Illumis

(ihl-OO-miss)

The smallest of all kept pets on Subeta, the illumis is a charming little insect that has really wiggled its way into peoples' hearts! With their illuminated appendages (hence their name, of course!), these overly-friendly creatures have helped guide many a lost hiker or wanderer to safety, and have earned quite a reputation because of it. Unfortunately, being brightly-lit does not mean they are actually bright, and they also have quite a reputation for being a bit on the mentally dull side. They will fly into lights and open flames, and owners are often untangling them from flying into decorations around the home!

The illumis is petite, with its body about the size of the average human hand, though its wing span does make it look a bit larger. Weighing only about a pound (.45 kg), it is very lightweight but not necessarily delicate. It is quite a sturdy pet, with its fur-lined chest creating almost a protective armor, and its wings, while thin, are certainly not brittle. Wild illumises will lay small eggs on the woody or hard fruit in the trees of its habitat: from tropical seeds in the canopies of the Omen Islands, to the pinecones of the various coniferous trees surrounding Veta. A few weeks later, tiny, white caterpillars hatch and consume the very fruit they were laid on - they have quite strong little jaws. After a week of munching on pinecones and needles or whichever fruit they have hatched upon, they form sparkling, shimmering cocoons that create almost the illusion of the forest glowing well into the night, and a week later, illumises emerge from the cocoons. Unlike most insects, they actually emerge quite small, and will reach their full size after about three to four months. Illumises will eat just about any plant material, from bark to branches to leaves to the occasional bite of sugar. Although it is native to the Omen Islands, the illumis thrives all over Subeta now as pets and has developed a particularly large population in Veta, even though scientists had been led to believe the tropical species preferred warm, humid areas - pet illumises are known to follow their owners into the shower!

One interesting feature of the illumis that is quite treasured by their owners is the powder on their wings. Unlike some flying insects,these serve not as scales to keep them flying, but actually as dust that is edible. While this unfortunately makes them a tasty treat for many of Subeta's insectivorous species, it also makes for some delicious treats for their owners! Of course, not all illumis dust is necessarily tasty. Graveyard illumises, for example, produce a toxic powder that tastes quite bitter, and in small doses can result in a nasty stomachache. Larger doses are actually toxic, so it is best to beware of any strange, questionable characters that own several graveyard illumis. This feature of the illumis may have led to the initial confusion regarding xotls, and why there are now several warnings not to lick the poisonous amphibian.