A Boy and his Alynx

[svensson]

A lovely but very short clip to give you an idea of the size of a captive lynx. I say 'captive' because lynx are wildcats. They cannot be reliably domesticated. In my home state, it's illegal to own one and we're not alone in this. There is active pressure for a federal Big Cat ownership law instead of the patchwork by state that we have now.

Nevertheless, this vid gives you an idea of the size of a healthy, well-fed, and sheltered lynx and a sense of scale for all you Orlanthi and your shadowcats.

 

[Tatterdemalion Fox]

That’s a mid-sized herding alynx, and what a beaut. Big for a housealynx, mind you, and nowhere near how big the wild ones get. My grandfather said he once saw one as big as a bull, up among Quivin’s cedars, silent as Xentha as he padded from shadow to shadow— but surely that was a tall tale.

[svensson]

In reply to a PM, there is a recent US federal statute forbidding public access to legally kept big cats ['legally' as defined by state laws]. That means, for example, that big cat keeper cannot allow the public to pet big cats or help feed big cats, as some irresponsible keepers have done.

But big cat rescues, private zoos, and so on are calling for a US national law requiring federal standards of environment, enrichment and care and for a federal standard of certification for big cat keepers. I guess people are tired of wealthy idiots keeping big cats in their mansions and then abandoning their care to paid staff [as in 'my housekeeper feeds my tiger'].

That was the law I was referring to in the top post.

[mfbrandi]

51 minutes ago, svensson said:

‘my housekeeper feeds my tiger’

I get through a lot of housekeepers that way, but my tiger is thriving on her new diet.

[svensson]

19 hours ago, Tatterdemalion Fox said:

That’s a mid-sized herding alynx, and what a beaut. Big for a housealynx, mind you, and nowhere near how big the wild ones get. My grandfather said he once saw one as big as a bull, up among Quivin’s cedars, silent as Xentha as he padded from shadow to shadow— but surely that was a tall tale.

Did someone say 'wild alynx'?

 

 

[Ynneadwraith]

2 hours ago, mfbrandi said:

I get through a lot of housekeepers that way, but my tiger is thriving on her new diet.

I believe that's what zoo keepers call 'enrichment activities' 😉

[Ynneadwraith]

Also, there are many things I find no issue with suspending my disbelief around in Glorantha, but for some reason 'using cats to herd animals' is where the line is drawn!

Cats (by and large) are ambush predators. They laze around for most of the day, before plodding off to go and hide in the grass for a bit before leaping out for a short sprint when they can sneak close to something. All sprint, zero stamina*. Lousy animals to do herding with, or go hunting with (polar opposite hunting strategies to humans).

Two ways to resolve this I can see:

1. Alynxes are more like hyenas in build than lynxes, adapted for pursuit predation (like us). They don't have to be built like the bone-crushing hyenas (the spotted and striped varieties), but could be more like the dog-like hyenas (of which the aardwolf is the last survivor, but their extinct relatives hunted like dogs rather than being insectivorous).
2. Alynxes are lynx-like, but don't fulfil the quite the same functions as dogs would. Rather than being primarily used for hunting and herding, they operate more like livestock guardian dogs. They get to laze around near the sheep all day like all cats dream of, but leap into action when something threatening comes along. Could also perform this duty wherever stuff needs guarding, like temples, homesteads, or even children. Add in a spot of vermin reduction (especially if the alynx kits have a bit of a different diet to the adults) and you've got a half-decent mutualistic relationship.

Of these I prefer the latter. Adds a little more flavour into the ways different societies function.

*Contrary to the saying, it's really easy to herd cats. Just follow them around non-threateningly until they get tired and flop over, then relocate them wherever you want. Pips.

[Tatterdemalion Fox]

1 hour ago, Ynneadwraith said:

Also, there are many things I find no issue with suspending my disbelief around in Glorantha, but for some reason 'using cats to herd animals' is where the line is drawn!

I love these two pitches, but I am obligated by the Curse to add in two more much less serious explanations for “herding alynxes.”

1. All sheep have ancestral memories of Voriof being defeated by Yinkin “Murdermittens” Kerofinson, and are thus wary of getting on the bad side of even Sleepy Timtom.

2. All alynxes have access to the hitherto-unexplored “Herd Sheep” spirit magic. A small burst of spiritual power and the sheep all fall into line.

[mfbrandi]

1 hour ago, Ynneadwraith said:

Lousy animals to do herding with, or go hunting with (polar opposite hunting strategies to humans).

Herding? Sure.

Hunting? To a limited degree, caracals and (the slightly doggy) cheetahs have been used for coursing, I believe. Think about “alynx” — clearly not a lynx (anomalous, atheistic, amoral, atonal, and other good things), but maybe a caracal, which looks a bit like a lynx with a tail. Leaping 3m into the air to catch birds ( creatures) can be seen as a symbol of Orlanth’s murdering the sun, something of which the Orlanthi are not a bit ashamed.

But a drop in dog replacement? I cannot see the point. (I won’t object that it is silly, because then we would have nothing left.) Clearly, I am neither a “cat person” nor a “dog person”.

[svensson]

Well, Glorantha has sabertoothed tigers [aka 'sakkar'] still extant. I'm fine with a hunting cat species that can hunt with humans.

I mean, they're not as weird as morokanth, right? 😆

Edited April 12 by svensson

[Ynneadwraith]

1 hour ago, Tatterdemalion Fox said:

2. All alynxes have access to the hitherto-unexplored “Herd Sheep” spirit magic. A small burst of spiritual power and the sheep all fall into line.

I do like the idea of herding via astral projection...

1 hour ago, mfbrandi said:

Herding? Sure.

Hunting? To a limited degree, caracals and (the slightly doggy) cheetahs have been used for coursing, I believe. Think about “alynx” — clearly not a lynx (anomalous, atheistic, amoral, atonal, and other good things), but maybe a caracal, which looks a bit like a lynx with a tail. Leaping 3m into the air to catch birds ( creatures) can be seen as a symbol of Orlanth’s murdering the sun, something of which the Orlanthi are not a bit ashamed.

But a drop in dog replacement? I cannot see the point. (I won’t object that it is silly, because then we would have nothing left.) Clearly, I am neither a “cat person” nor a “dog person”.

Ooh I do like the idea of them being caracal-like. Firstly the mythic resonance you point out is great, and secondly caracals are just awesome. Though to be fair, bobcats are no slouches (nor even are tigers!)

Point being though that the Orlanthi* would have to use alynxes differently than we use dogs. Coursing would be good, as would something like a pointer or something to flush out game. In a big game hunt though, the cats wouldn't keep up with us and we'd blow their cover like the clumsy oafs we are 😄

*Are all Orlanthi cat people, or is it just Sartarites?

1 hour ago, mfbrandi said:

Clearly, I am neither a “cat person” nor a “dog person”.

Me neither, though if give the choice I'd probably be a hyena person. Such awesome animals. In my Glorantha, I might have to swap out 'Brother Dog' for 'Sister Hyena'...

49 minutes ago, svensson said:

Well, Glorantha has sabertoothed tigers [aka 'sakkar'] still extant. I'm fine with a hunting cat species that can hunt with humans.

I mean, they're not a weird as morokanth, right? 😆

Yep, it's bizarre. A-Ok with sapient tapirs who need to heroquest to get opposable thumbs, herding herbivorous dumb-humans. But cats running for any appreciable length of time? Apparently not!

I'm ok with a hunting cat species that can hunt with humans though. They're called hyenas!

Edited April 12 by Ynneadwraith

[Ian Absentia]

3 hours ago, Ynneadwraith said:

Also, there are many things I find no issue with suspending my disbelief around in Glorantha, but for some reason 'using cats to herd animals' is where the line is drawn!

Well, they're a-lynxes as in a-typical.  I kind of see it as a mythic curse that they've been robbed of their feline behavior.  It's almost as if one of the God Learners said, "Cat?  Dog?  What's the difference?  I prefer cats."

!i!

[mfbrandi]

1 hour ago, Ynneadwraith said:

given the choice I’d probably be a hyena person. Such awesome animals. In my Glorantha, I might have to swap out ‘Brother Dog’ for ‘Sister Hyena’

Yeah, the spotted hyena is totally hardcore. I saw a documentary about them many years ago (on a little black and white CRT TV) — BBC2’s The World About Us strand probably, before modern glossy wildlife shows — and just went “wow!”

But given their mythic rôle in Glorantha, I wouldn’t make them the insider’s choice of animal companion. (I never liked insiders, anyway.)

[Ali the Helering]

5 hours ago, Ynneadwraith said:

*Are all Orlanthi cat people, or is it just Sartarites?

Sartarites, as part of the larger grouping of Heortlings, generally so.  Alakoringites, not so much.  Beyond that, I don't think much is detailed.

[Rodney Dangerduck]

Dragons, Jack-o-bears, and intelligent humanoid ducks are far more realistic than cats as domesticated herding servants.

[Ali the Helering]

Would a cat-o'-nine-tails be more effective?

[g33k]

9 hours ago, Ian Absentia said:

...  It's almost as if one of the God Learners said, "Cat?  Dog?  What's the difference?  I prefer cats."

!i!

Hmmm.
Everyone got all up in arms over the "Goddess Switch" but the "Fralari Switch" just passed unnoticed by the Orlanthi, who suddenly had cats in place of dogs...?

[Joerg]

17 hours ago, Tatterdemalion Fox said:

All sheep have ancestral memories of Voriof being defeated by Yinkin “Murdermittens” Kerofinson, and are thus wary of getting on the bad side of even Sleepy Timtom.

Heler (Tarhelera) was one of Yinkin's earliest "wives", giving birth to the cloud cats/cat clouds. Sheep are thus in-laws of Yinkin.

Shadowcats sound like stealth hunters, solitary stalkers which explode from cover to jump on their prey. At least there don't seem to be any prides of shadowcats hunting cooperatively. Turning these into herders may sound improbable.

There might be something else going on, though. Our household tom Max is one of the few household members respected by our household Jack Russel terrrorist Moritz, and is able to enforce some obedience (and definitely right of way) from the dog. A similar reign if not of terror then of grudging respect might be held over herd animals.

[Malin]

I mean this is a world where horses are related to birds so....

[Nick Brooke]

On 4/12/2024 at 1:33 PM, Ynneadwraith said:

Also, there are many things I find no issue with suspending my disbelief around in Glorantha, but for some reason 'using cats to herd animals' is where the line is drawn!

I concur: see the tale of Yinkin the Shepherd. (Video.)

[Ynneadwraith]

On 4/12/2024 at 9:47 PM, Rodney Dangerduck said:

Dragons, Jack-o-bears, and intelligent humanoid ducks are far more realistic than cats as domesticated herding servants.

23 hours ago, Malin said:

I mean this is a world where horses are related to birds so....

Yep! All of these things I am happy to suspend disbelief for 😄

I think it's because all the weird zany Gloranthan things are so zany that they seem like deliberate choices, but having pursuit predation cats (that aren't built like pursuit predators) is such a common error in fantasy that it just comes across as someone not having done their homework. To me at least.

I feel a similar way about people riding mammalian carnivorans. You might just get away with it for bears, but the rest of them just don't have the spinal structure to get away with it. They're not built like trusses like big herbivores (that need to resist the amorous advances of other big herbivores). They're built like springs to double their stride length.

Then again, I doubt half of anyone's fantasy target audience is bothered by stuff like that so much!

20 hours ago, Nick Brooke said:

I concur: see the tale of Yinkin the Shepherd. (Video.)

Aha! So definitely more cat-like than dog-like!

I also had a bit of an idea for the use of chariots. If you want to deliver your murder-kitties to a battlefield 60 miles away then they're going to get very tired before they get there. Hence, carts to get them the distance and chariots for your in-battle delivery mechanism! Perhaps still in use by the Ralian Orlanthi, but fallen out of favour with our local bunch.