Cockatrice

Encyclopedia Entry:
Harpies are seldom very large but this variety is especially small. While they have wings, they are not strong enough for proper flight. Instead, the race has developed powerful legs that allow them to move quickly across the ground.

Extremely timid in nature, a cockatrice will run away the instant she spots a human or large animal. However, a cockatrice’s body emits powerful pheromones that attract human men. This paradox of behavior (running away from men drawn by the cockatrice’s own pheromones) may be an instinctive test of a potential mate’s fitness. Only one who is quick of mind and of feet can chase down a cockatrice and mate with her.

When a cockatrice is caught, she will consider the man that caught her to be her new husband. A “married” cockatrice ceases to emit pheromones. Once her new mate regains his senses, he may try to leave; the cockatrice will head off any such attempts by immobilizing him with her petrifying gaze. She will use this same gaze in the future to protect her children from invaders. A married cockatrice’s nest lair is often marked with an assortment of humanlike statues. Encyclopedia Pages