We need more land yo!

Cǎi Niǎo


The Cǎi Niǎo aren't a native species to Tiānkōng Dǎo, in fact, no one knows where they're from, but they only show up around the island, never venturing away from it, mainly because their nests are found on the seven orbiting islands. They are typically a friendly bird, unless their nest is endangered, but if you manage to sneak to one of the nests and take an egg, and care for it, the Cǎi Niǎo hatched will be loyal only to you, and protect you as best it can. These birds are found to have feathers that come in any color, with no two colors being exactly the same.

Generally these birds can grow to have a wingspan of up to 25 feet, categorizing them as a very large bird. They can fire a water-like substance from their mouth at high pressure to hit a target as small as a baby Saber-Tooth moose Lion from up to 10 meters away. They can also forcefully buffet an enemy with their large wings, or knock them over simply from the current they can blast with their wings.

Because of the their large size, Cǎi Niǎo have a large appetite, which they fill with bill fulls of shellfish when they can find them, and smaller land creatures when they can't. They have been known to carry off Platypus-Bears when desperate for food.


Lóng Xī
-Baby and Juvenile

-Adult

While smaller than the fellow flying creatures that live on the islands around Tiānkōng Dǎo, the Lóng Xī are much quicker, and attack with powerful bite. The leathery flaps between their front and back legs allow them to glide for long distances without wearing themselves out. Their mean's of getting into the sky, is quite unique. Rather than flapping to achieve lift, the Lóng Xī literally run on air. Between each of their toes is a thick flap, similar to those on their sides, and by moving their legs at a pace untraceable by the naked eye, they compress the air under their feet to a level where it acts as a solid, and allows them to run on air. This however, tires them out quite a bit, so they glide most of the time.

The nests of Lóng Xī are found underneath the island, and are large holes in the solid rock, which have traces of being made by them chewing through the rock to burrow into it. Inside, their eggs are found, and although hard to get to, they are less often guarded than those of the Cǎi Niǎo, for that reason.

At their largest, Lóng Xī are 12 feet long from head to the base of their tail, and their tails, which they use to steer while flying, are often 6 to 8 feet long when fully grown. On land, they can run at around 45 mph when fully grown, and fly at speeds of up to 60 mph, they can also climb near vertical walls even if there is only the slightest of handholds on the wall. While they are not natural enemies to the Cǎi Niǎo, they will fight them for prey if they come upon the same meal at the same time. Aside from their dangerous bite, they also employ the use of a harsh, loud shriek to incapacitate their prey. While they are related to Dragons, tehy cannot breathe fire, but they are just as intelligent and deadly.

Winged Winter Ferret

The smallest of Tiānkōng Dǎo's flying species, the Winged Winter Ferret is somewhat of a rarity due to it's shyness and habit of only traveling on the ground of the island when snow has fallen. The rest of the time, these elusive creatures get around the island by jumping from roof to roof or by using a series of miniature tunnels that run around the entire island.

While not typically fighters, Winged Winter Ferrets have very sharp teeth, and are very intelligent, which shows in their ability to mostly understand human speech. They are also very observant, and come in useful when looking for something hidden.

The main reason why they are rarely seen is because they live in the spires of the temple on the Island, and are hard to spot when they leave their hiding place.

Red Bat Fox

Another of the smaller creatures living on the island, the Red Bat Fox is just as elusive as the Winged Winter Ferret, but is more easily tracked because of the fact that there is only one place ont eh island where they live. In the temple's lower floors, many of these cuddly creatures live, but because of the fact that they are very good at hiding and keeping quiet, they are difficult to spot even if they are in the same room as you.

They have highly advanced hearing and can hear a pin drop from 150 meters away,a s such, they are highly regarded as good guard and tracking animals. Though not as intelligent as Winged Winter Ferrets, they are just as good of a companion if you manage to befriend one. The best way to make one like you is to offer it it's favorite food, but this is difficult, as each one has a particular taste, however, it will always be something found commonly in the world, as they try to find plenty of it when the island lands in each nation.

People from each of the four nations have taken up residence on the island, creating a thriving new city. There are benders and non-benders alike living there, as well as researchers that are there to investigate the unique life forms there. Most people have taken to cultivating the plants the grow on the island naturally, but there are some who have gone to restoring the temple to it's former glory, and even more who have taken up trading, and use teh fact that the island travels between each of the nations to their advantage.

Those who are traders often have goods which are only found in a single nation, and as such, are worth visiting if you are trying to find something rare. Weapon's, foods, and other items are all for sale on the island.