Wondering about Daks

In the sequel to Eden.2, (which is coming out in late 2024 and I’ll let you know the exact date as soon as I do…), another form of flying creature has appeared: the daks. I wondered for a while where they came from. In fact, while writing the book, a little whisper in the back of my head asked: when did they discover the daks? How did they first notice them? What did the human population think of them? So, having finished the novel, I turned to QuickLook, a kind of Wikipedia which a couple of educators assembled in Rev 19 (around 2128 CE in our Earth years) when they discovered the Academy cutting off access to the main computers in Seaside. (The tale of Orson and Bill and their scholarly rebellion might be an interesting topic for a short story — for another time.) Here is what I found about daks. Hopefully, Alice Far Meadow, the protagonist of Intersecting Eternity, can eventually add her knowledge, gleaned from careful observation throughout many revs, to the article.

Dak (flying lizard)

Daks resemble the Earth creatures called agamid lizards, which were also known as flying lizards. However, unlike the version which developed on our home planet, our Goldilocks’ specimens are capable of powered flight, taking off from the ground, covering a significant area of land by the use of feathered wings, and even hovering above clouds of insects when feeding.

Daks grow to between twenty-three and thirty inches, with wingspans reaching forty-seven inches. While possessing scales of a lizard on the main body, in a brown to gold hue, their wings and tails display stiff feathers, of a dark bronze color. Both male and female daks appear similar, although the females are somewhat bigger. Juveniles can be recognized by lighter wing and tail feathers.

Like our smaller, land-bound lizards, daks’ eyes protrude about half an inch from their heads and move independently. They have the capacity to see two separate images at the same time and can also focus stereoscopically.

The two back legs of the dak are well developed and end in feet with three talons, useful for grasping branches. Two smaller legs or arms are situated on the chest under their wing shoulders and often unnoticed by the casual observer. The function of these appendages is unknown.

Daks exhibit a varied vocal range, communicating through a series of high notes and, when hunting, emitting a shrill cry. They use their three to four inch long stiff beaks with needle-sharp teeth to scoop up bugs or puncture the shells of beetles.

History of Discovery

Geraldine Touchdown first spotted a dak in Rev 18 on an expedition exploring possible farming sites, in the area where Far Meadow now stands. Although she had never seen a Fairy Dragon, she assumed that was what she observed. When she reported back to her fellow explorers about her find, they indicated Fairy Dragons did not possess the ability of powered flight but were instead gliders. (Note: the editors have no information about Fairy Dragons at this time. We assume the original settlers made notes on them in their journals, which can be accessed in the Academy’s DeepDive records. Since there have been no sightings of Fairy Dragons in recent revs, the common assumption is that they are either extinct or a misrepresentation of daks by the original colonists.) After much research, Geraldine decided the Earth creature most closely resembling this lizard bird was the Pterodactyl, extinct by the time of humans on Earth but preserved in fossil record. Therefore, she named her discovery ‘Pterodactyl’, which in a very few months her colleagues shortened to ‘Dak’.

Habitat and Behavior

Geraldine’s team of explorers confirmed the existence of daks in the northern region of the known world, as far afield as Last Stop. Later, settlers near the christmas tree forest found them nesting in the trees and feeding in secluded meadows.

At the time of this writing, little is known about the daks’ life habits. What is certain is that a mating pair will construct a loose nest of branches in a christmas tree. The female then lays between four and eight eggs, which she defends until the offspring can fly. We have no record of length of gestation or number of clutches a female can lay during a rev.

Both male and female daks venture into meadows and cultivated fields to feed on insects and small lizards. Their presence in farmlands sometimes disrupts the planting or harvesting of crops, but they have also proved valuable by keeping various infestations in check.