My children, welcome to your new home, titled 'Draconia' because of you, the currently only inhabitants. These holo-manuals will automatically update with new info as time goes on.
Now your first question might be about your... I suppose you could say your 'mission' or it may even be about something else, we will get to the answers to the other questions with general information shortly. First off, as you know, you are breeding stock, but also the dominant species on this planet. You have control of every living thing, you can tame, breed, raise, harvest/slaughter any plant or animal you wish. But for now, the planet is nothing but rocks and dirt, as you can see. In the next month, no more than a month and one half into this future, the planet will be fully alive with creatures and plants, water, trees, and much more. Once this happens, you are free to do as you wish for UP TO one month after this, after this one month period, the females in your little... what we call 'clan' will start going into season, this is your chance to begin your mission and earn your right to be on this planet. If you refuse, and the population is not brought up or over our desired population quota (200 or more) there will be... severe punishments, should you cooperate however, you will have a new place to call home. Every population goal reached will be a new quota for population, after so many years and your numbers are satisfactory, we will stop giving you population missions, and you will be free to live your lives as you wish.
Next about your supplies -
There are several supplies you will need for your survival on this planet, you have each been given a knapsack with the same amount of the supplies per person, the females will have the tools and the males will have the seeds and seedling/sapling plants, you will need to plant these seeds and baby plants as soon as possible if you are to survive this harsh environment.
The seeds and younger seedlings are harvestable, they are used for food sources, the older seedlings are more further-along so you can have a bit of food sooner. The saplings are the beginnings of your shade trees, which will grow rapidly to better aide you in surviving the hotter times of the year. Speaking of planting, farming and harvesting, you will possibly have noticed I gave EACH of you two gallons of water. One gallon is for drinking, the rest is for your plants, now before you start tending to your plants, you will need to find a more... how you say, dependable source of water. You are to 'trade', which this skill will come in handy when someone has something the other wants and vice versa, your tools and seeds to the opposite gender. The females will tend to the plants, the males will do the hunting and building of your small civilization. This, although preferred, is optional, either gender can do whatsoever they please in terms of jobs.
The tools are
- 1 handmade axe (for cutting wood and such)
- 1 Handmade dagger (for hunting and defense (you will need to develop better ways later in your lives as predators begin to appear)
- and one spade or shovel (females and males can switch back and forth with this as the shovel is useful for both gardening and building)
Next is edible plants and animals
Now this planet is not -entirely- barren, you may come across lizards and bugs occasionally. Scorpids and arachnids are toxic, as are green and night black berries. all berries start green, so wait a time and see if they change different color. If they don't change colors within two weeks, find a different fruit. Night Black berries (what you called 'deadly Nightshade' which is a well-earned name in your fairytales) are highly toxic and kill you within three days, most likely less. If you're not sure of a certain black or dark colored berry, the safest way to find out is to attempt to feed it to an animal... most likely one you have captured but will not be eating. If it dies after consuming the black berries after a few days, discard the body immediately. If it doesn't, the berries, most likely, are safe to eat. There are black berries however, that are safe to eat, if you know what 'pinecones' from your home planet are, the safe ones look much like miniature black pinecones, very well named on your planet 'Blackberries.'
As for lizards and bugs, if you decide to eat a snake, make sure it is either non-toxic
(it won't have fangs if it isn't toxic) or de-fanged and de-venomized.
(in other words... remove the venom sack)
Bugs, most are safe, but as forementioned, scorpids and arachnids
(scorpids are like arachnids except with a longer tail with a stinger and large pincers) are highly toxic. DO NOT eat a scorpid or arachnid.
And finally, water, in order to find a more reliable source of water, the old earth phrase 'Follow your nose' is very true. Granted to your old human noses, water has no smell, but within a few days
(your water, if you make it last, should be 1/4 to half full by now) your weredragon senses will be highly developed, enough at least, you can smell nearby water, or if you smell things up to a kilometer away, or you smell something not within your range of sight, you will know your senses have been totally developed.
Next is about the reason you're here -
reproduction.
For those of you who do not know so much about this subject - Mating, unlike your previous human bodies, will not hurt at all. And birthing is the same for you as it is for animals. It doesn't hurt nearly as much as it does to humans. You do feel a bit of contractons while laying your eggs, but aside from that, it doesn't hurt at all from any of the process. And whether or not this was mentioned already, I'll explain it again - You can have anywhere from 5 to 10 eggs in each clutch, you females go into season twice a year, and if you time it just right, maybe even three times.
Females are in season for around one month. while in season, each day becomes increasingly difficult to control your actions. And at the peak of your season, males will not be able to either.
effects of incubation and the time of the eggs staying inside your womb are about three weeks and increased appetites, urges to dig holes (which is normal seeing as the eggs are kind loosely 'buried' once lain.) incubation for the eggs once lain is another week to 1 1/2 weeks.You can get them to about a high temperature of around 106 degrees, but this guarantees that all the eggs turn out males, temperatures below 100 degrees guarantee one female per 5 degrees lower temperatures. so a minimum of 45 degrees is allowed to ensure the offspring hatch in a healthy state.
Males will need plenty of energy the day a female goes into season, because males generally mate 6 times in a 24 hour period with their chosen mate, but only for one full day, every four hours they'll mate. This is kind of an instinctual thing, and it guarantees the children will be 100% healthy.
It's important to know the signs a female is going into season, unless you wish to lose your chance at claiming your female.
As was mentioned, females are in season for a total of one month.
The first fourteen days will test the males' dominance and endurance.
The signs of the first fourteen days are:
Excessive eating,
sweating,
warmth in the groin and thigh areas.
The fifteenth day, and only the fifteenth day, she becomes receptive, and will allow a male to mate with her, during this one-day period of peak-fertility, the previous signs are met up with another sign: submissiveness around males.
After the twenty-four hour period of peak fertility, she is no longer receptive as her season is fading, it becomes more and more difficult to try to breed her for the rest of the month until she will finally reject all males, letting them know that 'No means no' with a bite in no certain area, best to avoid that.
Our last amount of info is very important.
Finding more supplies
should the situation arise, which it is highly possible it could if you don't follow directions or choose your actions wisely, you may find yourself on a shortage of some supplies. Below is a small guide to help counter a few of these measures:
shelter: as forementioned you have very few, if any, material to work with. Your best bet is to find an already standing shelter, such as a cave or a large underground burrow, you can also dig a burrow if necessary, though I would recommend preserving strength, only digging a burrow as a last resort.
A burrow is your best bet as it keeps you cool in the day, and if structured correctly, can keep you warmer at night than sleeping outside. Separated burrows, although good for privacy,
can leave you with many holes in the ground, making it easy to twist an ankle or fall into another clan member's lap. I highly suggest digging a wide, deep burrow so that it remains structurally sound, but also with enough room for everyone in a single burrow. The males can handle the digging, but females can help if needed.
However, if you choose to preserve your strength, a cave is the next best option. as it provides shelter from the elements, as well as most cave systems having an underground spring that wells to the surface, voila, instant clean drinking water.
Building materials: for now, the only building material you are likely to find is rocks,
clay, and possibly mud, as well as maybe a few sticks, likely the only wood source for some time.
Storage units and etc. If you are resourceful, you can build a temporary food storage hut out of the materials previously mentioned. this will keep the food dryer and relatively cooler. a drying rack, made simply from sticks and animal tendons (there are lizards, after all, which is your best source for tendons at the moment), can be used to dry and cure meat, allowing you to keep them edible for a time longer.
