The three following creatures have been donated by Victoria Zigler:
Reurple
These are purple and white flowers that are found in the Kukaru desert. Due to the sand being too loose for roots, these plants live in the few patches of water that can be found during the rainy season. They stay above the surface with long stems that are covered in coiled thorns, which have two purposes. One is protecting them from any animals that try to eat them. The other is to sense when the atmosphere is changing and the dry season is on the way. Locals watch the Reurples for signs of drought because they will start to wither by curling inward instead of outward. Gradually, the flowers will curl into themselves and shrink as the water levels drop. By the time the water has disappeared, the Reurple is a tiny ball of white roots that sink into the mud. The plant stays dormant until the water returns and then they sprout back up.
Snoughle
Raised for meat and building supplies in the country of Umrard, the Snoughle is a type of pig. The thing about this type of livestock is that it may resemble a pig with its snout and curly tail, but it doesn’t really act or taste like one. These pudgy animals are very nimble and can jump ten feet in the air. Even if a wall is higher, they are known to kick off the side for another leap until they clear the obstacle. This is why all Snoughle pens have solid rooftops and thick doors since they enjoy eating fencing. Another way to contain them is to have them bond to a person when born and turn them into a pet. In this state, they are similar to dogs and will develop a softer body that allows them function as a warm living pillow. In fact, they have been known to help cure children of colds and influenza by snuggling with them for an entire day. This might seem odd considering they are eventually eaten, but a Snoughle is not killed for its meat and sturdy bones. If you butcher a live Snoughle then it will taste sour and bitter. Once it dies of natural causes, the body purges itself of impurities and various parts take on a variety of tastes. Some are like bacon while others are like ham and the snout is said to taste like beef. As far as the bones go, they are able to be ground into a powder and mixed with salt water to create a material that is stronger than concrete.
Quazel
Living in any forest that has at least three pomegranate trees, these mongooses make their homes in the branches. They are very long and have short fur that is patterned to help them blend into the leaves. A long, prehensile tail helps them climb, which they do very slowly unless they spot prey. Their favorite thing to eat are birds that are attracted to the fruit, which is why they stay in the trees. You can usually find at least four Quazel to a tree since they only need to eat once a week and are fairly social creatures. Many times, you can find one in the top branches where it will watch for birds of prey and another near the base looking for ground predators. While too small to physically fend off other animals, they have one impressive defense. A Quazel will run into sunlit areas, which causes its body to take on a prismatic shine. This rainbow light increases into a blinding flash that stuns predators long enough to make a full escape. Because of this effect, these creatures are heavily poached for their fur and there are several groups dedicated to protecting them.
The following creature has been donated by John W. Howell:
Gruntitial
Living in hollowed out trees of the Bungalor Jungle, these birds are prized for their brightly colored beaks. The rest of this animal’s body is covered in drab feathers, including the three-foot long tail that fans out. Even their eyes are said to be melancholy and devoid of light, which is why people think of them as bland. All of this stands in contrast to their beaks, which are rainbow crystals. They use these sharp beaks to carve out the trees for food and home as well as mating dances that involve refracting light. Poaching is a problem, but not as severe as one would expect. It is said that whoever takes the beak of a living Gruntitial will be cursed. You can take one from a body that has died naturally, but never attack the living. The death curse results in the people who took it and the ones who bought it being eaten by pigs. Many are unclear how this always happen, but there is a species of wild boar that are typically found around Gruntitial trees. The current theory is that these powerful animals will avenge the birds at any cost.
Legends of Windemere 
These are great!
I’d love having a Snoughle for a pet. And also one for bacon. 😃 😄 😁
The Gruntitial’s beak would be a temptation. But the curse would keep me away.
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Just have to be patient with the Snoughle when it comes to food. They’re marketed as a non-burial pet as well. With you on the whole curse issue.
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Wouldn’t mind having a Quazel as a pet but it sounds like it will eventually give me some sort of a seizure 🙂
I like these creatures. The flowers are pretty cool.
/thumbs up
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Thanks. I can see the Quazel being a problem. Maybe a source of car accidents if it gets to the front yard.
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So much fun, Charles. Very strange about the death by pigs curse on the Gruntitial. I can see how it can happen given the fact that the name has a pig sound.
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Strange was definitely the order of the day. 😀
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Ha ha ha.
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Great to see flora, as well as fauna, being described, Charles 👍😃
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Thanks. Flora is always a bit harder to do with these words.
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You did excellently, Charles 👍😃
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Pingback: Monster Maker Fun 2017: Creatures Donated by Victoria Zigler & John W. Howell – The Militant Negro™
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thanks. 😁
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Welcome 👍😃
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Love the monsters you’re creating from our suggestions.
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Glad you’re enjoying them.
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Wish I had the ability to disappear into the mud, like the Reurple. And I wouldn’t mind a beak if rainbow crystals! My mind is going wild with all I could accomplish. Enjoyed this 🙂
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Great to hear. That mud ability does sound nice at times. Though a bit messy.
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Great ‘monsters’! I enjoyed them all.
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Thanks. 😁
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Nice to see some Windemere creatures that aren’t homicidal 🙂
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Bound to be a few of those. Honestly, most are nothing more than animals, so they only attack if hungry, scared, or territorial.
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That’s what I mean. Most writers are too focused on monstrous/evil/permanently hostile creatures. It makes a place much more believable when you also have a more “normal” kind of monsters.
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Probably goes all the way back to mythology where monsters were maliciously evil. That does make some sense since those typically weren’t natural or at least didn’t really exist in our world. Yet, would it be the same if something like a Hydra was a real thing? Always wondered about that.
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She *would* make for a pretty badass monster. The thing is, you’d also need a Hercules to beat her. Although it could be argued that it would make for a more interesting premise if the monsters were, well, monstrous but the humans were, well, human.
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Would we really need a Hercules? At least with modern tech, I think they’d be a little easier to handle. Guess monsters being monsters is fairly interesting, but I’m starting to see more stories give them a human twist. I blame vampires.
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And Buffy.
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She’s really slacked off ever since the show ended.
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In her defense, she did save the world on numerous occasions. She deserves the break.
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But for all these years? Then again, the vampires are slumming too. They’ve gone all sparkles and soft.
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Yeah… Even the sex drive is gone nowadays. Remember Angelus and Spike? Those boys knew how to party.
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Don’t forget Lestat. When was the badass vampire created?
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