Stages and Common BehaviourEggNightmare eggs are as black as the night, and seem to eat the light. Non Nightmare wolfonflies are usually very wary around them, and will refuse to touch them. A human might feel some unease, but not the barely controlled panic of Lucids and Recurrings. Daydreams, Epics and Mutuals aren't as wary. Daydreams may land right on the egg, while Epics and Mutuals are only cautious, not scared, around them.
They are, paradoxically, on average, a bit smaller than Lucid eggs, and very smooth, but not shiny.
AdultAs soon as a Nightmare egg is touched by a human, it hatches. How, isn't exactly known. How can a creature the size of a horse climb out of an egg the size of a pearl? Well, in any case, it does. Any Lucids and Recurrings nearby usually flee the hatching Nightmare, while Epics and Mutuals back away. Daydreams, however, are as unaffected by the hatching Nightmare as they are by the Nightmare egg, and may perch on the creature and buzz a it, trying to communicate.
A hatching usually takes about five minutes from the first contact with a human till the Nightmare is fully out of its egg. Nightmares are fully developed once they have hatched. They can walk, run, fly, and speak fluent English from the second they are fully out of their egg.
That's right, I said talk. Nightmares do not bark like Lucids and Recurrings, nor do they buzz their wings like Daydreams. They talk. They also cannot understand the other wolfonflies anymore than a human can. Most of what they say are lies though. They tend to be selfish, saying and promising anything that will get them what they want. Most have a smooth, calm voice, and they show little emotion except when they're angry. They're cold and calculating, and very logical. They are hardly ever wrong once they have come to a conclusion about something.
That's not to say that every one is like that. Each one has their own personality, just like anything else in this world. These are simply characteristics of the species.
They also have a sort of collective mind. Not a hive mind. As mentioned earlier, each one has its own personality. No, just what one knows, they all know. This makes them very, very smart and cunning.
In the dream world, where they don't have humans to supply their prey, Nightmares are ambush hunters. As such, they aren't very fast, or very coordinated. They can walk quite easily, and do a sort of trot like a horse, but when they try to run, they usually get their legs tangled up or trip, as they aren't designed for speed. They can move their tail faster than a snake striking when they want to though...
Nightmares are stronger than they look. Most of their strength lies in their tail, but their bite is also powerful, and their backs are strong enough to carry a rider. They will only let their owner ride them though, and will refuse another human on their back.
They are loyal, to a degree. They need their owner's permission to do just about anything, but they have a way of getting them to say yes when they really want to say no...
A Nightmare cannot hurt their owner, even with their owner's permission. Both the acid and venom of a Nightmare does nothing if it lands on their owner's skin. This extends only to their owner however, other humans can be hurt by the acid and venom, or the Nightmare could bite their head off, for that matter. They need permission from their owner before they can attack anything though.
The liquid dripping from their tongues, and the liquid dripping from their tails are two different things. Their acid (tongue) is strong enough to melt through metal. It is slow acting, and can be washed off with simple water, but if left, eats through flesh and bone with ease. Nightmares are immune to the affects of other Nightmares' acids, and their own, for that matter. They produce far more acid than humans do saliva, and if not constantly swallowed, it will drip onto the ground.
The venom in their tails acts differently. If prey is wrapped in a Nightmare's tail, it will be paralyzed by it. Unable to move, it will only be able to watch helplessly as it is eaten alive. The venom also does not deaden pain. If anything, when prey is paralyzed and being eaten, they feel more pain then if they weren't paralyzed and being eaten. The only way to counteract a Nightmare paralysis is with a different Nightmare's venom. If a Nightmare touches prey that has been paralyzed by a different Nightmare, it un-paralyzes it.
Did I mention what they eat yet? No? Well... brace yourself...
Wolfonflies.
They eat other wolfonflies. Specifically Lucids and Recurrings. Well, that is their preferred food. They also feed off of the pain and fear of wolfonflies. It doesn't need to be directed at them in particular. A fear that someone in the pack doesn't like them is just as nourishing as the fear of the Nightmare itself. Obviously, the more fear or pain that wolfonfly is experiencing, the more "filling" it is to the Nightmare. Something interesting is that Nightmares feed off of the pain and fear of all wolfonflies, even though they just eat Lucids and Recurrings.
It is quite possible to keep a Nightmare and have it live off of only the pain and fear of the other wolfonflies. However, this is not actually food, and is the reason why so many Nightmares look skinny, most with their ribs showing. The amount of real food a Nightmare needs a day in order to look healthy is a far greater price to pay than most owners are willing, and a Nightmare is just as strong if left to feed off of fear and pain than if it did get its daily quota of four Lucids or Recurrings a day.
When not using their acid, they usually keep their tongues rolled up in their mouth, so as not to drip acid everywhere. Their venom is harmless unless it makes direct contact with an animal directly after leaving its tail. Stepping bare foot into a puddle of venom on the ground does nothing. As such, they almost constantly drip venom.
They can also see in all directions at once with their huge compound eyes,although what they see are millions of different pictures, each one at a slightly different angle from the last. They are very good at detecting movement,but don't have very good depth perception, and sometimes have a hard time distinguishing one object from the other.
Curious behaviour has been documented. Nightmares will protect Lucids and Recurrings from threats, much as a farmer will protect their herd of cows or sheep. It is suspected that the Nightmare is only protecting them so they can eat them later on when their owner finally gives in, but the Nightmares are close mouthed about this behaviour of their's. All that's known, is that if you have a strong will, you can ask a Nightmare to protect a pack of wolfonflies, much as a sheepdog will protect a flock of sheep.