I do not own the Fallout series. Love it, but don't own it.
AN: Yao Guai today, folks. Remember: Don't feed them. That is all.
Yao Guai
The term Yao Guai is used to describe any mutant animal descended from any species of Bear. Black Bear, Brown Bear, Grizzly Bears, etc., etc. Yao Guai are some of the most fearsome predators found in the Wasteland, rivaled only by the Deathclaw in terms of deadliness and population. They're fairly common throughout Post-War North America, making their dens in caves, abandoned campgrounds and rock quarries. They live either solitary lives, a mother and her cubs with the father staying for a few months before wandering off, or in larger family groups. A breeding pair and their litter of cubs.
Yao Guai are as large as they are deadly, adults being larger than adult Brahmin. They're 5ft tall from paw to shoulder, 3ft feet from shoulder to shoulder and 6ft from snout to tail. They're stocky creatures, hardy and endurable. Their backs and shoulders are covered in patchy and ragged fur and their exposed hide ranges from pink to blackish brown in hue. Many Yao Guai suffer from some form of Mange or Ghoulification, possibly both.
Yao Guai are omnivorous in nature, feeding on flesh and plants alike. While they prefer fresh meat, they'll devour berries, roots, carrion and even honey. Their preferred prey are Radstags, Fish and Brahmin. Yao Guai have powerful bodies, allowing them to move at a speed that defies their bulky forms. When hunting or defending themselves, they strike at their prey/opponents with powerful swipes from their claws and attempting to rip at them with powerful, razor toothed jaws.
During the winter, due to the scarcity of food to support their larger bodies, many species of Yao Guai will go into a light form of hibernation called torpor or predator lethargy. Their fur will grow thicker and more widespread and they'll spend the fall gathering food and building a suitable den. They'll then go into a fairly deep sleep for most of the winter, living off a layer of fat they built up during the summer. When the spring comes around, they'll wake up to either tend to their cubs or find a mate.
Yao Guai Trivia
Despite appearing to be in a deep slumber, a hibernating Yao Guai will wake up if an intruder enters their den.
The Sorrows Tribe in Zion Canyon see the Yao Guai as a holy spirit animal. To be recognized as an adult and fully-fledged member of the tribe, initiates must go through a rite of passage. The rite of passage is to drink of hallucigenic concoction make from Dark Datura Roots and hunt a full-grown Yao Guai. After killing the Yao Guai, the Initiate must then cut off one of its paws and bring it back to the Shaman, who will then craft the severed limb into The Sorrows' signature Yao Guai Gauntlets.
The Sorrows have a legend. Once, a rambunctious Child was killed by a Yao Guai after she was found playing around in its den. Because the Child was killed before her naming day, her soul could not know peace and because the Yao Guai devoured her, their spirits became one. 'The Ghost-of-She' - as the Yao Guai was now called - was hunted for decades, but no one managed to kill her. It wasn't until a Stranger from the Mojave came to Zion and put the demon down was the legend of the Ghost-of-She finally put to rest.
Some Yao Guai suffer from Ghoulification. Naturally, this means some Yao Guai have been alive since before the Great War.
One of these Ghoulified Yao Guai was a former circus bear who lived in a cave in Point Lookout. She even kept her favorite ball from her act.
It is possible to train Yao Guai. Normally these are orphaned cubs who are adopted and raised by scavengers or wandering mercenaries.
Black Bears were the state animal for West Virginia.
The word 'Yao Guai' comes from the Mandarin Chinese word for monster or demon. These demons were usually believed to be the restless spirits of abused animals.
The modern Yao Guai was named by prisoners from Prison Camps for 'Communist Sympathizers' and 'Chinese Spies' imprisoned by the Pre-War United States.
AN: Only a few more chapters left, folks. Next page will come after the next update to The Second Dragon War. Good news to any Hazbin Hotel fans out there: the author, Fantasyandromancelover over on AO3 has agreed to let me write a fanfic for them to ease their workload. The story is a Charlastor parody of Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. That'll come out some time in the next few months. Reviews welcome, just be civil. -Bones