Seerling

The Seerling is a medium-sized deer native to Errador. They have been domesticated by the Halflings for thousands of years.

Biology
The Seerling’s coat is a reddish-brown in the spring and summer, and turns a grey-brown through fall and winter. The underside of its tail is white, and will be raised when it is alarmed to flag the other deer. Male Seerling grow and shed new antlers each year, while females do not have antlers. Healthy male Seerling will have eight-point branching antlers as yearlings. The number of points, the length, or thickness of the antlers is a general indication of age. Typical antlers are symmetrical and the points grow straight up off the main beam.

Seerling eat large varieties of food, commonly foraging on plants, including shoots, leaves and grasses. They also eat acorns, fruit and corn, and foods they can find in a farm yard, such as hay.

Behaviour
Seerling typically respond to the presence of potential threats by breathing heavily (blowing) and running away. When they blow, the sound alerts other deer in the area. As they run, the white on their tail warns other deer of the alarm.

Male Seerling compete for the opportunity of breeding females. Sparring among males determines dominance. Females give birth to one to three spotted young, known as fawns. Fawns lose their spots during their first summer. They are usually weaned after 8-10 weeks. Seerling communicate in many different ways using sound, scent, body language and marking. All Seerling are capable of producing audible noises unique to each animal. Fawns release a high pitched squeal, known as a bleat, to call out to their mothers.

Relationship with sentients
Seerling have been domesticated by the Halflings and the Khajits for thousands of years, used as pets and in the Calvary. However, they cannot be ridden by the Khajits due to their size. The domestication has led to a huge decline in the number of wild Seerling, and they are referred to as the feral populations, as opposed to true wild Seerling.

Seerling are used for leisure activities, sports and working purposes. Communication between Seerling and sentient is paramount in any activity; to aid this process Seerling are usually ridden with a saddle on their back to assist the rider with balance and positioning, and a bridle or other headgear to assist the rider in maintaining control. Seerling are used in agriculture and transportation. Some land management practices such as cultivating and logging can be efficiently performed with Seerling.

Seerling are also used in the Royal Calvary, to be ridden on by the Halflings into war, for ceremonial purposes, and for transport activities in areas of rough terrain.