Eileen's Oddysee Prologue: About The Katkireen
There are many different type of Katkireen in many different parts of Oddworld, and all of them possess a variety of different characteristics that make it easier for them to live where they do. Though there are many, the ones this story will be following are the Forest Katkireen, native to the Mudos continent. The typical Forest Katkireen has light brown fur and yellow eyes as well as a long furry tail. Within the fur of the tail are hidden poison barbs that detach from the tail and into the victim. While the poison is very effective on smaller creatures, anything bigger than a large rat will only suffer minor nausea from this.
Katkireen have three fingers and one thumb on each hand. They have claws, which are retractable, though the royalty typically choose to have their claws kept dull as to demonstrate elegance opposed to brutishness.
The most notable feature of the Katkireen are their legs, which have three joints opposed to the usual two. Their legs resemble that of the metal skeletal 'pants' legs of sligs in shape, and are essentially spring loaded, allowing them to jump great heights. Ironically they're poor climbers.
Forest Katkireen are capable of being omnivores, but are mainly carnivores. Their mouths contain two sets of of sharp teeth equipped more for raw meat than for herbs.
As a culture, the Forest Katkireen are divided into four large tribes in the north, south, east, and west (the one that we'll be focusing on is in the east) Each tribe lives in large villages hidden in the forests, and mainly wears one color specific to their tribe, in the North, it is blue, South is purple, West is green, and East is red. But one thing they all share is a love of jewels, giving the species the dubbed name of 'Gem Hoarders'. Every Katkireen owns and wears a decorated gemstone on their forehead, and typically many more in the forms of arm braces, tail braces, necklaces, and many other forms.
Though once prosperous, the Forest Katkireen greatly suffered from over hunting of their prey, and took an especially hard hit with the extinction of Gabbit and Meeches. In the Eastern tribe, their king had to make some very hard decisions, to secure what he thought would be a better future for his people...