The Thrisyrór ("Auturian Hound")

The Auturian Hound is a small dog which can be found in the Auturian Woods, as its name implies. They live in packs of ten to twenty and make up for their diminutive size with numbers and stealth. The Tethinrhim elves have become great friends of theirs and they are also commonly used by low class hunters. The Styrásh name "Thrisyrór" (translated short for "friend-beast") also relfects this close relation between elf and hound. The Tethinrhim use them as pets as well as hunting hounds and tracking dogs. Humans have bad relationships with them, especially when they live next to the forest and the sound of growling and biting is common in their taenish coops.

Appearance. The Auturian Hound or Thrisyrór is usually around 1 1/2 fores tall with the females being only slightly shorter. Its length from the muzzle to the end of the tail is about 2 ½ fores. Its fur is closely matted on to their bodies and gives the illusion that they have none. Their colour is a russet brown, with patches of grey and black, in order to blend into the forest.

The Thrisyrór's head is a cubic shape and its neck is quite long, arching down to the body. Its nose is just a pair of nostrils on the muzzle with the mouth right below it. The mouth is slightly jutting out from the rest of the head and is filled with razor sharp teeth. Its legs are a fore in height and its body is quite small. The body is quite stocky due to its slight height. The tail is quite short being only 2 palmspans in length.

Special Abilities. The Auturian Hound is well known for its excellent camouflage. Its coat of russet brown fur blends in with the woods especially in autumn. In the summer they lose some of their camouflage due to the wild greenery which grows in the forest during summer. The Auturian Hound is also well known for its excellent sense of smell, its keen eyesight and also better hearing than most dogs. The hound is also quite smart and uses its great senses to find an animal and then ambush it on its way.

A single Auturian Hound is quite weak by itself and definitely cannot take on a Sarvonian white deer. However they make up for it in numbers. The hounds usually go in packs of ten to twenty. They can smell if an animal is injured or young and will always go for one of those if they can find one.

Territory. Thrisyrorín, or Auturian Hounds, as the name of these canines already implies are mainly found in the Auturian Woods in mid-Santharia, the home forest of the Tethinrhim elves. The hounds also naturally live partly in adjacent regions like the Zeiphyr or even the Vanthulian Woods near Courtford. Due to the trade relations between elves and humans trained Thrisyrorín however have spread by now over whole of Santharia.

Habitat/Behaviour. The Auturian Hound lives in moderately sized group. The pack works together to attain a kill. They hunt during the daytime when their prey is much more easily found and trapped. First they use their acute sense of smell to find prey, mainly the young and the weak, preferably the latter than the former as a weak animal has much meat and also is easy to kill, while a young animal has very little meat. After that they lay an ambush on the route their prey is taking. When the prey approaches they leap out and catch its legs in their jaws bringing it down. After the kill the pack fights over the meat. The largest hounds will get the first and best meat. After that the rest of the smaller dogs will come and eat the remains. After this they will usually need another animal for the smaller dogs. Despite the fact that they eat already, the larger dogs come along and help the smaller dogs get another kill. Once again the larger dogs get the first meal but usually there will be enough for the smaller and larger dogs. If there isn’t they will get another kill until all are well fed. There is no real rank system in the pack rather the large dogs get the best parts in most cases.

The Auturian Hound lives close to the Tethinrhim elves and this warlike tribe has developed a great liking for their canine neighbours. The elves don’t need to tame them but rather can talk to them and pet them. The hound understands this because it can sense the elves' emotions. Various humans have tried this communication however it has proven unsuccessful since the elves' emotions are more delicate and closer to nature. The hounds have a small dislike for humans unless they are domesticated at an early age of four to six months. When a human comes close the hound will usually bristle their fur and growl due to their dislike for the human. This is reinforced by the hound’s raids at farmers who live at the edges of the forest. They will usually take a few taenishes or other livestock in their raids on human farms.

Diet. The Auturian Hound, like all other dogs, is carnivorous. Its main prey is the Sarvonian white deer and the woolly boar. They have developed a rivalry with the Sarvonian white deer since it is their main prey due to its great quantities in the Auturian Woods. The Sarvonian white deer is quite an adversary due to its horns and height but the hounds use their coordinated packs to take it down. The reward is quite a lot of meat as the white deer is also quite bulky. Some of the domesticated dogs get meat from their master who may give them every type from a taenish to a sawis sheep.

Mating. The Auturian Hound mates in early summer in which time the male will sniff out the female. Gestation will take 7 months and the babies will be fully grown in about 8 months. Litters are usually 4-8 puppies. The mother will suckle them for a month. On the fifth day the puppy will take its first self supporting steps and at about a week of age the puppies start growing fur. The male will leave the female to take care of them for the 8 months of their childhood.

Usages. The Auturian Hound is mainly used as a hunting animal. The Tethinrhim elves use it almost constantly due to their great communication with them. The elves use large packs of them to hunt the white deer as well as the woolly boar. They also use them as trackers to find arrows that they shot awry and to find other objects. The Tethinrhim also export them to humans. For humans they are cheap hounds used mainly by common hunters rather than nobles. Hunters love them for their stealth, smell and also for their speed in the woodlands. Another use of it is the breeding of it with the so-called gossip dog. The resulting crossbreed is the much more popular sniffer dog, a type known for its amazing sense of smell.

Myth/Lore. There is one story worth recounting about these hounds. It is mainly found amongst the Tethinrhim elves.

The Miraculous Saving. There was once a woman of the Tethinrhim elves who left the Ria with her child every day since the child was born. One day she didn’t return and the hunters left to find her. They found her yet it was her dead body, how she died we do not know. However the child was not with her and the hunters decided to leave the child thinking he was dead. Not willing to give up, her husband left the group and searched for two days and two nights. He seemed to be guided by some dark shadow in the trees and every night he would find some meat already hunted for him to eat. On the third day he found a clearing and in it was his baby playing with an Auturian Hound and his body partially covered by a dog’s fur. The kid was brought back home where people could notice dog features growing on him such as fur and sharp canines.