Neera: The Pit Edition
Here, Neera the Kai Ken/GSD has been replaced with Nerea, the American PitBull Terrier/Kai Ken mix. Her mother, Sasha, is an APBT, as is her uncle.
Her Father is a Kai Ken named Yamasemi, and he is part of an ancient lineage of hunting dogs that has been specially bred by hunters for generations. These ancient lines have special techniques that help out in a hunt, call them "signature abilities". They are largely inspired by native Japanese birds. Yamasemi's ability is an unavoidable high-speed lunge at an opponent, followed by a powerful twisting slam, reminiscient of the Kingfisher's hunting dive. So the ability is called "Sensuifu" or "The Dive". His design is based off of the Crested Kingfisher.
Nerea has inherited this Kingfisher dive power, and by her existence has thrown centuries of careful breeding down the tubes. The order didn't like this, neither the human overseers or the dogs themselves. After an initial attempt to correct the problem, IE kill her, Nerea escapes and flees into the mountainous backcountry, where it is much harder for a group of humans to track down one small dog. The overseers decide to send the best of the order after her, to sort out this problem as quickly as possible. Cue plot!
Other members of this hunting order:
Uzura the Shiba Inu, of the Quail bloodline. She has the power called "Mugai", the open or uncovered. She has an incredibly accute sense of smell, and can sometimes even predict a few moments into the future, purely by smell. Her design is inspired by the Japanese Quail.
Kuina of the Rail bloodline is a Shikoku, and has extraordinarily strong legs. His power is called "Bakushin". He can run at high speeds for lengths at a time, can jump, kick, and dodge with strength. His design is inspired by the Okinawa Rail.
Tsurugi of the Crane bloodline is an Akita. He has the power "Kenbu", the sword dance. He can read his opponents movements and dodge, while using the momentum to deliver punishing blows. His bloodline is one of the two "noble" bloodlines of the order. His design is based of of the Red-Crowned Crane.
Kotsubai the Kishu is of the Owl bloodline. His power is "Mokushi", and it allows him to accurately divine the location of quarry, no matter the distance between them; he can also see through disguises, illusions, and even lies. His design is inspired by the Japanese Scops Owl.
Akahige the Shiba Inu is of the Robin bloodline. His power, "Kakyoku", is a special kind of singing howling that echoes and reverberates, confusing an opponent and masking Akahige's location. Also skilled at mimicry and a conniving trickster. His design is inspired by the Ryukyu Robin.
Washiza, an Akita of the Eagle bloodline, has the "Shiagari" power. This power gives him immense physical strength and speed, almost disproportionate to his size. He is skilled at throwing his weight around and using it to smash his opponents into the ground. Top it off with a punishing, crushing bite, and Washiza is the one that brings hunts to a close. The Eagle bloodline is the second "noble" bloodline of the order. His design is inspired by the Steller's Sea Eagle, the heaviest eagle in the world, and one of the largest.
Wow, that really de-railed. How does Neera fit into all this again????
My bird-doggies are basically a replacement for this oh-so-mysterious-and-powerful Silver Dove clan of hers.