Avka Felo

Avka Felos are cat-like creatures inspired by Sphinx cats. They can be found in the cupboard or purchased from the Genome Splicer. They can also breed with Muska Felos, but they do not produce hybrid offspring.

Lore-wise, they were discovered by Coral M. Mui, as documented in BULLETIN #101.

## Growth

### Capsule

"The curves on this olive capsule are bulbous and smooth."

### Young

"The thin, sharp mewling of this juvenile is audible at quite the distance. As a newborn, it is barely active, spending much of its time curled up and sleeping, often hidden near a fresh source of water. With time, however, it becomes more active, following its parents or caretaker wherever they go. It also begins playing in the shallows, and within a laboratory setting, it takes well to a semi-aquatic habitat."

### Adult

"Strong, amphibious predators, Avka Felos make their homes in and around any body of fresh water they come across. As ambush hunters, they wade through shallow waters or along the shore, waiting for unsuspecting prey to swim by before pouncing. Mated pairs often hunt together, with one Avka Felo stalking from the shore and the other hiding in shadows underwater where they navigate using their sensitive whiskers. When fishing is not possible, they employ a similar hunting strategy on land, ready to eat anything they can catch. Avka Felos will either build or claim riverside dens for themselves and prefer shelters with both aquatic and terrestrial exits connected by one large chamber. Juveniles remain within the den until they are able to join their parents on hunts and often learn to hunt terrestrially before they practice fishing. Once they are full grown, males seek out dens of their own, often around the same body of water as their parents, while females travel afield to find a mate before settling down.

## Extra Info

### Squeaky Sounds

Young Avka Felos tend to be quite vocal, and their high-pitched cries carry well both above and below water, allowing their parents to keep an ear on them even when diving to fish. As they grow older, their vocalizations become less frequent. Adults will make small chirps when content or curious and occasionally sharper wails if in distress.

### Making a Splash

When not hunting or napping, Avka Felos are quite playful and will spend hours chasing each other, play fighting, and dashing around on land and in the water. They are quite adept at splashing each other with their wide finned tails, and observers should be cautious about getting too close or may find themselves drenched. Avka Felos also use this splashing technique for defense, sending a spray of water at a potential predator to distract them before diving underwater and swimming away.

### Sensitive Whiskers

Careful study of various adults has confirmed that the varied length of Avka Felo whiskers does not affect their purpose as sensory organs. Those with short whiskers and those with long whiskers performed equally well in controlled laboratory tests. Their whiskers can sense vibrations in air and in water—quite useful for tracking prey. Avka Felos shed their whiskers once a year and will spend a few days napping in their den until the new ones have grown in sufficiently.

### Shared Territories

Avka Felos are closely related to Muska Felos and can interbreed with them. Herds and prides that share territory within the caves will sometimes exchange fresh kills. It has been hypothesized that this is their way of demonstrating respect for their sister species. Mating behaviors between the two species are similar: a female will approach a male and touch his flank with her tail.

## Variations

### Marking A (Stripes)

Avka Felos' stripes are always black regardless of body color.

### Marking B (White Patch)

These patches cover everything underneath them, so anywhere with white patches will not have stripes or spots. Regardless of body color, these patches are always white.

### Marking C (Spots)

Spots are always orange and tabby regardless of the Avka's body color.

### Length

This trait affects Avka's whisker length. Whiskers are always black regardless of other traits.

## Trivia

* TFO uses Esperanto as a basis for creature names (although it's not always exact—accents are ignored and spellings occasionally shift). “Avka Felo” means “Water Fur.”
* Players can access the "pet" easter egg by typing "https://finaloutpost.net/action/XXXXX/pet" into the browser's search bar and replacing XXXXX with an Avka Felo's code. (Muska Felos can also be "pet").

## Acknowledgments

Art by: Corteo, Malcorium, schenanigans. Descriptions by: rosastrasza.