Monsters by John W. Howell

These two creatures are part of the ‘Monster Maker Fun’ week and they were ‘donated’ by John W. Howell. Check out his blog and his book, ‘MY GRL‘.

Stoupis

A dim-witted creature that resembles a crimson stork with rabbit ears and wings that are on backwards. They live within the Pronchu Archipelago and stay near the shallows where they’re easy prey for the always hungry Rhunc. Whenever they fly, they wrap their long neck around their body and go in reverse because of their wings. This means they never know where they’re going and it’s common for them to crash into the ocean where they drown. Regardless of their low intelligence, they are not at risk of going extinct. A Stoupis reaches maturity within 2 days and mates every morning to release a clutch of 20-30 eggs. These take a week to hatch and their shells can only be broken from the inside. They also possess very dense and filling meat, so any creature that eats a Stoupis will not be hungry for 4 days. This is why there is a big market for Stoupis meat and an industry that takes tourists out to kill their own. Most people simply watch and wait for one of the creatures to get itself killed.

Dalaphenius

A mysterious creature that lives in a body of water at the top of Mount Tikaly, which is a dormant volcano. The lake within the crater is very hot and murky with the stench of sulfur in the air. Only the Dalaphenius lives there and people are not sure exactly what it looks like. This beast remains within the lake and people that see its silhouette tend to describe it as a small whale with six tentacles. It has been discovered that the wavy parts of its body are its ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. Each part is at the end of a gray tendril that drips with slime that modulates body temperature to keep it at a constant within the dangerous water. For food, the Dalaphenius eats algae and microscopic organisms by using the sieve-like mouth. Unlike a whale, this creature does not release the water from a blowhole, so we assume it does it in reverse. This would explain the muffled boom that can be heard before part of the Dalaphenius breaks the surface.

About Charles Yallowitz

Charles E. Yallowitz was born, raised, and educated in New York. Then he spent a few years in Florida, realized his fear of alligators, and moved back to the Empire State. When he isn't working hard on his epic fantasy stories, Charles can be found cooking or going on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. 'Legends of Windemere' is his first series, but it certainly won't be his last.

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