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Fingered/Pawed Animals with Fur
SpinesPorcupine Estall Bay, south Yanuiri
Characteristics: Most herin are very dark in colour with spines fading to brown or grey. Often, when static, they appear to be a simple thorny shrub. Their most noticable features are their spines and their nose horn. The spines are strong and thick and protrude outwards (and upwards when agitated) from the back. A herin raises its spines by curving its spine downwards, and does so to display authority. Though they barely reach half a metre in length, they are capable of surprising bursts of speed and energy. The single nose horn is boasted by both male and female herin, though those of the females tend to be rounder and blunter. Behaviour: Herin forage on tender roots, seeds, grubs, and sometimes ants or beetles. They generally live in scattered communities which appear to be biologically related, ie: a herin lives near its mother, and that herin lives near its father, and so on. They usually make a subtle gurgling sound but will call loudly if disturbed. They are very shy and will usually speed off at any sign of danger. Strength: Though very timid, an aggravated herin will not hesitate to bite with its powerful jaws and sharp teeth, or arch its back and try to slam itself into the offender. If one of its quills penetrates flesh, it will usually break off and grow back later. The quills are very sharp and can pierce leather with enough force. They do not seem to use their horns to defend themselves from foes; only for mating battles.
Similar to an anteater but with its own differences, the kureter is a long, hairy animal which lives in cold forested regions, such as Huirnon or the south end of Yanuiri. They actually live in burrows dug out with their powerful claws. Characteristics: Generally reaching around a metre in length, a kureter walks on its hind legs and explores with its forearms, balancing its body with a heavy tail. They are reddish brown, usually with a pale belly, and their backs are covered in coarse, thick fur. It has a very good sense of smell and uses this to navigate and track down food. It spends most of the night eating, and sleeps solidly underground during the day. Behaviour: They use their claws to tear apart rotting trees to find insects, much like anteaters, but they prefer large insects, and they use their two forward fangs to inpale their targets and then suck them into the grinding mouth to eat. They usually do not make any noise except a clicking when communicating with another kureter. They usually live alone, far from other kureter, but have been known to form a family-like community based in a large territory for whatever reason. Strength: If on their own, they will scratch with their claws to fight, but if they are threatened as a group, they will attack viciously. They've been known to surround unsuspecting humans who wander into their territory at night and reduce them to a near-death state using only their claws and sheer numbers. They can jump surprisingly high and run quickly along uneven and dark terrain. Because of their ferocity, clever travellers carry certain kinds of strong-smelling repellants to keep kureters away from themselves or their homes.
HornsFrom a distance, a burtu, native to the Xilian deserts of South Ideitess, could easily be mistaken for a nortu. Characteristics: Despite the similarities in name and general appearance, burtus differ in many ways. Most importantly, burtu are omnivorous and have clawed pads for hands, whereas nortu are herbivorous, and have hooves. Burtu have large tusks like boars, and also have two large horns growing out and forward from each shoulder.These horns (unlike those of a nortu) are ribbed but they grow in a similar manner, only they spiral as they grow. Because nortu are in general much larger than burtu, their horns are bigger, stronger, and generally more valuable. They average 1-1.5 meters in length (about 50-70cms heigh) and 80-100kg in weight. Although, in the more remote areas of the karbak region, there are sightings and even trophies of burtu 2.5-3m (about 1.3-1.5m high) in length and weighing up to 600kg. Behaviour: Males use their horns to fight one another, as well as their tusks. They most often fight over mating rights, but do sometimes fight for no other reason than to entertain one another. Burtu live in groups of up to a dozen, and have complex relationships, some of which are uncommon with other herd species, such as parents, children, siblings, friends, rivals, playmates, foraging partners, and so on. They feed on grasses, roots, and sometimes small rodents, but if hungry enough, they will eat almost anything edible. Strength: As could be assumed, burtu charge with both their horns and tusks when they feel the need. If a herd is threatened, the males will form a circle around the others and use their horns to ward off invaders. If the invader is small enough, the burtu will simply try to trample it instead.
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Native to the alpine regions of Huirnon, the herin is something like a porcupine. They're actually sometimes used as pets, thoug they of course require thick leather gloves to handle properly. 
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