Biology
Anatomy
Whokiks are quadrupeds who have three pairs of limbs- their back legs, their wings and front legs, and a pair of talon-like arms underneath their wings. Their stance slopes slightly down from the shoulders to their hind legs, with their wings slightly longer than their back legs. Their arms and legs cut off into tough skin like a bird's legs, ending in sharp talons used for grabbing and ripping into prey. Their lower beak splits off into two parts rather than being one single jaw, and can be moved individually (often used for manipulating objects more precisely).
When in flight, their legs tuck in, and they assume a more 'streamlined' posture. In official hunts, whokiks will hunt in a group and focus on large, flying targets, and use their front talons to attack and cause their prey to fall to their death. Alone, they'll adopt an ambush technique, flying above a smaller target and diving down to hit them with their wings. Depending on the height, a whokik may follow the target to the ground to crush them, or if the distance is too dangerous, they may simply be trying to stun them.
Whokiks are a bisex species that display sexual dimorphism across their two sexes. The females of the species are larger and have dull feathers that range from black, grey, brown, white, and rarely dull reds or blues. Typically the females are bulkier and more fit, but this is likely due to the gender roles imposed onto them rather than anything 'natural'. The males are larger and sport bright and colorful feathers, and usually have a crest on their throat or backs. Their feathers tend to be longer (especially around the tail), while the tail itself is shorter.
Whokik females will lay infertile eggs all throughout their life, roughly once every two months. Fertilization is entirely external, similar to fish or frogs, but must be done soon after an egg is laid. Otherwise, it won't hatch into a whokik cub. It is possible for whokiks to become egg bound, a death sentence pre-first contact, but vexori aid has made this condition a non-issue if detected early enough.
Diet and Hunting
Whokiks are carnivores who hunt for their food, despite other options being viable and within reach. For them, hunting is a tradition that should and must be kept alive, and something they take great pride in. To work around overhunting issues, whokiks migrate whenever food begins to run out in a particular area, flying together to one of several different vacant cities. A whokik's lifespan is measured in these migrations, rather than in years.
Culture
Language
Whokik language wildly varies from flock to flock, changing frequently as a flock interacts with another and absorbs part of their language. For the most part, whokik speech sounds like several different bird calls strung together, with clicks, chirps, titters, hisses, and cooing. Speech is fast-paced and can be loud depending on the situation- some have compared a group of chattering whokiks to what one would assume a flock of angry, fighting birds would sound like.
A whokik's voice can reach incredible distances, especially during flights or hunts, although speech this loud is usually reduced to simple words for clarity's sake. When excited, it not uncommon for whokiks to begin raising their voices to extreme degrees- tourists are recommended ear plugs to compensate.
Body language while in flight is largely irrelevant. A whokik is expected to be entirely focused on the target they're hunting, rather than looking at each other.
Gender Identity
Whokiks are a bisex race, with their sexes directly translating into female/male in most whokik languages. However, they separate their genders by the role they play within a flock, rather than their biological gender. A whokik's gender determines how much respect they're afforded. It is their authority, their legacy, and their pride.
Unfortunately, their society leans towards favoring females over the males of their species, and by default a female will always have authority over a male. This is largely due to the focus they put onto hunting as a profession, as only the females are allowed to hunt (and, as result, are allowed the respect it earns). While the females will hunt and cook food, process the carcass into materials, raise and train animals, and partake in battles, the males will craft clothes and build nests, plan trade routes, raise their young, and sometimes act as messengers or diplomats.
Despite the several genders, whokiks use sex to determine the pronouns use. Universally, a female whokik will use feminine pronouns, regardless of where their hierarchical gender lies. This avoids insulting a whokik by insinuating they are of lower rank than they actually are. Outside of their species, they default to referring to anyone they meet as female, a way of respecting the individual in question. Depending on the speaker, they may continue to use female pronouns until corrected, or will wait until sufficient 'evidence' is given to imply someone is 'masculine' and then switch to masculine pronouns.
Genders
Seraph - The highest ranking female in a flock; the leader. A seraph will lead hunting groups and make decisions for the whole of the flock. Traditionally, only the seraph is allowed to take several mates. Other females may choose a mate, but are only allowed one.
Guardian - A group of female whokiks who protect and hunt alongside the seraph. They are her advisors, protectors, allies, enforcers, and sometimes lovers. Anytime a seraph needs someone they trust to do something, she will send her guardians to do it.
Archon - The highest ranking male of the flock. An archon may either be the seraph's primary mate, their closest sibling, or simply a close friend. While the seraph decides overall what the flock does, the archon will watch over the other males of the flock and make decisions regarding them.
Cherub - The seraph's children, and the heirs to the title of seraph. Once the seraph passes, only one cherub will take her place. The way this is decided varies depending on a flock's culture and/or the preference of the previous seraph. Most traditionally, it is decided through accomplishments or the feats one has achieved.
Nephilim - A mate of a higher ranking whokik, who has 'inherited' their mate's rank. Someone who is mates with the archon will rank higher than the cherubs regardless of their birth rank, for example.
Sylph - Citizens of a flock who do not fit into any of the above genders, describing both male and female members.
* Females always rank higher than a male of the same gender/rank, with some exceptions. A female cherub outranks a male cherub, unless the male is more respected or is much more older/experienced.
Cities
Whokiks migrate often, leaving behind an empty city and traveling to another. Cities are shared between all whokik flocks, with a mentality of 'leave things better than you found them'. Many diplomatic exchanges between flocks centers around where a flock will migrate to next, to ensure food and resourced will always be available. To travel to a new city without permission is considered foolish at best.
The cities themselves are built around landmarks that are easily identifiable from the skies, or at least have landmarks built into them. In more modern cities, lighthouses/beacons have been built to more easily find one's way home. Architecture changes drastically between cities, and have become amalgamations of different preferences and materials as different flocks repair and add to a town. Presently, buildings are almost universally circular in shape, with side entrances that open into platforms for landing and open, flat roofs. Decoration is usually minimal, light in weight, or permanent- anything personal has to be carried during migrations.
Expression
Clothing and Bodily Modifications
Female whokiks enjoy using materials from their hunts within their clothing, viewing it as a display of pride and talent. Male whokiks however also can take pride, showing off their craftsmanship with complicated stitches, using difficult materials, embroidery, etc. Feminine clothing is sparse around the wings and arms, usually blanketing the torso, while male clothes can cover the wings- females need a larger range of movement to fly and hunt, while males are usually flying less.
Colored dust baths are a popular 'make-up' for whokiks, being quick and relatively easy to clean. More permanent dyes are also popular in moderation, most commonly on the tips of wings or around the face. Some will color their wings with patterns or art that can be seen clearly from above while flying.
Media
Whokiks highly enjoy physical crafts and art over things like music or performances. Almost all their media remains within a city when they vacate, sealed until the next flock arrives and uncovers it. A lot of old texts and history has been successfully preserved but lost due to this; The texts remain safe, but over generations some city locations have become lost knowledge, losing all of their texts with them.
Intelligence
Uniquely, whokiks have a different definition of intelligence as other erudite species. To them, intelligence is more akin to one's instinct and gut feeling rather than logic or problem solving. The ability to tell when prey is going to dodge a dive by the flick of their tail, to pick up on someone's tell when they lie, to instinctively know when you are being watched and followed, that is their definition of intelligence.
In fact, they consider a human's definition of intelligence to be associated with dulled senses; Too much logic in one's brain pushes out the 'natural' intelligence. This isn't entirely a bad thing to them, as logic absolutely has it's place, but it does have implications. While male whokiks can display both kinds of intelligence and be applauded for their abilities, females are expected to only abide by the whokik's definition of intelligence.
