So, here, have a character sheet for Narructah (Pronounced Narr-UCT-ah, with the “rr” rolled, like in Spanish). The name… well, I hope it sounds kind of like vocalization a bird might make. Laughs If anyone had come into the room while I was hashing out her name, they probably would have thought I’d lost it, because I was sitting and chatter-twittering to myself. But I like to think that if it could be translated to English, her name would mean “She Who Chases Dragonflies.”

. If Narructah were human, she’d probably be dubbed as a ‘people pleaser.’ She will often share small catches, and allopreens others in her pack often --She is happiest when she knows her packmates are happy. To Narructah, everything is likely to become play, be it hunting, gathering nest materials, or bathing in a stream. She likes the hunting game best when she wins. When relaxing with others after a feed, she often does strange things, like arrange pebbles or leaves by colors or textures. Narructah is also very curious about how things work and what things can do, and enjoys working out problems. Somewhat like a cat, she tends to play with smaller catches, not to be cruel, but because she wonders why they move differently than she does. In fact, sometimes, she will mimic the behaviors and sounds of other creatures. However, if Narructah is confronted by anything be new or strange, she’s likely to run away, and try to learn about it from a ‘safe’ distance. If she is not in a good position to flee, she’ll puff up her protofeathers and flare her birdlike forearms to make herself look bigger than she actually is in an attempt to scare of the scary-new-thing.

Though, if you ever happen to be ambling around in the Cretaceous Period, be sure to wave hello to her. She might wave back.

(Also... what do you guys think? Should I make character sheets for some of the other derpy people in my brain?)

[Edit] Sorry for not explaining more about Narructah's winter plumage. Please allow me to explain the reason for the subtlety:

Deinonychus have been found in Montana and Wyoming, but I’m setting Narructah’s territory along what would be the equivalent of Snake River in Idaho (which is adjacent to those two states, and I feel it isn’t too unlikely that Deinonychus lived there too). Now, also, I say the “equivalent,” because fact is, North America hadn’t even finished forming yet, so Snake River wasn’t likely to be there. However, a similar, low-level river valley is what I’m thinking of.

You see, if I understand correctly, during the early Cretaceous there was a cooling trend. Research suggests that in the Berriasian epoch, snowfalls occurred in the higher latitude regions, particularly at high altitudes. However by the Aptian and Albian stages (Deinonychus have been found in rock dating to those times) temperatures had increased, and the warm temperatures are thought to have continued through the rest of the Cretaceous.

To me, it seems that developing a thick winter coat (Possibly white, who knows?) during the Berriasian timeframe would have made sense for Deinonychus’s ancestors, and that the tendency to develop a winter coat may have remained in later generations. However, in a warmer climate like those during the Aptian stage, where snowfall miiight have happened, but only as a rarity, a white coat would have been detrimental. However, for a couple of cool months, extra insulation to assist in maintaining homeostasis would likely be beneficial. Thus, the protofeathers along her body (particularly her neck, back, ankles, and tail) grow longer, and bare portions along her belly, tail, and around her eyes become feathered. Her fore and hind talons remain bare, same as does much of her muzzle, because it is easier to clean blood and such from pebbled skin than from feathers. In spring, when it was time to lay eggs, the molted winter plumage could them be used to line nests.

In short, since it was fairly warm, and snowfall was likely to be uncommon even during winter, Narructah’s winter plumage was needed only for a couple of months and is more about maintaining homeostasis than hiding from prey.