Read, reblog, and resonate!
I have ephita! These small rodent-like creatures (except for their beak) have the ability to read the desires of other nearby creatures. That’s how they sense hungry predators!
I have fjordans! They are somewhat like horses, but thinner and longer, with scales on their bellies and instead of manes. They can run incredibly fast! The little ‘wings’ on their legs help them decrease speed dramatically within seconds. Their nickname ‘cliffdiver’ stems from the fact that wild fjordans can be seen sprinting towards cliff endings. They will stop at the last moment, making it look like they are intending to jump.
I have wren! I have mooncats (spoiler alert: they are nothing like cats)! I have coulags and sentri!
I think the world needs more fantasy novels with completely made up animals. No more “horses.” No more “rabbits.” Deer can stay but ONLY if they’re weird. All wolves must have wings, NO exceptions. No more laziness, its time to Make Shit Up. I expect your heroes to be riding scaly civets with antlers by midnight. I demand a survey of wildlife in the nearby forest that leaves me with no idea what a single word you said meant. I want CREATURES WITH FUNKY NAMES THAT YOU MADE UP OUT OF YOUR OWN HEAD. I want to be UNABLE TO PRONOUNCE THEM. I want all of your RODENTS to be POISONOUS for NO REASON. I deeply desire GIANT BIRDS. I hereby sentence you to five hours on Wikipedia reading about the Carboniferous period and hydrothermal vents.
If you can’t be creative, at least reskin some dinosaurs. It’s time to decide what kind of man you are—the kind that would let his evil overlord ride a tyrannosaurus, or a coward.