The Menagerie #2 (28 page)

KITSUNE

Native to Japan, a kitsune's true shape is a fox, but they can also shift into human form, so they are monitored by the SuperNatural Agency for Mostly Human Protection (SNAMHP). They are very difficult to catch because a full-grown kitsune can often read minds, see the future, fly, possess people, and create illusions that mimic reality. A clever Tracker might spot one by its fox-shaped shadow. Dogs are sometimes useful for tracking them as a dog can sniff out a kitsune's true nature.

KRAKEN

Possibly the largest of all mythical creatures, the kraken is shaped like a giant squid and lives deep in the ocean. Their ink can wipe all supernatural memories from your brain, and more than one promising Tracker's career has been derailed by an unfortunate encounter with it. Only specially trained deep-sea Trackers are qualified to search for creatures like this.

MANTICORE

A fierce and deadly creature with a lion's body and claws, a scorpion's tail, and a face like a man with rows of sharp fangs. Extremely dangerous—do not approach!

MAPINGUARI

A giant sloth-like animal found in the dark jungles of South America. They are slow, but willing to eat people, and fearsomely bad-smelling—bad enough that they can often be tracked by their terrible scent.

MERMAID

Exactly what you think they are: people with fish tails from the waist down who prefer to live underwater. Classed as Mostly Human and therefore monitored by SNAMHP.

PEGASUS

A winged horse. The primary difficulty in tracking them is that no ordinary saddle will fit around their wings.

PHOENIX

A beautiful scarlet-plumed bird who occasionally dies in a burst of flames and is then reborn from an egg found in the ashes. There is only one in the world, currently located in the Wyoming Menagerie.

PYROSALAMANDER

The mythical cousins of a regular salamander, pyrosalamanders are small, bright red, and eat fire. Handle with caution and be sure to feed them regularly!

QILIN

Sometimes confused with unicorns or called a “Chinese unicorn,” as they are usually found in China or Japan. A qilin has the slender body of a deer, fish scales along its back, and one horn pointing backwards from its head. They are able to sense the guilt or innocence of others. Extremely difficult to track as a qilin passes over grass without flattening it. Take care when capturing one as it is bad luck to wound a qilin.

ROC

A gigantic bird of prey, usually with white and gold feathers, capable of carrying an elephant in its massive claws. Found in the most uninhabited mountainous regions of the world.

SELKIE

Another Mostly Human sea hybrid; selkies take the form of seals in the water, but can slip off their sealskins and assume human form while on land. Please try not to bring in ordinary seals who are “acting suspicious,” as this happens entirely too often and SNAMPH is not amused by it.

TANIWHA

A long serpentine creature from New Zealand with some of the qualities of a dragon, except that they are usually wingless and prefer to live in the ocean. On land, they can be tracked by the tunnels they leave behind as they dig their way through the earth.

UNICORN

A graceful horselike creature, usually a shimmering white, with a horn in the center of its forehead. Warning: can be rather sensitive and temperamental, so be sure to demonstrate respect when dealing with them.

WENDIGO

These shape-shifters are cannibalistic, ruthless hunters with sharp, jagged teeth and skeletal frames. A rare example of a creature whom Trackers are encouraged to kill in the wild, as they do poorly in captivity and seem to be impossible to rehabilitate or tame. Typically found in cold regions, they turn their victims into wendigos as well and can hunt through a victim's dreams. They can be killed if you melt their hearts of ice.

WEREWOLF

Mostly Human; these are humans who have either been bitten by a werewolf or inherited the gene from their parents. At the full moon, they involuntarily transform into wolves from midnight to dawn; at other times, they may choose which shape to present. Werewolves are the most well-known example, but werecreatures exist in all shapes and sizes, from weremice to werewhales. These creatures fall under the purview of SNAMHP, but occasionally you may have to track a rogue werecreature on their behalf.

YAWKYAWK

Water spirits from Australia who often look like mermaids, but can also shape-shift into crocodiles, swordfish, snakes, dragonflies, or humans. They may have the power to create storms, so try not to make them angry.

YETI

Also known as a Bigfoot, a Sasquatch, or an Abominable Snowman, these huge hairy manlike creatures are covered in fur and generally live in cold climates. Somewhat human, but not Mostly Human, so they are covered by SNAPA instead of SNAMHP.

ZARATAN:

A turtle the size of a small island, and yet shockingly difficult to track.

Photo by James W. Sutherland

TUI T. SUTHERLAND & KARI SUTHERLAND
are sisters and best friends, and if you can't tell by looking at them which one is older, Tui certainly isn't going to tell you. They grew up in South America, traveling a lot and moving several times (and they're still only about 80 percent certain that their parents weren't secret agents). Kari now lives in New Jersey, while Tui lives in Boston, but they use every excuse they can to see each other (like, say, writing a book together). You can visit them online at www.tuibooks.com or www.menageriebooks.com.