Beastkin

Beastkin are the animalistic counterparts to Humans in the Guardian Universe. They are, however, considered to be a separate entity of animals themselves by both Humans and Beastkin alike. The human population forced Beastkin into slavery upon the discovery of them as they continue to do so in present day.

History
Before the enlightenment era, Humans and Beastkin lived independent of each other. The Humans beginning their civilizations with small villages and towns across the continent of Donidae. Beastkin tended to reside in the more father reaches of the continent; in thick jungles or mountainous regions, where ever it was most convenient for their species. Nonetheless, all these places had been unexplored by humans. Whether it was due to the harsh conditions or simply the amount of time it took to discover these regions is unknown.

Physical Appearance
Though it differs from Beastkin to Beastkin, they are most commonly seen possessing the ears and tail of their animal species with all other traits, excluding small things such as teeth or eyes, being human. Avian Beastkin can posses wings, which come in two different types : wings protruding from their backs or wings that take the place of their arms when they so please. Reptilian Beastkin may be seen with scales in various places. Depending on whether or not the Beastkin in question is purebred. (ei : a child of two Beasts of the same animal species) they make gain or lose some of these traits. Traits such as albinism, melanism, piebaldness, heterochromia, vitiligo, or other discolorations etc are seen as rare and often attract the eyes of more humans. See breeding for more information.

Societal Order
Beastkin are most commonly treated as slaves; there are no paid servants. They are legally able to be taken from their homes between the ages of fourteen to fifteen and can only be taken for the purpose of being a soldier at sixteen. However, they can in some cases be taken earlier if the parent gives them up at a younger age or if the region is at war upon which all Beastkin capable of fighting may be auto drafted. If a Beastkin's family previously served in the army, the next generation of children born will be freed from the trade and will not be taken. Other times, some Beastkin are freed by their owners or sometimes able to leave once their owner dies and there is no one else with a right to take them. Free Beastkin can own businesses and live however they please but still face quite a bit of racism and prejudice against them, thus making a living can be hard.

All Beastkin born are required to have papers filed on them. These papers go straight to the state so that the humans may keep tabs on them. The information includes but is not limited to : who they were born to, when they were born, where they were born, their animal species, their blood status. etc. Any Beastkin child found without the proper papers, most likely born into secrecy, may face the death penalty or be taken at a much younger age with the parents forbidden to have children again.

After being taken from their homes, the Beastkin are then introduced to the trade. The young Beasts spend about three to four years in training to become a servant, (ei : learning how to properly speak to their superiors, how to walk properly, how to carry multiple things at once, etc). While female Beastkin are often trained for housework or to be eye candy for rich families, male Beastkin are often given the more physical work such as construction of buildings or as the afore mentioned soldiers. It is not uncommon that these roles are broken, however as females and males can be given whatever job their owner wishes.

Beastkin are sold in large, extravagant auctions to the highest bidder. Much like waiting for ripe fruit, new waves of fully trained Beastkin have seasons. There is typically an estimated time when the auctions will take place, given the amount of time it takes for them to pass through training. They are then paraded in gaudy clothing and forced to show off on a stage, where they will then be bid on. Not all Beastkin are obtained this way, however. In some cases of war or destruction of Beastkin villages, children or others are often homeless and thus go to whatever family may be lucky enough to offer them shelter. Beastkin can be traded in the traditional way, one Beastkin for another or a Beastkin for some other materialistic thing besides money. It is not uncommon for Beastkin who are deemed healthy enough or who posses desirable traits to be turned into breeders, thus not entering the trade.

Abilities
Sometimes, most commonly in purebred Beastkin, they are found to be able to transform into their animals species fully. In these forms, they appear as they would were they a normal animal. They cannot speak and their is no difference in size from their animal species (ei : no five foot tall dogs). Not all can do this and thus is usually thought to be a sign that one is closer to the gods.

Besides this, even in their humanoid forms, the Beastkin can posses enhanced senses such as hearing or smelling. They may also have notable strength, speed, or endurance. Avian Beastkin can fly, given they are a flying bird, snake Beastkin can smell with their tongues, etc.