What's better than a frog with feathers? A poisonous frog with feathers, of course. At least, that seems to have been nature's train of thought when it was creating the poison dart fricken, the deadliest member of the large and sprawling fricken family.
Poison dart frickens are geographically limited to rainforest climates, and appear primarily in South America, where they are surprisingly common along the Orinoco and Amazon rivers. Due to the psychotropic properties of some species, it is easy to understand why they have largely been dismissed as hallucinations and the result of consuming spoiled food. Because the poison dart fricken is the most dangerous of the various fricken species, there is some concern as to what will happen if and when the Covenant confirms their existence.
BIOLOGY
Biologically, poison dart frickens are, quite simply, bizarre. They have the body structure of frogs, and undergo metamorphosis as frogs do. Fricken tadpoles are capable of breathing air, and are covered in soft, downy fluff which matures into feathers as their legs develop. Their bones are hollow, and they possess, on average, less body fat than most frogs.
Frickens are not capable of true flight, but can glide for short distances, using their powerful back and pectoral muscles to control their elevation while "pushing" against the air with their hind legs. Their feathery covering gives them an added element of protection from inclement weather, and frickens remain active long after the true frogs have gone into hibernation.
Poison dart frickens are fond of nesting in and around large bromeliads. Their eggs are laid inside the bells of the flowers; when the tadpoles hatch, the male fricken joins them inside the flower. Male and young alike will be fed by the female until such time as the young are able to leave the water. Then they will move to the nest, where the family unit will remain together until the babies are fully mature. The last act of the family is the dismantling of the nest, which is done almost ritually. After this, they will go their separate ways.
DESCRIPTION
Frances Healy was accurate when she named the fricken, which looks like nothing so much as a frog covered in feathers. The various species of fricken each have their own distinct coloring and behavior patterns; swamp frickens raise their young in pools of slow-moving or stagnant water, while bull frickens have very low predation rates, due to being large enough to hunt and consume rats. The frickens represent a very diverse ecological niche, and there is no telling what their loss could do to the swamps, wetlands, and rainforests of the world.
OF NOTE
The distinctive chirp/croak call of the fricken can be used as a warning signal. When the frickens are singing, you're probably safe. It is best, however, not to depend too heavily on the frickens to guide you. Not all dangers will scare them.
Pictured below are two breeds of South American poison dart fricken (Mefitas iris iris and Mefitas iris aurora) in full spring plumage.
Artwork by Kory Bing.