Khezu

Khezu is a species of wyvern that live in the cold dampness of caves. Their pale white flesh is very moist, which keeps the creature's skin from drying, and is also very easy to get scratched. On its body, you can see quite a lot of small scratches that probably came from being attacked by other creatures. The Khezu has visible veins on its pale skin, just like most cave dwellers do. The Khezu's skin constantly needs moisture, so it tends to live in wet, and humid areas such as the Swamp. Living in dark caves, the Khezu's eyes have regressed greatly, though it is made up for with their superb sense of smell. A layer of fat helps to keep them warm and prolong their time without eating, as there is not much in the way of wildlife roaming in the Khezu's choice habitat.

Khezus are hermaphrodites, meaning an individual is both male and female. To reproduce they paralyze a creature and inject their young (Khezu whelps). The Whelps grow inside their victim until it dies or they are strong enough to leave.

Although the Khezus are cave dwellers, they go out if they please, or if food inside grows too scarce. The Khezu's habitat is often located near active sources of water; however, this is typical only in high humidity areas, such as swamps, jungles and the like. It would seem that the Khezu only lives for parts of the year in these warmer areas and migrate to the Snowy Mountains during the breeding season. It is there that the Khezus insert their Whelps into prey. Juvenile Khezus are called Whelps.



=The "Missing Link"= Due to the Khezu's unique body structure, it has been difficult for researchers to pinpoint exactly where the Khezu fits in the evolutionary paths of wyverns. It's fairly obvious that they are not part of the bird-wyvern or piscine orders, but it doesn't fit well into the order of true wyverns, either. It has recently been more regarded as a survivor of the link between true wyverns and pseudo-wyverns, albeit a highly specialized one. This conclusion arose from its ability to travel faster on all fours than on its two primary legs, as well as its wing structure (which is smaller and much thicker than most true wyverns). However, this information has yet to reach a factual basis, so other theories as to the Khezu's place are still plausible as well.