Boughstrider
Saethera canopy predator
The Boughstrider is a canopy predator of Saethera that only a Scout-Class Engineered can detect. Its frond-textured limbs and light-reactive dermis blend it into the bioluminescent forest, and its thermal regulation hides it from conventional instruments and natural-born perception alike. It reaches 15 meters in length and 5 tonnes, and it moves slowly through the vine-laced canopy.
It is solitary, territorial and hyper-aggressive, and it uses its size to ambush and kill intruders and rivals. Scout-Class with Assault-Class companions are the only people who inhabit its zones, and they endure that threat while navigating the perpetual twilight of the canopy. The Boughstrider's presence keeps Saethera isolated. It breeds infrequently and remains an unseen threat throughout the luminous south.
