Beetlebone

wandering grasslands

a rarely seen creature, the beetlebone is a massive insect who carries a patch of earth on its back. it is peaceful, but the one the members of clan flygefisk see seems to have had a rough past. lying on its grassy back are several skulls, some draconic, some not, around the scorched stump of a tree. a red ribbon is tied around the jagged end, perhaps indicating that this poor bug holds a graveyard on its shell.

it rarely moves, and when it sits still, it is perfectly camouflaged. its back merges into the tall grass, its feet tucked underneath, its huge head appearing as nothing more than a large, jagged rock. it is only when it stands that one can see it in its true glory: shimmering carapace, long drifting antennae, jewel-like eyes and long tufted legs.

this particular individual is known to be a parent- its young appear as small stones, which then hatch into foot-long grubs. these grubs gather grass and dirt and form a chrysalis, then emerge as beetles. they quickly burrow down and pop up with a chunk of earth on their backs, complete with grass and other plant life, apparently gathering more as they grow. pretty cute little things, when they're small.