The Book of Achaean Beasts

By: Lepida Posted on: April 26, 2004

In trees and vales, on waves of foam

Countless creatures thrive and roam

In feather and fur, in claw and teeth

A wild spirit hides beneath

Be they gentle, be they fell

Of numerous beasts this book will tell…

The first creatures you will meet

Are those that wander on four feet

Among them wolves and fallow deer

Rabbits, lions you'll find here

They dwell in forest, plain and hill

On mammals now will rest my quill…

In the forest man calls Black

Lives a furry creature, hard to track

Fluffy is this animal's middle name

Scurrying down trees its favourite game

It has a duckbill, as I will tell

Jambaali likes the honey well…

Renown for his howl and mighty jaws,

A hunter with fierce teeth and claws

In a fur of shiny black, brown or grey

He roams the forest for his prey

Wolf, I call upon your spirit free

May you be a guide for me…

The creature of which I here tell

Is known to man but all too well

Running swiftly on slender feet

The stag and doe you'll surely meet

Mighty antlers, soft amber eyes

Prey on which the hunter spies…

In the fair groves of the Ithmia

One may encounter this enigma

With eyes of a bright azure hue

The tengu will look up to you

His wings, raven like and small

Carry his little body upon his call…

From cliff to cliff they often leap

I'm speaking of the bighorn sheep

Their horns grow larger with the year

Of heights and rocks they have no fear

On the look for moss and bits of grass

Through the Vashnars do they pass…

Wandering through the mountainside

Upon its arrival you'd want to hide

Cause black and white stripes often tell

That not everything is good and well

Innocent as the skunk may seem

Always look for a nearby stream…

Lithe and slender are his feet

Yet he hunts with dazzling speed

A golden coat with specks of black

This animal knows herd nor pack

You'll find it in grasses tall and high

Cheetah is the name it goes by…

In the desert sands so warm

The sun does many creatures harm

But jarbo jumps and leaps about

On his hind legs, strong and stout

He has a sandhued fur, golden and fair

His tail ends in a brush of hair…

Walking to and fro a city's street

A familiar scurrying at your feet

Flicking whiskers, a bald pink tail

Scruffy coat be it dark or pale

Rat, you're called our cities pest

But it's our dirt that forms your nest…

A hairball with a bandit's face

Found often near a watery place

He's said to carefully wash his food

Seems always in a cheerful mood

With a ringed tail and dextrous hands

So does the raccoon roam our lands…

Dangling upside down from tiny feet

With his little eyes and pointy teeth

Flapping on his leathery wings

No man can hear the notes he sings

You may wonder, what is that?

Well, very simple, tis the bat…

A nose that never seems to rest

His running often put to the test

In many hues they may appear

Speckled, white or brown like deer

Watchful ears through day and night

Alarmed Rabbit will run out of sight…

Smallest member of her family

She possesses no less agility

Stealthily she creeps around

Alerted by even the smallest sound

Many a wildcat spends her day

Spying on an unwary prey…

From the icy oceans of the North

A very peculiar beast comes forth

On his nose he bears a spiralled horn

A precious treasure that must be borne

And so it happens man won't let be,

Narwhal, king of the arctic sea…

Tis the biggest mammal on land

I'm speaking about the elephant

He's said to never forget what he sees

His big great head full of memories

Elephants live many, many a year

It only is the mouse they fear…

On the prairie dwells a beast

On which predators love to feast

But a buffalo is large and strong

His feet can carry him swift and long

Two horns on his head form his crown

His hide is shaggy, thick and brown…

A blow of his paw will knock you out

He towers over you, mighty and proud

In the dark woods some keep their lair,

Yet there's another kind of grizzly bear

A taller one that you may try to seak

On the snow covered mountain peak…

A grin is the last thing you perceive

When this animal takes it's leave

He's highly uncommon, yes even rare

Only found after climbing many a stair:

The one place a Cheshire Cat will sit

Is on the Great Erisian Pyramid…

The barren planes of snow and ice

Offer this creature the perfect disguise

He keeps his body close to the ground

Motionless hoping that he isn't found

Though His ears have tips of black

The snowshoe hare is hard to track…

He may not be known to bite or roar

Yet many a brave man fears the boar

Oinking happily he roams around

Looking for acorns in the ground

But be ye not fooled by this display

He has wicked tusks to his array…

Bushy tail, flash of red and white

So nimbly he escapes your sight

He dwells in crowns of emerald green

On the ground he's occasionally seen

Carefully burying the winter storage

Squirrel knows well how to forage…

Prowling far from highway and road

This cat is adorned with a mottled coat

Of the Jungle he's the uncrowned king

Tis of the mighty Jaguar I here sing

Bringing death, fulfilling jungle duty

In amber and gold and unseen beauty…

Prancing merrily on little hooves

Or galloping with elegant moves

Rearing proudly with an arrogant snort

Shaking its manes, then racing forth

Untamed, strange to saddle or yoke,

Wild ponies delight the Riodian folk…

Sly and guileful they are called

But that's hardly the animals fault

For mankind often dislikes, and not a bit

Creatures undaunting to show some wit

So unlike the cattle bellowing in its box

Is bright and smart the ginger fox…