Therian

Therian (IPA: θɪɚiən, θɛəɹiən, from "therianthrope") is one of the 12 animal species.

A therian is created by extreme releases of mana, such as those that occur naturally far underground, in the 4th and 5th layers.

Appearance
A Therian is similar to a human, but different in many aspects. It has no fur or hair, 5 fingers, and has plantigrade feet. It has elastic silicone-like skin, and has no reproductive organs.

Like a dragon, a therian can have bright and elaborate colors, as well as patterns.

Some therians augment their appearance with wigs and makeup, but others accept their appearance, or simply disregard it entirely.

After hatching, a baby therian is very small, but is not like a human baby. It has the exact same proportions as an adult, but is egg-sized. When young, It instinctively transforms into a wild animal in order to find food.

Wild Therians
A wild therian is constantly transformed, and switches between species of wild animals. When caught, it turns into a blob which only has eyes and a mouth. This blob is indestructible.

Creation
Therian eggs are created through an unknown process that likely originates in the 4th and 5th layers. Once found, a therian egg takes around 16 years to hatch. They are often bought and sold, and the owner sometimes becomes the therian's adoptive parent, if it does not run away.

Therians cannot reproduce. They are not male, female, or hermaphrodite.

Magic and Physics
All Therians have a black aura. This gives them no magical ability, along with a 12 times multiplier of physical power, the most of any aura.

Transformation
All Therians can effortlessly transform into a wild animal of their choice, excluding wild dragons and wild therians. This temporarily disables their aura, and makes them indistinguishable from any other wild animal. But upon being attacked, they will instantly transform back into their base form.

Harvest and Special Transformation
Like a Dragon, a Therian has the ability of the Harvest: to take all of an animal's lifeforce, killing it. The appearance of the harvested animal will be added to the Therian's "collection" or mental library.

A Therian can transform into any of the animals in their library, for up to 8 hours at a time, requiring an 16-hour rest period where they are stuck in their base form. After this 16-hour period is done, they may transform again.

A therian can use their strength when transformed, but going over a certain threshold will cause their transformation to break, and their base appearance to reappear.

Society
Therians are given numbers as names, based on their hatching order. A therian hatched after therian #81 would be known as "#82" (pronounced "(number) eighty-two"). Though it is seen as strange by other species, it is accepted among them, as they can often have multiple transformations with different names, and require one identifying number.

Despite the existence of therians being accepted in the Union, they are still seen as monsters outside of the Union. Therians outside of the Union form protection guilds, most of which practice the harvest.

Trivia
In real life, there is a group of otherkin (humans who want to be animals, or believe they have the spirits of animals) called "Therians". Both words come from "therianthrope", but are not related, as in-universe Therians are not human, only humanoid.