Familiar

The kemono (singular and plural), more commonly known as the familiars, are a race of shape-shifting beings from a parallel world full of unstable, destructive magic. Most familiars are more than willing to bond with a magician from Etherth in order to control and improve their magical powers.

Physiology
Depending on their parentage (see Reproduction below), familiars are either born with human-like bodies and the ability to transform into a single animal form, or as a land mammal or bird with the ability to transform into a single human-like form. Their human form does not have the ears, tail, wings, etc. of their animal form; only kemonomimi have these traits. However, the body structure of their human form will often parallel that of their animal form. For example, a cat familiar will usually have a lithe, flexible body, and a bull familiar will usually be tall and muscular. A familiar's hair color matches his/her fur or feathers, and his/her eyes are the same color in both forms.

Reproduction
Familiars can breed with one another in either their animal or human forms, but both partners must be in the same form in order to reproduce. If both partners are in animal form, they must be physically compatible--for example, a fox and a crow familiar in their animal forms cannot reproduce, but a fox and a cat can. Because of the unstable magical energies of Kemon, the children of two familiars only occasionally inherit the race of either of their parents.

Familiars can also interbreed with most other races on Etherth that give live birth. The offspring of such couplings are always kemonomimi.

A pregnant familiar loses her ability to transform until her baby is born.

Society
According to the familiars who travel to Etherth, Kemon is a chaotic world where magic runs wild and the landscape and climate can change at a moment's notice. Most kemono on their home planet are hunters and scavengers who travel in small clans to survive. Those who make contact with Etherth and bond with a magician become part of that magician's society. A familiar whose bond with his/her magician is broken is either banished back to Kemon or bonded with a new magician in order to keep his/her unstable magical powers in check.