Name: Nea'Lyn (Flickwing)
Flickwings are small, agile fliers that act as energy collection, storage, and distribution points for smaller scale applications such as hull welding or for consumption by Ber that have high energy requirements.
A leathery insectoid, with a thick central barrel body, four wings, balanced around a central cervical collar at the mid-point of the torso. There is no distinct head, but laterally located ocelli — small underdeveloped eyes, and a lamprey-like toothed mouth comprising one end of the central cylinder.
Wings are each comprised of two thin films of material in a sandwich formation, capable of collecting solar, electromagnetic, or even thermal energy via gradients between the upper and lower wings, and the ground.
Energy so collected is chemically stored within one of three thick, viscous sludges that may be generated in the torso.
They are agile fliers, able to change movement direction quickly without adjusting body orientation.
They have ventrally located needle-like claws attached laterally to their central torso, which they use to anchor themselves, or as a weapon when they cannot engage their mouth.
No more than 100 cm in length, up to 300 cm wingspan.
Flickwings, like many multipurpose Ber, are found in a wide variety of environments, as fulfilling their purpose requires tolerance for any environment they may be expected to perform in.
Their native habitats tend to be sunny or have steep thermal gradients for efficient energy collection, such as magma flows.
Aetheric collection is poorly understood, but Flickwings seem completely immune to most negative effects of schisms, and may be found in large number near them.
Present in some form or number in all geographies — they are tolerant of temperature differentials as long as sufficient energy is present.
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Flickwings are generally docile when left undisturbed, or in proximity to larger species, as is necessary for their secondary role of mobile battery.
They are attracted to larger organisms, which exhibits as curiosity. They will approach for inspection, land, and remain close if a larger organism, biped or otherwise, engages with or appears attentive to them.
Flickwings are obligate omnivores, requiring a broad diet that includes vegetation, mineral material, and animal products for health.
They are fast, brutal hunters, preferring to dive or dash in straight lines. They either swallow smaller prey whole, or else attach their hooked maw to larger prey, at which point they behave as a short term parasite until falling off, gorged.
Their preferred movement while hunting is high speed straight lines, to provide optimal positioning and engagement of their mouth.
Flickwing genesis is unknown; they are presumed to be a wholly engineered species, or so modified as to effectively be so.
Flickwings progress rapidly through an egg, larval, pupae and adult phase, similar to Enkarr insects, with the larval phase being focused on rare mineral collection, typically burrowing into the ground to emerge weeks later to pupate in tall trees, cliffs, or other static bodies where sun exposure is consistently available.
Flickwings reproduce sexually, but are hermaphroditic — attaching posterior to posterior for days or weeks before one or both members of a mating couple will go on to deposit broods of eggs in a small ground burrow.
It is believed that Flickwing sexual reproduction is part of an error-checking process, as a flickwing which does not go on to lay eggs after mating will never attempt to mate again.
Flickwings are short-lived, with some species lasting mere months, whereas some rare exemplars might last for a few years before expiring.
Older flickwings at the end of their lifespan will sometimes land near a brood near hatching, presumably to help provide a ready source of nutrients.
They are fiercely territorial with other small fliers, but typically tolerant of ground fauna, and of course larger organisms.
In contests for territory, they are capable of taking flyers twice their size out of the air using rapid dives and maneuvers to out-position rivals. They will often not consume these meals of opportunity, instead depositing them with a brood, if available.
There are no known examples of flickwing awakening, and there are limited opportunities to demonstrate intelligence.
The mechanism for aetheric storage is unknown, though it is speculated that they may store and distribute therons directly or via theromagnetic fields.
When sufficiently charged, flickwings are chemical energy storage devices, with all that entails. Open flame or caustic aerosols are not advised in close proximity.
