Tradition: Indian Mythology
Alternative Names: Rukh, Phalmant
Category: Forest dweller
The Myth
The Zabraq is a fearsome and exotic beast described as smaller than a cheetah, with yellowish-red fur and flashing eyes. It is extraordinarily swift and can leap distances of thirty to fifty cubits or more in a single bound. Other descriptions portray it as a camel-like creature with two humps, tusks, and a large membranous tail. Some accounts instead depict it as an enormous, hideous monster with bristling claws and teeth. Its most terrifying feature is its ability to weaponize its own urine and dung, which are intensely corrosive and can burn like fire.
Zabraqs hunt animals as large as elephants, killing their prey by flinging caustic urine from their powerful tails. The tail can flatten and take on a shovel-like shape, allowing the beast to collect urine and dung before hurling the mixture at its victims. Almost no animal is safe from its attacks, although the Zabraq is said to avoid rhinoceroses. It also hunts humans and eagerly devours them when given the opportunity.
Those pursued by a Zabraq may try to escape by climbing a teak tree, which the beast cannot scale. However, even this refuge can be dangerous. The creature leaps upward in an attempt to seize its prey, then sprays its burning urine into the air, scorching anything it touches. If it cannot reach its victim, the frustrated beast turns towards the tree’s roots and roars furiously until clots of blood erupt from its mouth, causing it to collapse and die.
Every part of the Zabraq is said to be deadly. Its bile and testicles can be used to create powerful poisons, and weapons coated with these substances cause immediate death. Some accounts extend this deadly quality to its flesh, blood, saliva, and dung. The Zabraq is therefore remembered as a swift and vicious predator whose unnatural bodily weapons make it dangerous even to those who believe they have escaped its reach.
Sources
Countess Sica. “Zabraq.” A Book of Creatures. April 20, 2015. https://abookofcreatures.com/2015/04/20/zabraq/