minor lore post [not an update, existing lore] (Patreon)

something I know back in the days when I was on FA I mentioned and also between private chats with drake owners but wanted to reconfirm that all drakes are capable of training themselves to echolocate using their claws. most do not have the skill, but all CAN learn it if they make the effort.

it's similar in effort as a woman flexing her pec muscles, or someone who has learned to wiggle their ears. it takes time/effort but pretty much anyone can do it.

Ezrael has of course, demonstrated the skill in some of the various story blurbs I have done with her loooong ago [jesus shes 6 years old now--wow]

The drake [we use ez in this example] will raise one of their kill claw toes off the ground and proceed to tap it several times in fairly quick succession. the reverb bounces  back into their ears and organs inside their cranium translate this into a rough image. Ezrael will continually claw tap when she is hunting for someone, and it's near impossible to fool a drakes echolocation as they have VERY sensitive hearing. 

The skill is useless on sand, dirt or any soft surface however. in cases like that, they will resort to using their natural senses of smell, sight and hearing. As a sapient life form AND an apex predator, it's generally near impossible to escape from a drake on the hunt. humans for example, would be fucked.

This is an old old lore that I actually imported from the veil drakes [they too have a huge claw] and my original idea from it was inspired by jurassic park where NO ONE seemed to understand that thats what the raptors were doing when they claw tapped in /any/ of the films, including the one with the indoraptor. 

some examples of claw tapping from JP: 

https://youtu.be/IEGQfrpnjWk?t=73 [around 1:15]

https://youtu.be/qlRTtMPOgVk?t=40

it's actually good science that those movies included this unique tactic for hunting prey, even though the VAST majority of viewers have to this day, no fucking clue that it's a form of echolocation. most people have absurd theories about why the raptors in the films claw tap, but it's obvious it's a form of echolocation as they tap then visably listen for the echo, then tap again and so on.

this is what I based the veil drakes claw tapping on. where they got it from, who knows. the likely discovered they could echolocate during the continental wars and passed this knowledge down as only veil and abyss have this claw and ability. mistavians often have a large claw but as they are a feral species they dont have the balance required to lift 1 toe while standing on 4 legs.