Name: Fel'nix (“Felx”)

  Little is known about Fel'nix, beyond the fact that they are small, preferentially solitary felinid Ber known for being almost impossibly light — to pick one up is to think that they are comprised of nothing except fur. Their role, of which only apocryphal stories can be found, supposedly cannot be demonstrated in-atmosphere non-catastrophically.

  Fel'nix closely resemble long-haired Ankarran cats at a casual glance. They possess an entirely obscuring coat of fur, which renders inspection difficult. What is known is that they are quadrupedal — though their legs are flexible, rather than rigid, and they have a relatively large mouth relative to their body.

  Accounts of coloration indicate a variety of colors are possible, though it may be tied to the primary energy diet. All observed Fel'nix on Enkoet have been a shade of orange, though the exact coloration has varied somewhat over time, lightening to a brighter shade over hundreds of years.

  Adult Fel'nix are somewhat amorphous in structure — they do not so much possess a singular body plan as the capability to manifest that body plan when desired. Their exact composition is effectively unknowable, as all reports of attempts to dissect or otherwise study corpses have been met with the investigatory parties ceasing communication. The reasons for this are unknown, though adversarial action is believed to be less probable than simple destabilization of the body, resulting in a catastrophic release of energy, atomizing any potentially analyzable material.

  This amorphous structure renders them extremely compressible — the exact limitations are unknown, but no significant practical limit may exist — effectively rendering them almost gaseous in nature, though only when compressed, as they do not expand to fill containing volumes — they retain their coherence regardless of compression factor, however.

  Newly laid Fel'nix are encased in an almost microscopic, indestructible crystalline spheroid, with a singular opening, resembling a stoma.

  The largest observed have been approximately thirty to thirty-five centimeters tall at the shoulder, and perhaps fifty centimeters long. Their weight is difficult to ascertain reliably, as it apparently fluctuates significantly such that they may render themselves only slightly heavier than air. Reports suggest that the largest specimens might weigh between three and five kilograms when not actively suppressing mass.

  This sample size is extremely limited, and may not be representative of maximums. Energy absorption is directly tied to growth rate, so planet-bound Fel'nix may be incapable of achieving significant size or maturity when isolated from direct stellar environments.

  Fel'nix require areas of sustained high temperatures for long term habitation, and will only be found in or around active volcanoes, oceanic thermal vents, or regions with radiation levels lethal to humans within a matter of hours. As such, their native environments are poorly studied — with only a few active observations made of a small cluster residing within the caldera of an active volcano.

  They are equally capable of surviving submerged in magma, subject to the pressures of the deep sea, or in complete vacuum. Low temperature regions restrict growth and activity — sending them into a form of torpor, or perhaps brumation, which may last indefinitely until temperatures rise above the levels necessary to restore them to activity.

  Due to the limitations of environment, distribution of Fel'nix is far more restrictive than most Ber — though it is speculated that they may be present with some regularity across regions where plate tectonics create chains of volcanic islands, undersea as well as on land, once the volcanically formed islands have grown sufficiently to emerge from the sea.

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  There are only three confirmed sightings of Fel'nix in the last two centuries — though this may be largely due to the inaccessibility of their habitats by humans or species willing to divulge details to eager researchers.

  They are capable of consuming and converting almost any material into reaction mass. Almost anything is viable, with only small amounts of actual nutritionally valuable material being required for life. Thermal, kinetic, or radiation energy are directly absorbed and converted — so caloric intake requirements are essentially nil in sufficiently warm environs.

  While they cannot taste sugars and most other flavors or spicing, they will preferentially consume high fat content fish and other meats in enormous quantity. The reasons for, or mechanisms of digestion are not well understood — and may simply be preference as a matter of taste or texture, rather than dietary requirement.

  Fel'nix have supposedly, unlike most Ber, been engineered in only the most simplistic manner due to a biology that resists even the most fervent attempts at analysis. Their natural habitat, again only theoretically, is coronal ejections from active stellar bodies.

  Once hatched from the crystalline egg-form noted under reproduction, no known examples of meaningful development differentiation or stages exist for active Fel'nix. Fel'nix appear to begin active life as smaller, fully mature, but cooler versions of their later adult self. Instead, they are classified by thermal accumulation, which affects their behavior and temperament. A Fel'nix which has exhausted its stored reserves will be, in addition to lethargic, also more visibly irritable and even more reclusive.

  Fel'nix have never been observed to pair with others of their species, and may reproduce asexually, though the exact mechanisms of reproduction are speculative at best. Anecdotally, Fel'nix reproduce by means of spores — laying miniscule, impossibly hard, crystalline eggs which appear as smooth-textured faintly glowing oblong spheroids, directly into coronal mass ejections, effectively seeding themselves throughout galaxies. This behavior may be intended to limit the number of Fel'nix in proximity to a stellar entity, or may simply be an instinctual behavior for maximum dispersion across potential viable stellar bodies.

  Egg-bound Fel'nix lifespan is measured in timescales necessary to traverse the interstellar void at sub-light speeds — thousands, if not tens of thousands of years.

  Active Fel'nix outlast all but the most hardy of Ber, given sufficient access to suitable energy sources. The only reports of Fel'nix are due to effective starvation — a fate almost assured if encountered on any planetary body, though reports do indicate that there may be clusters of young growing slowly around thermal vents and areas with persistent, long-term, sustained volcanic activity.

  Fel'nix are observed to be sessile in almost all settings, with notable exceptions for periods of high activity when in areas with temperatures in excess of those compatible with human habitation. When forced to be active while cold, they are ill-tempered, though generally unwilling to engage in hostilities unless provoked in the extreme.

  It is speculated that even in egg-form, Fel'nix are cognizant, and capable of directed propulsion. The egg casing itself may be a mechanism to permit emission of exacting particle streams — necessary to target and direct themselves to stellar bodies light-years distant.

  Fel'nix are not known to be significantly intelligent, with even Awakened being of limited cognition, again anecdotally. As Ber, they are capable of limited vocalization, but speech or gestural communication has not been observed or reported.

  Reports indicate that they are capable of transforming almost any incoming form of energy into kinetically accelerated particle emissions.

  No known activations of Fel'nix Skills have ever been recorded directly, though some scorched craters have been attributed to them by local Ber populations, who warn against aggression. The veracity of these claims is suspect, but any analysis should be performed with utmost caution, preferably from a safe distance.