Hauthund- The Crushing Skin

World: Alfheim

Diet: Eggs, bones

Height: 6’0″

Lifespan: 300 years

Habitat: Desert

Activity Cycle: Nocturnal

Hauthund are a massive breed of fairy dog from the arid Twilight Desert, a land of purple sands and endless night, although they are found all over Alfheim and even in other lands. Bred to control the populations of dragons, their mighty jaws crush draconic nests and their thick, wrinkled skin blocks draconic talons and fangs.

Hauthund are restless beings, always seeking out food. While they prefer to hunt dragons, they will eat anything with a good crunch. In captivity, they particularly enjoy coconuts and shellfish, but in the wild, they mostly make do with armored prey. Rather than eyesight, they tend to hunt with their sensitive noses, and it is said they can sense a dragon at 20 miles.

Their skin is a sensory organ, armor, and weapon all in one. With total control over their loose skin, hauthunds can fit through surprisingly small spaces, collapsing their skull and bodies to wiggle through holes merely a foot across. Effectively, anything a single tooth can fit through, their entire body can squeeze through. Anything that dares come into melee range will find its weapons getting caught in the skin, six inches thick in places and with a putty-like texture. Anything that bites will have its head engulfed until it suffocates. Small fae and children often sleep in these folds, tucked tight by their host, although they risk being carried far away as the hound seeks prey.