Hayk

Hayk is the patriarch in his tribe of pygmy swampjumpers in the Bangweulu Wetlands. As they age and molt into longer and longer legs, their jumping distance increases exponentially. When a swampjumper is of hunting age, it will create its own bow and a singular arrow. The rank of a hunter is decided by the age of their arrow, as an indication of their marksmanship. In the ritual before becoming a hunter, it must track and kill blister beetles, harvesting their secretions as a hunting poison. The cantharidin collected will act as a confusing poison, since it is a strong apahrodisiac that destroys the lining of the digestive tract. When hunted by Hayk, an excited but painful death overcomes the prey, calling for a mate while bleeding out internally. This is why they are also known as the ‘cupids of death’.