PRIORITY: URGENT

PURPOSE: ANNOUNCEMENT

SUBJECT: NEW SPECIES DISCOVERED

Attention all scientists!

As the commotion around the recent outbreak of the Fade settles and we are able to return to our regular duties, it is with great pleasure that we announce the discovery of a new species by our very own Iris Evada!

Due to the Fade’s interruption of her intended sailing schedule, Iris has been spending what free time she has exploring the vicinity of the outpost. This led to the discovery of some odd objects she has taken to calling pellets—leavings of some sort of unfamiliar creature. Further investigation led her to the majestic Vira Bekos. The attached report contains photographs, detailed sketches, and many field notes from her observations.

Below are a few excerpts from her report:

Dietary Preferences:

I have observed that although Vira Bekos will consume most prey small enough to be swallowed whole, they generally show a preference for furred rather than feathered quarry. Whether this is related to the digestion process, taste, or something else, I am not yet sure and will be conducting further research to determine.

Life in the Lab:

Fully grown wild Vira Bekos do not handle a laboratory environment well and must be kept sedated to avoid risking injury to themselves and others. I do not recommend capture-to-observe methods for this reason. However, my initial experiments in raising juveniles by hand have had surprising success, with the adults showing much less aggression than their wild compatriots. This does mean that captive-raised Vira Bekos likely would not survive in the wild, so anyone who wishes to work with them should be prepared to care for them throughout their lifespan.

Unusual Behavior:

One day during a field research trip, I took a break and made a flower crown from some late-autumn blooms. It was a fun and relaxing project that gave me an opportunity to test the tensile strength of the flower stems. Since no one was around to laugh, I decided to wear it while I returned to observing a flock of Vira Bekos. Imagine my surprise when a fully grown male wandered over to stare at me! Until that point, they’d largely ignored my presence, but for some reason, he seemed fascinated. It wasn’t until a brisk wind blew away my flower crown that I realized it wasn’t me but the flowers that had caught his attention—he trotted right after the crown and continued watching it for some time after it caught in a bush. As I have not observed them consuming flowers, I’m not sure what he found so fascinating, but I might experiment with flowers further—although perhaps not on my head next time.