they also display bioluminescence, it is concentrated in their long fur and much dimmer than that of those living in the mountain caves. Closer study has shown that at the base of their tails and underneath their mane are nubs that appear to be vestigial tentacles, suggesting that the cavern-dwelling Arda Vostos may be closer to the origin species.

## Trivia

* TFO uses Esperanto as a basis for creature names (although it's not always exact--accents are ignored and spellings occasionally shift). “Arda Vosto” means “Glowing Tail.”