Of the Cyclorrhapha leo, or more commonly called, "flions" are a species of grubs which their males resemble a male lion with a pair of giant wings the likeness of house flies.
The males, the only member of the flion community that can be commonly found, have balloon gas, more commonly known by the alchemist as Hydrogen, inside their bodies in unknown parts, making setting their swarm on fire an effective but destructive method of extermination.
It is known that they have no relation at all to lions, and are descendants to an extinct race of animal-fungi that can breed a mutant version of creatures consumed by them (they have since been driven to extinction by the elves) as those who got inside their cave reported seeing no lionlike creatures at all except the flion wardens.
As mentioned, the flions are social animals, with their males the only group with wings that go out to hunt at recurring patterns exclusive to each hives. The females, however, are like giant maggots with translucent mushrooms on them which usually have flion larvaes inside. The females and larvaes only stay exclusively in the caves and live off the food brought in by the hunters. They are generally peaceful but have been known to organize an inter-hive coordinated siege on villages that attempted to attack them. The flion wardens, which are young flions (the exact age limit is not determined) that guard the hive and act like groups of "reserve hunters" will prey on small animals in the case that the hunters are wiped out (in which the wardens will usually contact other hives and attempt destruction on the agressor) ,they are always hostile towards every intruders.
They breed by spores, by which the seed strong enough to puncture the skin of the females will be fertilized inside and go up into mushroom-like ovules on top of their body. When all the larvae become fully grown the mother will immediately die, leaving behind a nutritious corpse that are kept somewhere in the hive for food shortages. Before the body is hauled off, however, the wardens will take out the larvaes, with their upper body of a lion cub with translucent skin, and a lower body of a maggot. The female larvae on maturity will undergo a transformation that make them lose all similarities to a lion. That said, it should be mentioned as well that males are more common than females, although the females are not as rare as the ants'.
They seem to not prey on other social animals, and their elders appear to be able to control the mind of other social creatures not counting men or fae. The only evidence of this so far is when a lone flion (which does not look like normal hunters) flew into the Castle Arboreus and seemed to make all the dogs inside rush to attack the Duke. Their pattern of attack suggest telepathy and hive mind, which is obviously not a trait that dogs have. Sadly the flion had escaped without as much as any evidence of its action except its sighting.
Author
Topic: Flions (Read 1880 times)