The Aerobic Tark'ee, also known as Flight Tark'ee or Aerial Tark'ee, are a proud subspecies of Tark'ee known for their haughtiness. They are the largest of the quadrupedal Tark'ee and are extremely proud of their Ancestor, the Flight Mother. Most Aerobic Tark'ee have large feathered wings, even without the Mutation. These wings can be used for flight or are purely decorative, and are often adorned with paints and small baubles slid around the barbs of the feathers. Beauty is highly valued by the Aerobic Tark'ee, and they often adorn themselves in riches, silks, and expensive cloths to show off their wealth and status and make themselves more attractive. Their bodies are generally slender, with large muscles around the torso and pectoral region to support their wings. Elder Aerobic Tark'ee may mention that in the past, they were even more heavily built, with chests carrying more muscle than they do now. "Back in my day" is a phrase often heard from older Aerobic Tark'ee.
Aerobic Tark'ee are known by many names, both from their past lives in Dondir to now. These names may grow into disuse as more are born and raised as Xunari, but they include the following:
- Flight Tark'ee
- The Winged Ones
- The Pure Ones
- Messengers
- Guardians
- Bird Brains (slur by Volcanic Tark'ee)
Culture
The Aerobic Tark'ee are a proud and distinguished race who hold themselves in high regard. They often seek political power and gain respect through their beauty and wealth. Instead of living in nomadic tribes like common Tark'ee, they build great cities and large, twisting spires that reach into the heavens. Elder Aerobic Tark'ee often speak wistfully of their old capital, a place called The Spire, a city located on the highest mountain on Dondir. This is where they believe the Flight Mother lived and all true political power resided.
In Aerobic Tark'ee society, family status is of the utmost importance and complete obedience and loyalty to the Crown, now encompassing the Pure Ones, is expected. Despite their desire to present an image of perfection, grace, and power, many Aerobic Tark'ee have an innate, taboo desire to inflict pain and suffering on others.
Most Aerobic Tark'ee are born with feathered wings, though some are born without wings or with membranous, bat-like wings tipped with claws. The Aerobic Tark'ee look down on these differences, treating wingless individuals with disdain and membranous ones with fear and aversion. Membranous Aerobic Tark'ee born in tribes are often excommunicated and treated as abominations, left to fend for themselves. These rejects often seek to join the tribes of other species or subspecies in order to avoid discrimination from their own kind.
Wingless Tark'ee
Wingless Tark'ee are looked down upon and are never offered roles in society that their winged counterparts hold. There will never be a wingless Pure One, by decree of the Crown. They are discriminated against, made to do the errands and jobs that nobody else wants to do. If they refuse, they are run out of their cities, thrown into the world to fend for themselves. While they are allowed to mate and live within Aerobic society, it is excessively rare for a wingless aerobic to pair with a winged aerobic, despite the fact that the mutation passes on far less frequently now than it did in Dondir.
Abominations
The Abominations are those who share traits with another subspecies: the Volcanic Tark'ee. The aerobic culture is excessively aggressive and violent towards those of the Volcanic subspecies, often sending out their unofficial raiding parties to use Volcanic Tark'ee as sport and combat practice. Those that they suspect have any Volcanic traits are seen as abominations and are excommunicated, often taking entire family lines with them if it comes to light that any volcanic blood has infiltrated the lineage.
The Pure Ones are the remnants of a council of seven Tark'ee who pronounce their connection to the Flight Mother. These seven Tark'ee are the most powerful and influential members of all Aerobic society, overseeing everything and refusing interaction with the "lesser" subspecies. Their roles are inherited, passed down from generation to generation. It is almost unheard of for an unrelated Tark'ee to find their place among the Pure Ones as it is an inherited role, but newer families had to join in when the population was decimated by the move to Xiunus.
The Pure Ones each have a council of seven Guardians beneath them. These have unquestionable loyalty to the Pure One they serve as well as the rest of the Pure Ones, following all orders and commands without hesitation. Each Guardian controls their own Wings, which in turn house many Claws. Members of the Claws and Wings follow all orders of their Guardian - an army of Aerobic Tark'ee who protect their pure empire by all means.
Status is everything to the Aerobics.
As such, most Bonding Ceremonies held between two aerobics are for political or social gain, similar to royalty in the continent of Europe of Sol Earth. Casual relationships are a given among high society. Often there are large differences between the political bond created in a Bonding Ceremony versus the casual romances versus a true love relationship that is formed by the natural urges the Tark'ee has towards finding a monogamous partner. Within the aerobic culture, there are heavy social pressures against monogamy.
Non-Society aerobics, those who do not live in the cities formed by and for aerobics, are often found to impress one another with beauty and aerial prowess in the form of aerobatics, dance, trinkets, and being well groomed. They will make homes in and nests in high places, claiming great areas as their territories. The young are encouraged to make their own ways in life fairly young and 'fly the nest' as soon as they are ready.