Venath

The Martian venath is often compared to Earthly felines, though it would be more correct biologically to present it as a Martian analog of the monkey. Despite its graceful, sinuous form and feline build, the venath has a number of traits in common with simians, including opposable thumbs and the ability to walk on its hind legs (although much more slowly than when it runs on all four). The venath species is of particular interest to evolutionary biologists, as they are the closest living relatives of the Khedephi people of Mars. Despite their feline shape, they share a remarkable amount of Khedephi genetic traits and are a very close branch on the evolutionary family tree. Like Earthly monkeys and apes, venath are extraordinarily intelligent animals, capable of fashioning and using simple tools such as the long reed “whisks” with which they tempt small prey such as zorts from their holes. Venath are generally silent, capable of moving with supreme stealth and rarely vocalizing, but they are capable of producing a wide range of sounds when they wish. Such calls range from almost inaudible high-pitched trills used to coordinate hunting, to a deeply startling and savage-sounding growl that will make many predators think twice about pressing their attack. The most remarkable quality of venath vocalizations, however, is their ability to mimic the sounds of other creatures. They often lure small prey closer by mimicking such species’s distress calls, and a few domesticated venath have even been known to repeat Martian words they have heard frequently, sometimes even using them correctly in context. While their mimicry is impressive, the most famous venath trait is their psionic ability. Focusing their psionic awareness through their third eye, the venath are able to detect the presence of psionic energy, as well as empathically pick up on the emotions of those around them, even sensing hostile intent before a predator or attacker can strike. For this reason, as well as their usefulness in controlling vermin and their natural beauty, venath are extremely popular pets among many Martian communities.