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A Yenkara being ridden by Kit Cloudkicker and Molly Cunningham.
The Yenkara is a mythical-creature resembling a mash-up of a sponge, a bird, and perhaps a cow.
Description[]
Legend has it that toward a blue star in the north — in a region yet unmapped by civilization — lies a peaceful, fertile valley, a fantastic paradise of lush plants and cool lagoons. Its tropical splendor is wild and unmarred by explorers and wayfarers. Legend also has it that the sole inhabitants of this land are enormous beasts that peacefully graze off the tender vegetation, free from danger of predators. Called Yenkara, they have been the subjects of countless fables and fairy tales.
However, not all about the Yenkara is necessarily myth — there are several unscrupulous hunters and trappers who wholeheartedly insist that such creatures do exist. Since their attempts to capture the Yenkara have been fruitless, these men are generally counted insane by their colleagues. Truth is stranger than fiction, though, and there may be reason to believe that the Yenkara are more than just legend.
Yenkara are large, pink herbivore mammals similar in appearance to cattle or buffalo. Their jungle home supplies them with an excessive amount of food, which is a good thing because Yenkara eat a lot. Apparently they can grow to a height of at least twelve feet and weigh in excess of 600 pounds.
At least, those are the maximum measurements. According to legend (and a few unverified eyewitness reports), small Yenkara that come in contact with water magically expand to twelve feet tall while wet. When dried off, they revert back to a "normal" six inches small. This phenomenon is odd and, since Yenkara have never been scientifically observed, largely unexplained. Perhaps it is an attribute of young Yenkara to defend themselves and gradually wears off as they mature, or maybe all Yenkara are really six inches tall, the moist air of their valley keeping them at maximum size.
Whatever the case, Yenkara are very sociable creatures. Yenkara herds are close-knit family groups that travel and graze together; they will also defend each other when a threat is present. Yenkara deem friendly individuals from other species as equal members of the herd. Young Yenkara, when separated from their parents, will often adopt a surrogate family until reunited with their natural family. Their strength and endurance would make them good pack animals, but most people would rather hunt Yenkara than tame them.
The natural shyness and docility of the Yenkara makes self-defense difficult for them. However, when the well-being of the young or the herd is endangered, Yenkara are forced to protect themselves. The Yenkara�s greatest weapon is its very bulk — as one can imagine, it is quite difficult to get up when a quarter-ton beast has you pinned to the ground. When retaliation is impossible, the Yenkara can also fly away from danger: a pair of small wings on their back provides them with an unbelievable deal of lift despite the creatures' awesome weight.
The valley of the Yenkara is uncharted and does not appear anywhere on modern maps. It is just as well: a rampage of hunters advancing on the docile creatures all at once would cause them to become endangered, if not extinct. It is clear that the Yenkara belong in their tropical home, not in a zoo or museum.
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