NovelGens

A wild creature appears!

Teshi Nurturi

The Teshi Nurturi are strange creatures that look like eggs but contain a thriving colony of pseudo bacteria. This colony is semi-sentient, and to the people of the planet Yav'Gara, the Teshi Nurturi is the perfect first pet for any child as it is simple to take care of, needing only some sugar water and a bit of dirt once a week. In Yav'Garan culture, they are seen as a symbol of growth and prosperity, and it is a common tradition to gift one to a newborn or a young child. Some families even raise a Teshi Nurturi alongside a child, believing that if both reach adulthood, they will share a deep spiritual bond.

The pseudo bacteria inside the egg-like structure are special in several ways. Firstly and most usefully for the rest of the civilized galaxy, they are universally ingestible. Secondly, given an appropriate interface, the pseudo bacteria can act as a semi-stable form of biological-digital storage medium, allowing data to be stored and retrieved in a way that surpasses most synthetic storage solutions. Lastly, they never stop growing. So long as they are appropriately fed, the Teshi Nurturi will continue to expand. The capital city of Yav'Gara holds the current record with a Teshi Nurturi that is nearly sixty feet tall and weighs several thousand tons. In some rural areas, people have cultivated them into structural supports and even entire dwellings, hollowing them out while keeping the bacterial colony intact.

The lifecycle of the Teshi Nurturi, when left alone in nature, is rather simple. The pseudo bacteria hatch from a strange mix of egg sack and shell and immediately start consuming any nutrients they can find. As they metabolize these nutrients, their waste products form the creature's shell. After the first six weeks of life, the Teshi Nurturi is roughly the size of a small chicken's egg. At this stage in the wild, other creatures commonly consume them. A reaction between the pseudo bacteria and digestive fluids causes the formation of a new egg sack, which is excreted, and the cycle begins anew.

Several theories suggest that the pseudo bacteria that hatch are identical to the ones consumed, implying a form of biological reincarnation. Others believe the Teshi Nurturi is the longest-lived organism ever discovered, with its bacterial colony continuously regenerating over millennia. While neither theory has been definitively proven, both have passionate supporters, particularly among eco-activist and fringe scientific communities.

Beyond their cultural and theoretical importance, the Teshi Nurturi has numerous scientific and technological applications. Their pseudo bacteria are a powerful probiotic, aiding digestion and immune system health across many species. Some corporations have even experimented with them as living batteries, harnessing bioelectricity generated from their metabolic processes. More controversially, they are being studied as potential medicinal treatments, as certain strains show promise in regenerating tissue and extending lifespans. Furthermore, rare specimens have exhibited unexpected mutations—such as unique shell patterns resembling text or glyphs—which have intrigued researchers at the University of Yav'Gara.

In the modern world, the Teshi Nurturi is a universal food staple. Massive farms accelerate their growth using specialized fertilizers, artificial hormones, and amino acids, producing vast quantities to feed the galaxy. Chefs and culinary experts have also found that varying the nutrients provided can create Teshi Nurturi with distinct flavors, leading to gourmet variations prized in high-end restaurants.

Legends speak of an ancient Teshi Nurturi hidden deep in the Yav'Garan swamps—one that has been growing for centuries and may have developed true sentience. Known as the "Great Sleeping Nurturi," it is rumored to be the size of a mountain, and some believe it is the guardian of the planet’s ecosystem. Meanwhile, reports of unusually large or strangely behaving Teshi Nurturi have led to strict planetary export regulations. Smugglers and black-market dealers often try to transport them off-world, where they are in high demand for their unique properties.

The planetary government and the University of Yav'Gara ask that any anomalous behavior be reported to them immediately and any specimens that fall outside what is considered normal be returned to Yav'Gara for study.

COMMON creature

2/500 owners

Discover more creatures

#105 Girflet

Girflets are creatures typically found in the damp undergrowth at the base of forest cliffs. When disturbed, they will race away at high speed, firing off seedpods into the air. On the ground, these seedpods bury themselves into loose dirt and sprout into a full-grown tree, making girflets great for reforesting an area.

#010 Vruntyk

Vruntyks are an ancient race of reptile that lived underground in caves for millennia before emerging and finding refuge in deserts and mountains across the globe. They're unfathomably fast and ferocious and live in gigantic, migrating communities. Their skin is as chewable as bubble gum and makes for a strong, defensive leather when tanned.

#011 Ssene

Ssenes are strange, shapeshifting creatures that configure parts of their body to mimic specific features of any creatures they see, rather than transforming into a copy of their whole body. This "bioremixing" property typically results in horrible, unnatural amalgamations depending on what creatures each ssene has seen recently.

#088 Fustonin

Fustonins are small, blue birds that live near active volcanoes. They are extremely light and can fly at speeds of up to 300 mph. They have no beaks and instead use the hard, pointed end of their shoulder to peck at the sides of a volcano and pry off lava rocks that they then carry back to their nests. Because of their shiny, blue color and friendly demeanor, fustonin are often kept as pets and are a popular subject for many children's books, where they're referred to as "fussies".

#109 Swox Majora

The swox majora is an exotic variant of the common swox moth that grows several magnitudes larger than their minora cousins. Swox majora have unwieldy, feathery wings that are heavy with the pearlescent pigments they use to attact mates. Any time the air gets too moist, swox majora are forced to lie out and sunbathe until their wings are dry enough to fly. As such, they prefer the drier climates atop mountains and largely keep to themselves, although they've evolved a wide array of defence mechanisms that have proved useful against most predators.

#165 Shaleel

The shaleel is a large, multi-colored reptile that inhabits the swamps and wetlands of Oorzh. Being mostly aquatic, the shaleel usually only comes to land when it is voluntarily wanting to shed its skin. Shaleels have a long, constantly-tapping tail that produces an electrical current that they use to incapacitate fish while hunting. When a predator or a new potential mate approaches, the shaleel will raise its tail high above its head and then slam it down; if the creature is a potential mate, the electrical current will cause an explosion of green sparkles that attracts the mate. If the creature is a predator, the explosion will usually ward it off.

#173 Alu'fiku

Alu'fiku are reef-dwelling fish most notable for their false "dorsal eye", which remains open while they sleep to help deter smaller predators. This is particularly helpful for alu'fiku because they sleep in open waters, coasting forward as if swimming, rather than hiding somewhere safe for their sleep. This lets the alu'fiku cover vast underwater distances in their sleep and migrate from reef to reef without too much difficulty.

#335 Gleetaus

Gleetauses are large beasts with spiked tails and a body covered in soft, fluffy fur. They are very fast and will often chase down small game such as rabbits, squirrels, or foxes. They are generally peaceful creatures and will avoid conflict unless provoked. The gleetaus is also well-known for its ability to vertically jump up to ten feet high. As an adult, gleetaus snouts will elongate and their tails will grow significantly longer and split many times, sometimes growing as many as nine distinct tails if they grow old enough.

#330 Jibbin

Jibbins are interesting tundra-dwelling creatures best known for their rapid growth and shrinking, with their size determined almost entirely by their mood (and most recent meal). Although they generally keep a scarce diet of nuts and berries scavenged from the snow, jibbins that find themselves too excited for too long will grow to an unsustainable size for all but the most fruitful of environments. When hunting jibbins, many locals will intentionally antagonize the creature to induce rapid growth before killing it, resulting in more spoils per kill. When left alone in a calm environment, a jibbin can live up to ten years.

More creatures