Barkback

The Barkback is an Uncommon creature released on Protochroma during Beta. It is found only in Forested Laboratory and its associated Delves, Laboratory Depths and Cassidice Nest. Its standard variant is Emerald. Barkbacks were initially released as a Limited Pickup, before being released to their Sector a few days later.

Baby
''It resembles some sort of cross between a conifer cone and an egg; though in a vaguely round shape, it is covered in hard plates of what looks to be thick tree bark. Trying to peel the bark off only results in the plates locking down more tightly.''

Juvenile
''It turns out that the pinecone-egg was actually a small mammal, tightly curled up. The plates are part of a shell on its back that grows more slowly than the creature itself; soon, the armor that covers it may only plate its back. It seems to be growing antlers, and is afraid of anything larger than it; this means its handler, as well. It quickly curls up when threatened, but perhaps it can be trained to recognize its handler and accept hand-fed leaves.''

Adult
''The Barkback is a doglike prey animal that seems rare only due to its ability to hide. This strictly herbivorous mammal not only has thick plates of bark forming an interlocking shell on its back, but also is covered in plant matter—for most of the year, these plants lay dormant, but when "in bloom", females (called does) carry flowers in their ears and manes while males (called stags) have berries hanging from their branch-like antlers. They are social creatures, forming herds as large as food availability will allow. However, they are extremely skittish, and the approach of an unfamiliar creature will cause it to curl up, protected by its shell.''

''Barkbacks grow slowly, and stop entirely shortly after reaching adulthood, so that they will not outgrow their shells. Stags are larger and sleeker, with both bigger antlers and plates, and are slightly more prone to meeting predators with a returning attack or by escaping than a doe would be. Does, in contrast, are small and compact, slower compared to the quick-to-flee stags. The plants that grow on a Barkback are considered edible, and the berries in particular make for a healthy snack packed with nutrients, while the flowers make a nice herbal tea. Barkback pups have been seen feeding on the plants growing on their parents to no ill effect. Despite their flighty natures and high defensive properties, however, Barkbacks are preyed upon by many predatory creatures they share their habitats with, such as the Lutreo.''

Additional Lore

 * The flavor of a Barkback's berries and flowers changes depending on its Chroma variant. They all taste like some variety of mint. Thus far, the confirmed flavors are:
 * Emerald: Chocolate mint
 * Red: Peppermint
 * White: Wintergreen
 * Green: Spearmint
 * Bronze: Cinnamon mint
 * Eating too much of a Barkback's plants will numb one's mouth and throat. This isn't dangerous aside from the risk of accidentally biting one's tongue. Because of this property, it is possible to use Barkback berry juice as a painkiller in the field.
 * Barkback calls sound like those of a zebra.
 * Barkbacks do not naturally shed their horns or plates, but will regrow them when broken off. Their bodies know to do this due to the resulting imbalanced weight.

Trivia

 * Barkbacks were mentioned in the Lutreo's adult description long before they were actually released.
 * The female Barkback was designed and sketched long before the male was, leading to a discrepancy in design that Keileon chose to explain as extreme dimorphism. It wasn't until sketching the male that she decided Barkbacks were caniform.
 * The color schemes of each Barkback Chroma variant are based on various ice cream flavors:
 * Blue: Ambiguously either cotton candy or bubblegum
 * Green: Pistachio
 * Red: Red velvet, but can also pass for chocolate cherry
 * Orange: Creamsicle
 * Pink: Strawberry, though the creature resembles the actual fruit more than the ice cream
 * Purple: Ube; Japanese sweet potato
 * White: Cookies and cream
 * Obsidian: Charcoal
 * Bronze: Chocolate caramel
 * Silver: Earl grey (Keileon was unable to find another silvery or grey ice cream flavor)
 * Gold: French vanilla
 * Emerald: Mint chip
 * Sapphire: Blueberry
 * Rainbow: Rainbow sherbet
 * Barkbacks have several user-given nicknames, such as Barkbark, Borkbork, Pinecone Dog, Ice Cream Dog, and simply Bark or Pinecone.
 * The Barkback has the longest TPS for its rarity, at 28 hours, specifically because Wymsical noticed that Keileon mentioned that Barkbacks grow slowly.