Artwork by: prayogaardip
Inspiration: Believe it or not, these little pack hunters came to me in a dream one summer, though I can't remember what year I remember it was in the summer. While I slept in, there was a group of birds chirping outside of my window for some time. Their chirps sank into my dream and form an image of me being circled by these little vibrant green birds, each one looking to take a bite. Luckily for me, I woke up before I got swarmed and devoured.
That dream lingered in the back of my mind all those years, never making a peep. Just waiting for the right time to jump out and ambush me once again. In New Ripple, I wanted to showcase more animals and I plan on showing more as the series goes on. I didn’t want a large animal inhabiting the island Aditi found herself on; I wanted something smaller. Something whose cries would blend in with the general noise of the island.
And thus, the Chipper leaped out from the bushes in the back of my mind and swarmed it until I put them in the book.
1st appearance: Tales of Reverba: A New Ripple
FAQs: Q: Do they eat each other?
A: They have cannibalized should food get too scarce, and the pack gets too big. They often start with the weaker or underperforming members and work their way up. In a way, they often help control the predator and prey balance in nature by self-regulating. They are also a good counter to any invasive species that invade as they will eat anything, including never seen prey.
Q: How smart are they?
A: Overall, not too smart, though they are very talented hunters that employ various tactics such as dividing and conquering, encircling, having wars of attrition with other packs. They have even merged two different packs and form one super pack. So, while they make excellent hunters, they are probably incredibly hard to tame, let alone train.