Vulkodalk

The vulkodalk is a carnivorous predator of Ionia, native to the Nistaram Forest in the land of Galrin. It is a theropod-like beast of fearsome aspect, with a horn rising from its snout, eight eyes set along either side of its head, and jaws packed with several rows of pointed teeth. The creature appears in the short story Poetry with a Blade, within a vision granted to the young swordsman Yi. In it, he witnesses the ancient Vastayashai'rei making war upon a host of giant behemoths. As the giants charged, some of the Vastayashai'rei bent low and sprang forward, transforming into vulkodalks, scaled snappers, and wolves, while others took to the sky in avian forms. In a single moment, the shape-shifting host became a stampede of beasts hunting down their prey. In that battle, the vulkodalks showed the strength of their kind. While scaled snappers used their bulk to knock the giants off their feet, the vulkodalks tore into their foes with their horns and razor-sharp teeth, clambering over the towering enemies alongside wolves and wind-wielding avian warriors as thunder and lightning split the battlefield.