Cyclermine

Cyclermines (Larvanimalis erminea) are changeling spirits, one of the fluid evolutionary stages of the cycle that bears their name, the cyclermine cycle. 

Appearance 

Cyclermines vaguely resemble long, shiny-bodied ferrets, with short, slightly greasy, and soft fur ranging in color from pearly white to silver. Their manes, and the distinctive stripe of fur that runs from shoulder to shoulder and is distinctive to the species, are colored, most often shades of blue, more rarely red or red-orange. They have two to four dark lines running from the sides of their eyes to their cheeks. Compared to true ferrets, their muzzles are slightly broader, giving their heads a distinct rounded shape. 

Their eyes, with silvery irises, have triangular pupils, white due to the constant glow emanating from within these creatures. 

Their forelimbs end in a pair of "hands," very similar to human hands, but significantly smaller in proportion to the rest of their bodies than humans would be, and their wrists have distinct "cuffs" of darker fur, sometimes with several thinner stripes on the forearms above them. 

Cyclermines lack hind legs entirely.

Behavior

Cyclermines are extremely curious and intelligent creatures, capable of crafting rudimentary weapons using their highly mobile little paws, which are equipped with sensitive, opposable thumbs. 

They have the ability to learn to speak several languages, including human, but they do not have a natural language of their own: they will always communicate with the same language as the main sapient species that has colonized the area where their lair is located, or they will not communicate at all. 

They are solitary, not because they disdain socializing with their own kind, but because they rarely find each other. However, they have been observed sharing their lair with spirits of different species. Their lair is usually underground, a hole dug into damp ground, and can vary in complexity depending on the experience of the cyclermine who created it. Some dens are propped up internally with a complex system of beams, created from sturdy branches broken specifically with tools such as sharpened flints. These continue for dozens of meters underground, opening into what are known as "living rooms," circular spaces also dug into the earth but reinforced with stones, natural glue, and other materials. These spaces are where cyclermines collect objects of interest and spend time when the outside world is too cold, or when a dangerous predator lurks nearby. 

Not all cyclermines have a den; some spend all their time outdoors, while others bond with larger creatures (sometimes humans) and use their dens (or homes) for protection from the elements and predators. 

Parents care for their young, unless separated by post-existential metamorphosis, predators, or the escape of the young. The pups are extremely active and prone to chasing smaller creatures, exploring, or bonding with humans and running away with them.

Habitat

Cyclermines are extremely rare spirits, interestingly found in a wide variety of environments: deep in pristine forests, within metropolises, and even, in one case, in a desert oasis. The reason for this incredible adaptability is that cyclermines are ever-changing spirits, and upon the "death" (or rather, post-existential metamorphosis) of their previous stage, cyclermines will be found wherever that same previous stage had adapted to life. If, for example, their previous stage had evolved to live a distinctly arboreal life in a tree-rich part of the world, at the time of their post-existential metamorphosis, they would give birth to a cyclermine that resides in that location and must be able to survive. 

For this reason, cyclermines primarily use their intelligence and psychic powers to interact with the creatures around them, rather than simply interacting with them. 

Cyclermines are extremely rare spirits, curiously found in a wide variety of environments: deep in pristine forests, within metropolises, and even, in one case, in a desert oasis. The reason for this incredible adaptability is that cyclermines are ever-changing spirits, and upon the "death" (or rather, post-existential metamorphosis) of their previous stage, cyclermines will be found wherever that same previous stage had adapted to life. 

If, for example, their previous stage had evolved to adapt to a distinctly arboreal lifestyle in a tree-rich part of the world, at the time of their post-existential metamorphosis, they would give birth to a cyclermine that resides in that location and must be able to survive. For this reason, cyclermines rely primarily on their intelligence and psychic powers to interact with the creatures around them, rather than their physical strength, despite being quite agile. 

Diet 

Cyclermines are pure omnivores, feeding on both unencoded and encoded ectoplasm, as well as plant material, and are excellent micropredators (meaning they hunt extremely small prey). They can consume a wide variety of foods that are toxic to other animals, and for this reason, they are revered by some cultures as purifiers. They have the ability to metabolize caffeine like a human, but with slightly less energizing effects, while caffeine is lethal to many other spirits.

Conservation 

Cyclermines are extremely rare spirits, and it is difficult to map all their appearances in the wild, but their population appears to exist in stable numbers. However, further research is needed to better understand their conservation status. 

In captivity, cyclermines rarely reproduce, so it has not been possible to create a stable population. 

Trivia 

• Encountering a cyclermine without seeking it is said to be a sign of spiritual enlightenment. 
• According to some researchers, these spirits are not native to our world, but come from other dimensions and travel between them using interdimensional tunnels that are sometimes formed by one of their evolutions in the cyclermine cycle. 
• Despite not possessing wings, they are sometimes able to float in the material world, although this is an uncommon occurrence. 
• Cyclermines that consume large amounts of caffeine have been shown to be poisonous to predators; This is thought to be why many of them seem obsessed with coffee consumption, whether as a beverage or as roasted beans to munch on. 
• A human who has bonded with a cyclermine is sometimes referred to as a "saint."