Elhukek
The elhukek are feral soulstone eating dragons that actively hunt and wound prey in order to drag them underground to soulstone filled caves so they can grow their food cache. They rarely kill their prey, instead only incapacitating them and allowing the soulstone to eat them alive.
They are native to Heck’ne and are considered one of the highest creatures on the food-chain, as they will take any organic material, plant or animal, to feed to their soulstone supply. The native Sentients of Heck’ne tell horror stories of the elhukek, and the dragons are a large part of why the people living in Heck’ne fear the underground cave systems of Demrefor; as the elhukek lives within them and drags people to slow, horrifying deaths.
With six legs and large wings, these dragons have dark black and grey scales and horns that are extremely thick and difficult to puncture. Soulstone naturally catches between these keeled scales and grows upon their body; acting as a natural armour that they also absorb energy through in order to feed. When the soulstone within their scales is drained of energy, they will shed their skin to dispose of the dead stones and allow for a fresh supply to stick to them.
They are most aggressive after a fresh shed; while they have no trace of soulstone upon them, their feeding response activates and they will use their dark colouration and temporary lack of bioluminescent to go on a nocturnal hunting spree, emerging from their caves in the dark of night and attacking anything they come in contact with.
The tail of a female elhukek has a red, bioluminescent glowing bulb that acts as their main reproductive organ; males will fertilise this bulb directly, which will fall from the female shortly after a successful mating and hatch like an egg. The female will regrow her bulb and be able to mate again after about three years.