Katwah

Katwah (also called Stardogs, River wolves, or River tigers) are communal amphibious creatures of the New Cambrian Greatwood. Katwah come in two types, the smaller and more common Hunters, and the larger Queens. A colony generally supports 10 to 12 Hunters (three to four packs) and a single Queen.

Appearance
Katwah are roughly disk shaped and trilateraly symmetrical. The body disk is approximately 0.5 meters across and 0.3 meters tall, or about the size of a wolf. Three flexible spinal columns radiate from the central body disc, extending another 0.5 meters, and ending in small opposable suction pads. The kahtwah use these for locomotion. The mouth of a katwah is on the underside (oral surface), and radially symmetrical. A Kahtwah's bite is mildly poisonous, with a paralytic component. The gland that produces this poison is sometimes harvested by Nialli to produce Tamuk, a sedative and paralitic hunting poison. The upperside (aboral surface) is covered in a bright orange, thick, pebbly skin and 9 simple eyes in Hunters (three clusters of three) and 12 eyes in queens (nine simple and three refractive). The hide of the queen also sports tough dermal plating. Nialli frequently use Kahtwah skins as both armor and marks of status.

Hunters
Katwah Hunters hunt in packs of 3-4. They are opportunistic, and will scavenge as readily as kill fresh prey, but can and will take down prey as large as an Elk. The Hunter pack stores this food internally and brings it back to the colony to feed to the Queen. The queen in turn produces a milk-like substance that the rest of the colony eats.

Queens
Queens are larger than Hunters, fully 2 meters across in the disk and up to a meter tall, nearly the size of a lion. While they rarely leave the colony, when they do they are fiercely aggressive. Queens are the only fertile females in the colony, and produce all of the eggs, each a baseball sized gelatinous orb.

Colonies
Colonies are dug into riverbanks and extend underground (and under water) for up to a kilometer. The Queen starts the colony after becoming fertilized and leaving her old one. The queen burrows in and lays a few eggs, guarding them without eating for up to a month. Many fresh colonies die during this time. Once some hunters hatch, they forage for food and begin feeding the queen, who in turn lays eggs, feeds the Hunters, and laces the milk with hormones which renders all of the Hunters infertile. Over time, as the colony grows, this hormone becomes weaker, and when there are too many hunters to control hormonally, several females will begin to develop into queens. This throws the colony into disarray, as the new fledgeling queens begin to mate, fight with each other and the Queen, and are eventually driven off to start their own colonies.