[**Long description:** Some koathi, which are cheetah- or puma-like big cats endemic to Asthaom. These drawings show their range of coloration, which varies from tans and browns (as in a coyote or puma) to striking blacks and greys (as in a wolf.) Melanism and albinism are also shown, and some other, weirder color morphs that resemble a piebald cross fox. Notes in the margins read “Lotta variation. I ref wolf, coyote, puma color morphs” “Brindling, agouti common.” “Spots + stripes not typical, limited coverage.” “Sometimes you get real weirdos.” “IDK if poorly-defined pupils are stylistic or a real trait. go wild.”] ◆◆◆ Coyotes used to live in the high Asthaom desert, but mysteriously disappeared during the thousand-year drought… And wherever they went, koathi stepped in to fill their absence. Koathi are gregarious scavengers. They’ve long been considered humankind’s friend, because a wild koath has never attacked or preyed on a human unprovoked. They’re very tolerant of people, sometimes even friendly, but this is in the same way that wild orcas don’t really bother humans because they aren’t taught to consider them food, and puffins have no fear of humans because they haven’t been exposed to predators. Koathi do prey on other denizens of the desert (and they even use persistence hunting strategies the same way that humans do.) Sometimes your relationship with an animal is built on nothing but dumb luck, but I don’t think that makes it any less significant. Like cheetahs, they are not true big cats, so they don’t roar (but they do [meow, and purr, and grunt, and chirp, and make all kinds of other weird noises.](https://youtu.be/3kFl_TY3iUg)) The god Koda fashions herself after them. She just thinks they’re neat and so do I. Thank-you to [vlpn](https://www.deviantart.com/vlpn) for motivating me to draw [these bruisers](https://m0r1bund.com/works/moribund/koathi/#old-koathi) again!