LARVAGORN

Bugs that look like a blend of scorpions and maggots—considered a dwarven delicacy (and a favorite food of eckodons).

MANTICORE

A powerful beast with red shaggy fur, blue-gray eyes, and multiple rows of teeth. Manticores’ tails can sting, much like a scorpion’s, and their venom is a powerful sedative.

MASTODON

Elephantine creatures believed to be extinct that are similar to woolly mammoths—but with shorter, stockier bodies and sharper tusks. Mastodons serve as the mascot for Level Three at Foxfire.

MEGANEURA

Vulture-size green insects believed to be extinct that look like enormous dragonflies, with iridescent wings and eyes like disco balls on the sides of their heads.

MERMAID

Despite the abundance of human legends, mermaids are neither humanoid nor pretty. Instead, they are eel-like creatures with stringy, tentacled “hair” growing from their pointed heads. Most live wild in the ocean, and their migration is carefully monitored by the elves. But mermaids that are too weak to make the journey are placed in private aquariums—the most famous of which is at Everglen.

MOONLARK

(Proper name: suldreen)

A rare species of bird with long legs like a crane, sweeping silver tail feathers like a peacock, and a curved neck like a swan. Their heads are crested with wispy feathers, and their beaks are rounded bills. Moonlarks are best known for laying their eggs in the ocean—so only the strongest make it to shore—and leaving the babies to survive on their own (though the parents often nest close enough for the hatchlings to hear their songs).

MURCAT

Small underwater creatures that look like mini kittens covered in colorful scales. Although they have venomous fangs, murcats can be sweet once trained—though few choose them as a pet. (Linh Song adopted one recently, named Princess Purryfins.)

 

MUSKOG

Froglike creatures that burp stinky gas when frightened—which makes muskogs a popular choice for pranksters.

PANNONIASAUR

Bluish-gray freshwater mosasaurs that look like a combination of sharks, alligators, and eels. Pannoniasaurs have beady eyes and extra-long snouts, as well as an abundance of needle-sharp teeth. Lady Cadence sometimes uses them to pull her floating houseboat (Riverdrift).

PEGASUS

Winged equines that differ from alicorns by their smaller, huskier bodies—and their lack of a horn. They’re also more common than unicorns and have deep blue spots and midnight blue manes.

PHOENIX

Eagle-size reddish birds with flame-resistant feathers, best known for their strange way of reproducing (which is likely the source of many human myths). Phoenixes are only able to conceive at the end of their lives, and they do not lay eggs like other birds. Instead, the baby develops inside the mother, who sheds her feathers as the pregnancy progresses. And when the last feather falls, she steps into fire, sacrificing herself for the new life that rises from her ashes and is cared for by the father, whose sweat provides a food source for the first few weeks.

POOKA

A small aquatic creature that’s a cross between a toad and a salamander, best known for the large pustules that form on its greenish-yellow skin. Pooka pus serves a number of medicinal uses.

SABER-TOOTHED TIGER

Large red-orange cats with huge fangs and claws, believed to be extinct by humans. Saber-toothed tigers are used as the mascot for Level Five at Foxfire.

SANGUILLISK

Giant insects that look like a combination of a roach and a mosquito.

SASQUATCH

Tall, green, shaggy creatures with beady eyes, beaklike noses, and big feet (like the human legends). Sasquatches walk bipedally and live in dens in the forest. They’re also avid climbers who can travel by treetop. And they’re absurdly smelly.

SELKIE

Sleek black creatures with whiskered faces and long, coiled bodies, making them look part seal, part snake. They routinely shed their skin, which liquifies into an oily black puddle swirled with iridescent blue. Many selkies live in the Sanctuary, but some live free on Inktide Island.

SIREN

Small, water-dwelling creatures that look a little like otters—only much less adorable. Their black fur is matted, their gray faces are scaled with long whiskers like a catfish, and their oversize mouths are always open, letting out shrill, earsplitting whines that some consider to be musical.

SUNCATCHER

Majestic yellow birds with long, wispy tail feathers that curl out behind them in wide coils. Suncatchers are best known for their tremendous wingspan and the sheen on their bodies, which can make them painful to look at when they stand in direct sunlight.

TITANOBOA

Absolutely enormous snakes that humans think are extinct. Titanoboas live so deep underground that they don’t necessarily need protection, but the elves still monitor them. The most famous Titanoboa is Twinkle, who pulls the goblin queen’s royal carriage through the Imperial Pathways to and from Gildingham.

TOMPLE

Small, fluffy creatures that look like a cute cross between a kitten and a hedgehog—until they turn over and display their six spindly, cockroachlike legs. Tomples feed on dust, which makes them useful to keep in labs—though many elvin homes have them as well. And the Council chose tomples as a mascot for Dex Dizznee when he joined Team Valiant.

TREDGEON

Gigantic sand crabs with squirming legs and antennae, iridescent claws, and a glowing opalescent shell. Tredgeons tunnel underground like dwarves, which is why the dwarves value their carapace above any gem (and even use it for their leader’s crown).

UNICORN

Rare horned equines with black manes and tails, silvery bodies, and no wings. Only one pair of unicorns lives at the Sanctuary. The rest are with various members of the Heks family, who’ve mastered unicorn care and breeding. Unicorns are the mascot for Level Eight at Foxfire.

VERMINION

Rottweiler-size hamsterlike beasts with purple fur, glassy black eyes, constantly growing fangs, and pouchy cheeks where they store their “food”—including small animals they’ve hunted.

WOOLLY MAMMOTH

Large elephantine creatures similar to mastodons, only they’re larger and have longer horns. Humans believe them to be extinct, but there is a thriving herd at the Sanctuary.

WYVERN

Huge winged lizards with a ridge of spikes down their back—similar to a dragon. But they only have two legs and two much smaller arms, like a T. rex. Wyverns were chosen by the Council as a mascot for Wylie Endal when he joined Team Valiant.

YETI

Large bipedal creatures with bushy white fur and tiny eyes. Yetis are the source of the human myths about the abominable snowman, and they serve as the mascot for Level Six at Foxfire.

 

 

ALICORNS AND THE TIMELINE TO EXTINCTION

 

NO ONE KNEW ALICORNS EXISTED until a male was discovered by accident—and the Lost Cities were then faced with a bleak new reality. Unless a mate could be found for Greyfell before his life ended, the alicorn would become the first creature to go extinct. And for centuries, an extensive search for a female alicorn turned up nothing.

But a chance encounter led Sophie Foster to discover Silveny in the Forbidden Cities, and Sophie was able to bring her safely to Havenfield. The Council left Silveny in Sophie’s care—but after the Neverseen tried to steal the precious creature, Sophie moved Silveny to the Sanctuary to be with Greyfell. Not long after, Silveny informed Sophie that she was pregnant. And when the Neverseen tried to capture the alicorns again, Sophie convinced the Council to set Silveny and Greyfell free so that the alicorns could hide from their enemies.