Pygmy Tiger

Small enough to fit into any society.

Smaller than your average Turf Tiger, Flowercat, or Bastian. Despite the size disparity (or perhaps because of it?), Pygmy Tigers can become established in most any society without much discomfort. (Pygmy Tigers are also known as Taiga Tigers.)

Hereditary influence: Variable

Environmental influence: Variable

Native to: Owel, Hellside

Language: No native language

Ability to reason: High

Climate preference: Varies

Found in: Anywhere

Elements

Affinities: Varies

Notes: Until a Pygmy Tiger is fully grown, the environment can affect their affinity. Past adulthood, an affinity is difficult to change. Parents can pass down aptitudes for affinities, but the environment a child grows up in will determine how the affinity manifests.

Weaknesses: Varies, Light

Resistances: Varies, Clay

Notes: Depending on a Pygmy Tiger's affinity, they may have additional weaknesses and resistances, but in general, Light magic is good at "exposing" them, and Clay magic is good at helping "conceal" them.

Society

Pygmy Tigers tend to stick together in tight-knit groups. However, they're also curious and adaptable, and adventurous Pygmy Tigers sometimes decide to leave a community in pursuit of another way of life. They're also resourceful and perceptive, which makes living in the wilderness a trivial task.

Trust is innately important to Pygmy Tigers. To add to that. they often exude trustworthiness, themselves. While not quite an ability, it does give off the effect that an individual will think twice before trying to pull a fast one on a Pygmy Tiger.

Abilities: Crowd Camo

A curious trait shared among Pygmy Tigers is the ease and swiftness at which they fit into new groups. The larger the group, the more seamless their assimilation. Pygmy Tigers are adept at learning new skills that will help them get along in a community or group — such as just enough of new languages, the important social customs, etc.

This, surprisingly, applies even when a Pygmy Tiger is trying to become part of a demon community. It's not surefire, and doesn't apply 100% of the time, but demons consistently have been shown to trust Pygmy Tigers a little more quickly than they would trust most non-demons.*

* based on surveys and studies performed by researchers in Kadath.

Physiology

The two variants of Pygmy Tiger depend on where one is raised: Hellside, or Topside.

Hellside tigers tend to average no more than 3 feet tall, and are very often black and white in coloration. (Though if a Hellside tiger spends enough time on Topside, their fur will take on different hues until they return to Hellside.)

Topside tigers can come in any set of colors, and may end up a foot or so taller.

At some point in the distant past, Turf Tigers seem to have emerged from a group of Topside Pygmy Tigers.

Hybrids

Pygmy Tigers are compatible with most feline species (such as Flowercats or Bastians), and a handful of loosely related species, i.e. vulpine or canine species.

Examples

• Pygmy Flowercat - Flowercat hybrid (bottom left)
• Pygmy Bastian - Bastian hybrid (far right) - Most Bastians are over 7 feet tall, but Pygmy Bastians are noticeably shorter. Their proportions are a lot like a Bastian's, just scaled down.
• Swirl Fox - Aurorian Fox hybrid (bottom middle) - The markings of a Pygmy Tiger combined with those of an Aurorian Fox tend to produce interesting fur patterns and striations. They're still about average-sized for both Aurorian Foxes or Pygmy Tigers, though.
• Atrocitiger - Rakshasa hybrid (bottom right) - Despite Rakshasa being outcast even among demons, the Atrocitiger manages to get along pretty decently due to the Pygmy Tiger's Crowd Camo.

See Also

• Original post by Glip.