Hi,
forgive me if I'm putting this in the wrong spot. I had a look at your contest, (the guidelines and hints were great) your existing creatures and read some history.
That said, this universe is all brand new to me, so I may be way off beam. I'm not going to give my creature(s) a name, I'll happily leave that to someone with a better grasp of the language. Assuming you like it...
This is my idea.
![](http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/4158/beast1u.jpg)
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ImageShack.usMaybe wild, maybe very difficult to tame and control. It's a really highly strung (or stupid) herbivore. Quite tall (sorry - just remembered the scale comparison isn't there!) Maybe one and a half times "standard" infantry height. Sorry, I said I was new here... It grazes the fruit from the taller trees, has a great sense of smell, poor eyesight and has a symbiotic relationship with the species of flying creatures on it's back.
These flying things are it's early warning system. They roost and nest in the thick fur that grows on it's back and they react to danger much faster than their host - to the extent that their warning calls have virtually replaced it's brain. At the sound of their warning calls, the beast will charge unheeding in a direction known only to itself or the creatures nesting on it's back. Sometimes it will attack the threat, sometimes it will flee, who can tell which or when?
Almost all of these creatures are wild and the natives make use of them by harvesting the fur that moults after hatching season. It's hard wearing and much prized, making great thatch for the dwellings, rugs... you name it.
Rare, foolhardy types, utilise purpose-built bagpipes and mimic the calls of the nesting creatures they carefully evict. In this way, most of the time, they can control their mounts. The dopey mounts rely on the calls of the bird creatures to know when to be afraid or angry and which direction to go and how fast, so a wily rider can manipulate this (hopefully) for his own ends. Caravan protection and elite, if somewhat unreliable, heavy cavalry are the rewards of the skilled rider.
...So what do you reckon?
Cheers