My'leke (Species)

A tiger race that is intelligent and sentient. They posses a mutual relationship with a nanoscopic organism in their bodies that gives them a quicker ability to heal and are the Shukaren's closest and most trusted ally. They are presently a space faring race thanks to the technology shared to them by the Shukaren. They are part of the Kingdom of Neshaten.

The My'leke are descendants from Lipors, a race of large omniturnal feline predators that once existed on their world. They have paws, a long tail, thin fur with bushy fur riding up their backs and necks and along the tips of their tail.

They possess a symbiotic relationship with a micro-organism that lives within their bodies, this organism can't live outside of an organic body and upon leaving the body dies instantly when exposed to outside elements, this relationship is beneficial to both the My'leke and the organism.

Despite how they look, My'leke are actually omnivores. They also speak Tinacen.

The My'leke haven't any idea where they originally came from, from the very beginning they figure they developed naturally from another four legged species of animal that no longer exists on their world. For years, the My'leke stuck together in packs, never wandering to far away from their caves or from the forests that they deemed as their homes. During the early years of their existence, their bodies were exposed to a micro-organism that existed in several of the lakes that presided on their island, which was isolated from the rest of the world. These organisms couldn't survive outside of water, but they also couldn't stand radiation either without dying. At the time, the My'leke weren't aware that these tiny organisms that were only of nano size were the reason their wounds healed quicker.

However, the discovery of these organisms wouldn't come for many long years, and in the centuries that followed, the My'leke soon discovered there one and only ally, the Shukaren.

From the start, the My'leke could tell that some of the Shukaren people were suspicious of them, some even showed signs of not liking them for the very reason that they were just there. The My'leke ignored these prejudice looks and continued to live on, eventually merging into the Shukaren culture that took them almost eighty years to accomplish. Their rights as citizens in the post-feudal era was largely an uphill battle in most countries, except one. The Country known as Neshaten welcomed the My'leke openly, and the people there saw no problems with another race that didn't look like them, living with them.

They gained their citizenship in this country, and over the course of several years, would eventually become the only place where they could live without the risk of wrongful prosecution. Their entry into war occured during the K'sten Civil War, where the Neshaten were forced into fighting and the My'leke chose to fight alongside their Shukaren allies. This was the first time they were fitted with 'weapon modules', or modules that were fitted with weapons such as cannons that could be fitted onto the backs of a My'leke.

During the Civil War, with medical technology advancing at an alarming rate in order to keep up with the number of wounded, the discovery of the micro-organisms in the My'leke body was made by a Shukaren doctor. The investigation into these organisms should resulted in the discovery that they were responsible for the My'leke ability to heal practically any wounds but those that were fatal or required assistance from medical technology, though they did help in the healing process, the organisms in those cases couldn't do the job alone - they needed help. It was also discovered through the course of a few months, that the organisms couldn't survive outside of the body due to the effects of radiation. Even being in a secured container didn't help, it would take several more years, beyond the end of the Civil War, before scientists discovered the My'leke body had developed in a way to resist the effects of radiation. This discovery would later be realized in the Shukaren themselves, but that wouldn't happen for many more years.

After the Civil War ended, the My'leke once again entered into a stable peace with their nighbors. When The Great War happened, the My'leke found themselves fighting each other for the first time, ideological differences and political affiliations having been the main cause as far as they knew, not realizing that the war had actually been started by Laibe-Shukaren in an effort to wipe them out of existence along with their Hybrid Shukaren allies. However, as the war progressed, the My'leke who were part of the Pacifist Regime soon found themselves under persecution and execution, this once again led to the My'leke fleeing to the only people who have ever accepted them.

When the evacuation had been announced, half of the people who boarded the evac transports were My'leke, mainly children but also their surviving families. These My'leke took with them the experiences they had learned, and when they arrived at their new world, decided to assist their Shukaren allies in preventing such a war, such misunderstandings, such prejudice from happening again.

It is thanks to this, the My'leke are still bound by honor to the Shukaren, for sticking with them and fighting beside them. They are apart of the Neshaten and rarely is their race name used separately.

The My'leke are descendants of a predatory race that existed on their isolated island, they have a few key differences though, one of which being a long tail with a bushy fur at the end. Their bodies grow to a height of four feet at the shoulder, and at a length around six feet not including the tail. Their tails can grow to be the same length or half that of their bodies.

The following is a list of colors:

Their tails are often at the ends bushy with a variety of color streaks, from silver, black, orange, red and blue. They can grow to anywhere from four to ten feet long or roughly the size of their bodies length, their tails are also Prehensile, which allows them to grip objects and move them. Their tail, however, also doubles as a means of transferring information between two My'leke, or even to a Shukaren after they've completed the Rite of Honor. Their tails originally didn't have this ability until eons earlier when an appendage in their bodies grew to take over the tail and gave them this ability, however, because the tail is directly connected to the brain - an electric shock can be lethal.

Their paws are just as varied as their tails, some My'leke have four claws while others have three not including the 'toe' claw which is the shortest of the group. The reason for this is due entirely to the environment and the family that the My'leke is born into. Most My'leke are coordinated enough that they can use their paws to pick things up, although this depends on the My'leke.

Although it may not appear to be, the My'leke do have a fur coat. The density of the coat varies greatly on where they were born and lived during the time of maturing, a My'leke who lived in a very cold area will have developed a rather dense coat of fur and while one that was born and lived in a hot, humid, area will have instead developed a much lighter coat. Their fur can also have streaks through it, the color of which is always different from that of their fur's color, the actual color itself can vary greatly.

All My'leke do have a coat however, even those who aren't born in cold or dry areas, the fur can grow to anywhere from half an inch to almost three to four inches long.

Most My'leke are heterochromia and thus possess different eye colors. It's rare to find someone with the same color eyes, but it's also rare to find someone with a very wide margin in eye color. Usually if one eye is a lighter color, the other eye will be the darker of that color. For example, the left eye is light blue while the right eye is dark blue. Some My'leke have a third eye, but this eye is often closed unless its needed.

Although they are stronger than a Shukaren, their body frames are slightly enhanced thanks to the Micro-organisms that inhabit their bodies.

My'leke age to only sixty three years old, after that they begin to enter the final stages of their lives. This can potentially be extended through the Rite of Honor, to match the Shukaren's lifespan of ninety five years. My'leke age at the same rate as their Shukaren allies, at once every two years.

The age that a My'leke start maturing at covers between fourteen and sixteen years of age.

The My'leke are omnivores but do have a preference toward plant foods over meat. They do not like fruits however, due to fruits on their new world being to juicy.

Due to their past, the My'leke tend to sleep in holes or cubbies that are built into their homes. Being Omniturnal it varies between individuals whether they sleep during the day or during the night.

Unlike the Daur and Laibe, My'leke don't have the same blood color. Instead of white, their blood is light blue. Inside of the body, when it lacks oxygen, the blood has a noticably orange color to it. However, when it has oxygen, it is light blue.

The My'leke, due to being an evolved form of a predator from the Lipor species of their homeworld, have a great sense of hearing and smell. They can hear noises from up to a mile away, or further depending on other noises mixed into the background.

A My'leke's hearing is one of their most important senses, they rely on it alot to keep themselves out of danger and thus it is actually considered more important than sight or touch or smell. Their ability to hear others depends greatly on either mixed in background noises.

Secondary to hearing, sight is the other important sense to a My'leke, originally before they discovered the Shukaren and evolved from their nomadic lifestyle. They would hide out in fields, waiting for their prey to show itself, using both sight and hearing to determine when the strike. Since their rise in lifestyle, most My'leke have sight that's in line with that of the Shukaren. They do have a form of night-vision however that is a direct result of their nocturnal ancestry.

Their sense of taste is actually rather in line with that of most mammals.

A trait that the My'leke possess due to the existence of an organism that lives in their bodies, but this comes at a great risk.

The ability for the My'leke to heal at an accelerated rate is something that they were given through a microscope life form that lives within their bodies, these nano-organisms act similar to nano-machines, in that they heal and repair damage to the body and also help fight off infections and illnesses but are also capable of self-replication. In return, the body of the My'leke protects them from the effects of harmful radiation.

However, there is a risk, if the organisms are exposed to intense forms of radiation, they will die and so too will the My'leke due to how rooted they are. However, certain kinds of drugs or even alcohol is very deadly for the organisms, so the My'leke have banned drinking of any kind and they are rather particular about their drugs.

The Rite of Honor is deemed an important ceremony and passage of life to the My'leke, so much so, that only they are allowed to initiate it. To go through the rite, is considered a blessing. However, the rite comes with its risks.

A My'leke shouldn't engage in the rite without knowing the risks; their traits and memories are passed onto their partner, so to are the abilities and memories of their partner passed onto them. However, this also comes with the sharing of pain, but also that their lives are intertwined, meaning that if one dies, so to does the other.

Refer to the Rite of Honour page for more information

The My'leke, despite their large feline nature, actually give birth much the same way mammals do. A child grows within a womb, inside of this womb is an appendage that allows them to keep an eye on and check to make certain the unborn child is alright.

This appendage also serves to transfer racial memories to the child, though most of the stuff the child has to learn on their own. Originally, this appendage was restricted to just the womb, but as the ages passed, it evolved into the form of their current tail.

The My'leke have a unique way of saying their name, and the way it's said depends on the situation. When addressing a single person, they pronounce their races name as My(a)'(l)Eke, the L is considered silent and not used. There is a noticeable sounding 'a' when producing My'leke, the only time this (a) sound is present is when it's used singularly.

When they are referring to more than one person, it's pronounced My'Le'Ke. There is no (a) sound when pronouncing more than one My'leke.

In order for the My'leke to use technology, such as starships and fighters, they had to develop a means of doing so. Working alongside Shukaren scientists, they developed a device that can take advantage of their tails biological link. This device, created originally in Shukaren year E.T.¹⁾ 0274, became a mainstay by EW²⁾ 0032. By EW 0372, this device had gone through several significant changes including the addition of specialized software to better convert the biological signals.

When the Great War ended, evacuees had to reinvent this technology, but it wasn't something that took them very long. By E.R. ³⁾ 0092, the technology had been recreated but it wouldn't be until E.R. 267 that they'd be able to improve upon it to a point where it would closely resemble what they had before the evacuation. As of ER 710, all starships have a biological connection port to the My'leke tail to allow them to operate ships without the need of a Shukaren present and by ER 738, all manner of technology including vehicles, fighters, starships, shuttles, have a device that allows a My'leke to operate it.

The My'leke have rather strict customs, both because of how the Shukaren view them and their honor-bound nature, but also due to what lives inside of them.

• My'leke do not drink, Alcohol is actually deadly to them
• They tend to nod their head respectively when they address others
• They observe others around them, but their main concern is Purebreeds due to the mistreatment of the past.
• Typically they wear a scarf around their necks when out in public.
• They eat with their tail, which are prehensile.
• Like with the Shukaren Kits, My'leke Kits must undergo a full year of learning about the Shukaren before they are allowed to intermingle with them, this helps curb racial prejudice.

The My'leke have a very strong bond with the Shukaren, but this bond is more noticeable amongst Shukaren-duar and not the Shukaren-Laibe’s due to past transgressions. They are loyal, and like the Shukaren, honour bound.

Commissioned Myleke artwork done by AquaZircon and Sl'askia on DeviantArt.