Enshaani

The Enshaani are a Demihumanoid, Avian species, native to the planet of Enshaa, and its moon, Proxima Enshaan. Having been members of the Galactic Federation since the late first millennium AF, the Enshaani are thoroughly integrated into wider galactic society. Once having been ruled by an imperial monarchy, the Enshaani as a whole have largely fallen to the pull of capitalism, with many of the most wealthy and most travelled members of the species acting as business executives for various megacorporations. As a result, most other species who encounter them tend to think of the Enshaani as money grubbing business-birds.

## History

The Enshaani joined the Galactic Federation in 893 AF.

## Biology

### Anatomy

The enshaani are a somewhat diminutive species by the standards of most. Male enshaani usually stand between 1.5-1.55 meters in height, and weigh between 25 and 35 kilograms due to their hollow bones. Females are slightly smaller, though not by much, mostly being between 1.45-1.5 meters tall, and weighing some 20-25 kilograms. Many wealthy enshaani tend to be quite corpulent as a result of overeating. Being as little as fifteen kilos overweight tends to severely hamper their ability to fly, while being overweight by twenty five kilos or more makes flight completely impossible.

The enshaani's light weight is a result of their hollow bones. Possessed of clawed feet, they are bipedal, and have a set of arms which double as wings, ended with clawed and scaly hands. Their bodies are covered in feathers, and they possess a singular pair of eyes, with most of their face being comprised of a beak.

### Development, Lifespan, and Reproduction

Enshaani begin their life as eggs, which are laid after a female is fertilized by sex with a male. After being laid, enshaani eggs take about two months to incubate, and must be kept warm (usually accomplished through incubators rather than the feathers, moss and fur of ancient days), before the baby enshaani hatches. Enshaani usually only lay a single egg at a time, having developed to invest heavily into a single offspring.

Enshaani chicks are traditionally fed via regurgitated food from their parents for their first four months of life, though many enshaani parents make use of artificial formula to feed their chicks. After their first month of life, enshaani chicks usually learn to walk, and by their third, are typically engaging in pre flight behavior, fluttering about throughout their home. After the first flight, which usually occurs around four months, it is traditional to move the chick to eating its own food, without predigestion by the parents. While the young enshaani is now able to fly, it should be noted that by this stage, they still have the mental development of a toddler.

Enshaani usually reach puberty by age five, at which time they are no longer counted as chicks, and usually experience the mood swings and sexual development adolescents are known for. By age eight, their bodies are fully developed, and they are counted as adults. Their prime years usually last till around age fifteen, whereupon they begin to decline slightly, much like a human entering their thirties. By twenty five, they are considered well into the middle of their years, like a human in their fifties. Thirty and beyond is considered elderly, and most enshaani expire of old age sometime before reaching age fifty. Those with access to good quality healthcare can live into their sixties or seventies, which is the case for most enshaani who live a middle class lifestyle. Enshaani with access to vast amounts of money can prolong their relatively short lifespan tremendously, with extensive rejuvenation treatments having enabled enshaani executives to live past the two century mark, even up to a quarter millennium.