The Immortal Naturalist's Guide to Cryptic Creatures: Shpingus

This post is part of the Immortal Naturalist's Guide series. The explanation for that series can be found in this post.

    Shpingus is the legendary terror of the Lilac Valley, spoken of in fearful terms even by those who don't believe in her. Legends speak of a voracious hunter who can see in the dark, kill with a single blow from her claws, and disappear into the shadows. While this ostrich-sized beast is certainly dangerous, and she can in fact become a shadow, I would describe her as a scavenger over a hunter. Eating pretty much any food in sight, Shpingus uses her abilities to sneak into settlements and eat as much food as she can get her paws on. If Shpingus is discovered, she will use her fangs and claws in a flurry of death to scare off her attackers, and then melt into a shadow to make her getaway. While she certainly poses a risk to anyone who discovers her, I do not think she has any goal beyond eating as much food as she can find.

    The ability to turn into a shadow is both integral to Shpingus' escape strategy and the result of eating enchanted food a long time ago. Legends say that Shpingus stole a pie left out for the first kobold of Lilac City, meant to give him the power to become an untouchable shadow and travel as swiftly as the wind while in that form. Clearly, the creature still has this power and uses it to great effect. The one thing Shpingus seems to dislike is citrus fruit, avoiding anything that even smells like lemons or limes. While the smell does not bother her, eating even a bite of any citrus will send Shpingus into fits of hiccups for days.

    If one can manage to follow Shpingus back to her burrow under a tree, they will discover a very cozy home. Shpingus seems to take more than just food when she ventures into towns and cities, as her burrow is furnished with every color imaginable of fine cloth, pillows, and rugs. Shpingus seems to like them for their softness, ammassing a massive collection over the years. When I inspected the burrow, I discovered that Shpingus' collection constitutes a huge amount of textile wealth. While most of it is a little worn, some of the fabrics are still the softest I have ever had the pleasure to touch. I made off with a few choice pieces to have made into clothing, and I recommend anyone who is able to find Shpingus' burrow do the same.