MLP- The Faun

Aaaaaand another one! It may be because I have nothing else to do but lie in bed since I'm a litlte sick again, but I've been dishing these headcanon sketchdumps out pretty quick, huh? x3 This time it's of another creature folks have been asking me about: the Faun. It seems human-based creatures were pretty often asked about from my headcanon, but at this point those of who you follow me know that humans don't exist in my headcanon. As such, I substitute them with something else. In the case of the faun, I've obviously substituted them for an ape or chimp. The faces were a bit difficult at first but I think I've got the hang of it now. ^.^ Please excuse the writing though; I was have asleep when I wrote this. o3o

But yeah. Let's just move on to their headcanon, yush?

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The Faun is a part of of the Taurus family, the classification of the creatures that are seemingly half-primate/half-ungulate. This includes the Satyr, the Centaur, and the Minotaur as well. The Faun is more related to the Centaur in that it looks more ape than ungulate; they appear to be a mix between a chimp and deer.

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Appearance:
The Faun is a moderately sized creature, coming in at about 7ft tall for both sexes. They have long, powerful arms they often use to support their weight when walking, however they are able to walk and run completely bipedal as well. The Faun can either be with or without a mane, however if they do grow manes it's often blended with their neck ruff and either the same color as their coat, or a slightly lighter or darker color than their coat. Both sexes can, and will, grow antlers, however males tend to grow larger antlers. As with all Taurus females, the faun female does not have prominent breasts unless nursing her young.
Their hands/paws (either is acceptable) are large and are tipped with claws that are short, but sharp. Both sexes harbor long and sharp canines.

Diet:
Like their relatives in the Taurus family, the Faun is omnivourous, however they tend to favor fruits, vegetables, and fish over red meat. Similarly to the griffons, quite a bit of emphasis is placed upon the fish among fauns, with it being one of their main sources of meat (fauns prefer to live closer to the coast). They also really love coconuts. Being omnivorous does mean the faun likes to hunt, however they forage more often than not. Foraging groups and hunting parties often consist of three or four fauns, in which they prefer to simply chase their prey down due to their fantastic endurance instead of ambush like the satyr are often compelled to do.

Breeding:
Due to the Faun being a part of Taurus, both the species family and the country of the same  name, their approach to romance is open. Like the Minotaur, the idea of romance and marriage for life is taken very seriously, so much so that whomever they first choose to be their mate more often than not will become said mate. Much like that of the Minotaur, the Faun likes to show off to their potential mate and spar to prove their worth as a fighter and protector (all fauns do so, not just the males).

A doe (or fauness) will typically have only one or two cubs at a time. The baby faun can be referred to as “calf”, “cub”, “infant”, or “child”, and are born tiny, fluffy, defenseless, and unable to walk. Their aging is very similar to that of any other taurus.

Behavior:
Like the Centaur, the Faun is pretty nomadic in nature however they often will simply establish their own territory and travel around said territory. This way, it allows the faun to satisfy their base instinct to travel as well as keep it so they don't accidentally trespass into someone else's territory. The country, like Zebrica, is very tribe-like in orientation (in which there are many different tribes in the same country), however their government works somewhat like an oligarchy:

There is a “council” of sorts (referred to as the Council of the Holds) that is composed the leader and most trusted shaman/elder/representative of each individual “Hold” in Taurus (there are 15 holds in total). Each hold is under the rule of the Alpha (basically a king/queen/president) of Taurus, whom of which could be referred to as the “High Chief” of the country. The requirements to become the High Chief is that the Taur in question must be an experienced warrior and hunter, and must be at least 30 years old or older; the race of the Taur does not matter. Political experience isn’t necessarily needed to try to become the High Chief of Taurus, however it is preferred by those in the seats of the council.

Every four years, there is a huge, country-wide tournament held for those who wish to challenge the current Alpha for his/her seat as the High Chief. Only the best of the best will be able to get into said tournament, so in the year before the fourth year of a High Chief’s rule, there is are hold-local tournaments held, in which each Hold has their own competition to determine who will go to challenge the High Chief. These tournaments will determine the candidates’ hunting and battle skill, their ability to adapt, their ability to lead, and whether or not they follow the Code of Honor. Each hold’s tournament will send out two candidates (the winner of the tourney and the 2nd placer winner). This gives the final tournament 30 participates.

Once the candidates for the 4th Year Tourney has been chosen, they will train for the remainder of the time up until the final High Chief tournament begins. Once said tourney rolls around , 30 candidates will battle each other until there is only one who makes it to the final round. That round involves fighting the High Chief himself/herself. Whomever wins the duel will then be nominated High Chief of Taurus.

However, in the event that the current High Chief is less than satisfactory, those of the Council of the Holds are welcomed to challenge the High Chief to a duel for the title.
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And there you have it. I already have the Satyr sketchdump completed but I'll wait a bit before uploading that one. :3 As always, feel more than free to ask any questions if you have any! ^.^