The Focused Albatross
"Wide wings. Quite a lot of beak. And then, where the body should be, a distortion point like something in a funhouse mirror. Looking at it makes your eyes wander."[1]
The Focused Albatross is an avian creature that roams the wilds of Parabola. Its head and wings are just like those of any other albatross, but instead of a torso, it has a strange focal point in its center, distorting light that passes through.[2] This distortion can focus the cosmogone light and heat of Parabola, causing the Albatross to leave behind a path of scorched earth wherever it flies.[3] The Albatross can also vanish away its body and head when provoked, leaving behind a floating pair of wings, perhaps in an attempt at self-defense.[4] Despite its lack of internal organs, the Focused Albatross does still eat its prey, and it may hunt for what birds typically hunt for; for example, goldfish.[5]
The Focused Albatross resides in a stone hollow called an Eyrie, which may inexplicably turn to glass at a moment's notice.[6] Unlike many creatures of Parabola, the Albatross does not speak, and it may line itself up, sometimes with others of its species, to refract light in a certain manner for reasons that remain unclear.[7] Furthermore, when left in complete darkness, the Albatross may disappear entirely, leaving its wings behind.[8] Apparently, this occurs because the Focused Albatross is not quite a bird entirely; rather, one of its parents was "cold-born", originating from the space between stars in the High Wilderness.[9]
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The Focused Albatross
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