Thekk

"They're the ruthless scavengers of the Galaxy. They'll prey on anything."–Unknown

Thekk (pronounced /θɛˈk/) were a mammalian species native to the planet of Thekka. They were primarily human in stature, though larger, and completely covered in thick fur, usually dark brown. Their faces were perhaps the most ghastly of their features, with thin, diagonal eyes that were slitted, and flat, lipless and large mouths that were filled with long, spine-like teeth. They took great pride in their body hair, and often insulted individuals of species without extensive quantities of it, calling them 'furlesses'.

Though not always intelligent, Thekk were cunning and brave, and did not often cave or react poorly under pressure. Pack animals by nature, they often kept to close groups of a maximum of about twenty individuals, but bigger clans have been recorded. Outsiders are treated with hostility and scorn. Due to their human-sized tongues often moving past their jaws, they speak with a prominent lisp, and no consonant sound of 'S' appears in their language.

Biology & Appearance
A full-grown male Thekk stood at roughly one-hundred and ninety centimetres tall, though females were shorter, standing an average of seventy-five percent of that height. They were also rather burly, particularly in the limbs. This made them excellent close-combat fighters, a root part of their culture and something their species prides itself on. Despite this bulkiness, they were very flexible, and made excellent climbers, able to jump a full two and a half meters into the air with relative ease.

The Thekk, hailing from a cold planet, evolved heavy fur coats that were grown to length of sometimes two inches broad, and these covers were known to curl slightly at the edges. This gave them a shaggy, uncouth appearance, though in reality the fur was not as bristely as it appeared, only growing dense in the bottom layers, and it did not offer much protection from physical attack. They took great pride in this integument, and grew genuinely disgusted when viewing exposed, relatively hairless creatures.

Their true physical armour came from their tough hides, which are dull pink-white when shaved, but extremely tough, almost seeming tanned while still on the creature. This skin is over half an inch think and is able to absorb punches and other impact blows, and even sharp ones, with ease. However those who first struck a Thekk often mistook this defense for the outer hair, which has given birth to the common adage "tough as the hair on a Thekk's hide" and other such sayings. Though it is now common knowledge that Thekk's hair is not actually very tough, the saying has stuck.

However, there is a similar truth to the statement. Thekk hair contains an element similar to metal in small quantities, as well as elements that solidify when they come into contact with H20, or water. This effectively 'rusts' the hair, causing it to quickly stiffen, partially immobilizing the Thekk. Though this dead hair will fall out within a period of just twelve hours, it is a fact that causes great inconvenience to Thekks, as water is such a common fluid. They can however drink the liquid harmlessly.

A sub-species of Thekk, known simply as Thegg, were even larger and stronger, boasting heights of around two and a half meters. As a result, however, they were also considerably less agile.

History & Culture
Thekks are often viewed as primitive, violent savages, which is not entirely incorrect. Having evolved on the harsh planet of Thekka, survival of the fittest was an ingrained concept. In the earlier days of their evolution, they stuck to "Kakka" - 'clans' of up to ten individuals, who were bonded by mutual advantage and even friendship. Unlike most pack hierarchies, mating was a free and loose thing, with some children not entirely sure which individual was their father. While this can be viewed as despicable, it often made grown males more compassionate of children, unsure if they were anothers or their very own, which kept the Kakka together as a whole. This tradition has been carried on today, meaning the Thekk have little problem with concepts like adultery. Most individual Thekk spent the majority of their lives in the Kakka they were born in, though members were occasionally banished or welcomed.

Banishments were far more common. If one member disliked an another, he would challenge him in single combat. The winning party, regardless of the challenger, retained his position in the clan, while the loser was cast from the Kakka (Females, however, were exempt from these confrontations). They were banished, and would return on pain of death. Needless to say, losing a fight was a horrible dishonour to the Thekk, a tradition that continues today. Interrogating one is often unneeded - simply win against one in combat and that individual will spill what they know willingly. A member was inducted into a Kakka if they were able to defeat a member of their gender in the same trial (Though banished members could never be reinstated).

Due to the fact that Thekk have very little taste but an extremely powerful gut, they had no quals about eating food that was rotten or spoiled; in fact, they were known to eat almost anything that was not extremely toxic.

Tanga, a mild dissociative hallucinogenic to the Thekk and a few other species, originated on Thekka, and is thus a favourite drug of the Thekk. The aroma the plant excreted when crushed caused the effect, and it was considered a form of relaxation amoung the species, and often indulged in times of celebration. In modern society, it has become a trade of the Thekk, who use it, often excessively, to this day.