Phoenix sinks into decay Haughty dragon yearns to slay. Lyorn growls and lowers horn Tiassa dreams and plots are born. Hawk looks down from lofty flight Dzur stalks and blends with night. Issola strikes from courtly bow Tsalmoth maintains though none knows how. Vallista rends and then rebuilds Jhereg feeds on others' kills. Quiet iorich won't forget Sly chreotha weaves his net. Yendi coils and strikes unseen Orca circles, hard and lean. Frightened teckla hides in grass Jhegaala shifts as moments pass Athyra rules minds' interplay Phoenix rise from ashes, gray." Based on what we know, which is that sometimes, animals in the cycle are similar to animals on dragaera, we can postulate (but only postulate, never prove or even indicate) what earth animals the dragaeran animals are closest to: Phoenix--akin to the mythical bird. Dragon--akin to the mythical serpent (flying breed, see _Issola_, but with tentacles on its head or neck) Lyorn--perhaps some sort of one-horned mountain goat, or maybe even a hippo-like creature. But I think I recall some conversation which said that it was like a mountain goat or some similar creature. Tiassa--a winged cat. Domestic cat would be unlikely, maybe an ocelot or a lynx. Hawk--same or similar to the bird we know, but you never know when Steve is gonna be a prick and call an Elephant a hawk and call it a weird translational phenomenon. Dzur--a cross between a mountain lion and a tiger. Probably more tiger, due to size. Issola--much like a heron, not so silly as a flamingo. Tsalmoth--isn't this one the tree-alligator? Or is that not canon? Vallista--I would guess this is something akin to a beaver, creating dams >from trees that it has chewed down. Jhereg--a winged lizard scavenging creature, like nothing on earth. Iorich--Owl? Owls are sometimes known for their near or completely silent flight, also for their wisdom. Elephants are well-known for their memories, but not too many people would classify them as 'quiet'. It may be a whale or a dolphin, who have shown fairly advanced mental faculties, but as far as I know, there is no indication that any animal other than the Orca is aquatic. No real solid clues exist for the Iorich. The house that corresponds to the Iorich is concerned with Judicial matters, suggesting, once again, the owl, whose "wisdom" would definitely aid him in deciding between difficult positions. The only problem with the owl, as far as I know, is that I think it may be taken already by the Athyra. See below. Chreotha-- Another completely alien creature to earth, or, if not alien, then at least possessing an alien ability. Only arachnids and certain types of worm (silk worm, caterpillars, etc) are known to spin webs, but neither is an animal--which seems to be the underlying assumption that we are using to think up a related animal. However, I suppose, with that in mind, that a large, really large spider is not entirely out of the question here. A mammoth silk-worm would be an alien creature, I think. Yendi--a serpent with psychic abilities. Orca--killer whales, or maybe spotted dolphins. Teckla--Rat, I think. Or maybe a ferret or other rodentia. Jhegaala--seems to be a chameleon, or a creature with a chameleonic (sweet, new word) ability. I would assume that Steve didn't include microbes in his cycle, which have a very short lifespan. Athyra--I seem to recall some conversation about an Athyra being really close to an owl. Don't really know what else it could be. Not too many smart, philosophical birds out there. But then, I can't remember when we decided it was a bird, either. So it could be a fox or even a pig, or some similarily intelligent creature--but granted pigs and academia don't gel as much as owls and academia do, and we know that Dragaerans of the house of the Athyra are almost all academics. On a side note, (please label replies to this portion something new) my girlfriend and I were talking, and she mentioned that her younger brother was now applying to university. I asked, and I quote: Which universities is he apply...wait. Which universities are he applying....wait...GAH What universities is...are...*%@.... So what's the correct way of saying this? What universities am I applying to? What universities are you applying to? What universities are we applying to? What universities are they appyling to? What universities am he applying to???? heheheheeh I hate english. Jon