Hound Demons
Posted by Meg
Found this demon description in the comments section of another Coreling Contest entry: Chameleon Demon or Veiled Demon. Since it was posted well after the contest deadline, it is not eligible for one of the prizes. But we wanted to share it anyway! Posted by William, this demon is made of awesome.
Hound demons:
Hound Demons are about the size of a pony but with a longer and thinner bodies covered in leathery and scaly skin that ranges from black to a browny orange color. The scales cover its neck and chest area, as well as on the outer thighs of the demon and the belly; knees to feet, tail and face, are covered with a leathery skin. The tail is similar to that of a cat, long and lithe, providing balance and agility. Its ears come out from the side of its head, constantly turning and listening for unwary prey, and while the Hound Demon lacks eyes, it makes up for it with a great sense of smell that comes from two slits running from where the eyes would be to where the tip of the snout.
The Hound Demon is the ultimate hunting dog with the ability to hear and smell prey from up to a kilometer or more away. Once they have found the prey they are hunting, they can run with ease to catch a person on foot or at maximum speed to catch a mounted rider and maintain that speed for several kilometers. Even if the person escapes that night they can pick up the scent and follow it the next night and repeat this process until they prey is found. The Hound Demon’s teeth are strong enough to bite through wood and have a grip as strong as a crocodile, not letting go until killed. The last of their known strengths is to have resistance to fire, similar to that of a rock demon.
Despite their many strengths, they have weaknesses with the main being their deterrent to water, such as that of a river of a lake, preventing them from reaching places like Fort Lakton and crossing the Dividing River and the fact that they cannot swim. The Hound Demon’s sense of smell has also been known to work against it with strong smells that can be made by Herb Gatherers serving a limited deterrent. The lack of its eyes means it cannot actually see things, only anticipate which way people are coming from; this means that if it is hit from a distance with an arrow it cannot actually dodge the arrow, that marksman would have to be a kilometer away of course. The only other weakness these demons have is the lack of armor in some areas, however even in these areas only a direct hit from an arrow or spear will do it any damage.
A Hound Demons can live in the mountains, on the plains and in the outer forest but prefers more open space for easier hunting, but if determined, will follow prey into deeper parts of the forest. Due to the fact that they cannot cross running water, where they rise will tend to be where they will hunt to until the next night where they can pick up the scent again. Hound Demons prefer the greener lands over the deserts of Fort Krasia.
The Hound Demons armor is strongest on the front of the body and on the thighs however the skin too is strong and will resist all but direct blows from an arrow or spear. The place with the least amount of armor is the tail so it can give the Hound Demon maximum balance while chasing down prey.
Hound Demons, like Mimics, are usually under the control of a Mind Demon, however they do, like most other demons, roam on their own, hunting for prey. A Hound Demon is used mainly for tracking down targets for Mind Demons and can drag them to the Core if needed. When hunting their prey, they stalk it until close enough to charge in and catch the targeted prey unaware and strangely, when hunting under the control of a Mind Demon they will ignore all other people apart from those they are hunting unless provoked.
Short story:
From the shadows of Core, the Mind Demon watched through the unique vision of the eyeless Hounds as they chased down their prey in the newly fallen night. It had been patient waiting for the wards to fail or for him to leave for supplies. It had slowly pushed through the wards with its mind and instilled fear, and now watched him run and waited.
Eran ran as fast as he could, body running on mostly adrenaline. The village of Cutter’s Hollow could only be a few more kilometers away. The wards around his farm had failed, and he needed to get the book somewhere safe. As he ran, the adrenaline he felt slowly began to fade and he began to tire, running slower and slower until he was reduced to as fast a walk as he could manage.
A bone chilling howl rose up on the wind and Eran’s head snapped back, they were closing in on him. He pushed himself into as fast a run as he could manage. In his mind, he begged the Creator to let him reach safety in time and as the thought crossed his mind, he spied lights in the distance and his hope soared.
The Creator was with him as he ran within mere twenty meters of safety before one of the Hound Demons leaped at him from the darkness, knocking him over. Two more appeared behind him. An ambush, and he had been so close. They stalked around him before attacking again, tearing at his stomach and legs. He felt the flesh of his body being torn apart but suddenly the tearing stopped and a calming music filled the air, through one eye he saw the demons looking interested in something else but not a dark interest, more curious. The music went from a calm melody to a sudden a deathly haunting tune and the demons backed away. Eran’s mind was fading too much to care by know but he felt someone rap a cloth around him and a voice said, “Take him to the hospit and have one of my apprentices treat his wounds.” There was no reply, but he was lifted up by strong arms and taken into the warded village.
Fury ran through the Mind Demon in the darkness of the Core his mental cry caused even a Rock Demon to roar in pain. At his order, the Hound Demons dematerialized and sank back down into the Core but one remained until sunrise to watch and wait, sitting on the very edge of the wards, there would be other nights with more successful hunts.
Thank you to William for posting about the Hound Demon. I love the connection created between them and the Mind Demons. Great job!