A Brief Overview for Trackers in Training
You’ve made it to Camp Underpaw—your first step on the path to becoming a Tracker!
Now, forget everything you think you know about “mythical” creatures. Being a Tracker is not about riding magical unicorns and cuddling griffin cubs. It is a dangerous career suitable only for the toughest, most committed creature hunters. It takes determination and resourcefulness, guts and brains, and all the skills you’ll learn in this intensive, hands-on Tracker camp experience.
And it starts with memorizing this list of the most notable and notorious creatures you’re likely to encounter out in the world. Look it over and think carefully . . . is this really the right future for you? Are you ready to face venomous teeth and razor-sharp claws and kraken ink?
If so—welcome to Camp Underpaw!
REMEMBER THESE CREATURES
ALICANTO
Most commonly found in Chile, these birds are easily recognized by their wings, which shimmer and clatter as if they were made of gold and silver. Their primary food source is metal, with a strong preference for gold and silver, but in captivity alicantos are usually fed lesser metals and often survive on a diet of pennies. Search for these birds along waterways and high in the mountains near precious metal mines. You will know you are getting close when you hear a sound like raining coins. Protective earplugs highly recommended.
ANT-LION
A small insect with the body of an ant and the head of a lion. Very aggressive and territorial, but can be mollified with food (other insects, crumbs, scraps of meat, etc.). Wear thick boots and be careful where you step when tracking these tiny, ferocious biters.
BAKU
A big, gentle, nocturnal creature resembling a tapir. Native to Japan, bakus eat dreams, particularly nightmares. Usually found near humans and can sometimes be summoned after especially vivid dreams.
BASILISK
A deadly, venomous giant lizard; its gaze kills anyone who looks at it. Do not underestimate the threat of these creatures; bring backup and a mirror if you must track one. The crow of a rooster will put the basilisk to sleep, but only a weasel can kill it.
BONNACON
A giant, vicious creature shaped like a bull with a mane like a horse, horns that curve backward, and fiery dung. Extremely easy to track by its excretions, but approach with caution. Bring nose plugs and a fire extinguisher.
CALADRIUS
A pure-white bird roughly the size of a gull. It is known for being able to discern whether someone is telling the truth or lying.
CHIMERA
A creature that is part lion, part goat, and part snake (and all dangerous); beware its ability to breathe fire.
CHUPACABRA
The chupacabra has the head of a dog, a spiny back, and scaly skin; its red eyes can hypnotize and it leaves a sulfurous odor in its wake. Tends to feed on goats and other livestock, but has been known to bite people as well.
DRAGON (Chinese)
Related to Western dragons, but without wings or fire-breathing; Chinese dragons can change their size and love the water.
DRAGON (Western)
Enormous fire-breathing creatures with scales, talons, and vast wings. Usually they choose the relative safety of captivity and do not require Tracking.
GOLDEN GOOSE
A larger-than-average goose who can lay golden eggs.
GRIFFIN
A lion-eagle hybrid, with the body, paws, and tail of a lion and the wings and head of an eagle; they are traditionally guardians, mistrust horses, and love treasure. If you can identify what treasure a griffin is protecting, they are easier to track.
HALCYON
A small blue bird with white throat feathers that looks something like a kingfisher and can affect the weather.
HELLHOUND
Oversized black dogs with sulfurous breath and glowing red eyes. Try to avoid their slobber as it can sting if it comes in contact with broken skin.
HIPPOCAMP
A water animal with the head and front legs of a horse but the tail of a fish.
JACKALOPE
Only found in Wyoming, a jackalope looks like a rabbit with antlers. Beware its ability to imitate the human voice, as it may lead you on a merry chase.
KAPPA
Water sprites from Japan with scales, faces like monkeys, and turtle shells on their backs. They love cucumbers but will also happily eat children.
KELPIE
A malevolent kind of water horse who lurks by ponds and rivers to lure people into the water for the purpose of drowning and/or eating them. Basically, if you see a horse standing next to a lake, leave it alone.
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.