I've made a Psychoraptor grip to go with the pic here , as a reference to anyone else interested in taking a grip slot for a character.

PhyscoRaptors belong to =Freakzter [link]
Official PhyscoRaptors Club: [link]
PhyscoRaptors Species Ref by Freakzter: [link]

Clan History (Jigsaw's Grip):

Jigsaw's grip is currently one of the smaller Psychoraptor grip on the planet, as it has only recently formed from the remnants of the SkinRaker grip, massacred just over a year ago by a larger, more powerful grip from a neighbouring territory. Those few who had not been killed outright that night had fled to die of their wounds, beg entry into another Grip (often a tricky business), or try their luck scrounging out a precarious (& frequently short) existence as rogues. A few - Jigsaw's grip - chose to gather themselves together into a new pack, and start over elsewhere.

Jigsaw was, at the time of the massacre, unmated and of the Zeta rank (seventh down from the Alpha). While the others of the grip rested back at the den, she had been out hunting dromaeosaurs with two others from the pack; her younger brother (JailBreak) & half-sister (JabFoot). They had almost closed in on a kill, when a wounded and panicked adolescent male from their home pack blundered in & interrupted the hunt. By the time the three caught up with him, got the news out of him, and headed back home by the route with the best cover (dragging the adolescent along with them for his own safety), it was too late.

From a well-hidden vantage point, they could see PsychoRaptors from a nearby Grip nosing among the dead & dying of their own mates and relative, feeding off the wounded and helpless of those they saw who were left. The intruders were many, far too many for a mere three hunters and one frightened adolescent to survive a fight with. No speech or signals were needed between the survivors to understand what this meant for them - they could not go back. This place was no longer their territory.

Among the fallen, they spotted the mangled remains of SkinRaker, their Grip's Alpha; the wise and ruthless leader that had kept the Grip together since before they had even been born. Jigsaw herself had alternately feared, admired and aspired to become like her as she'd matured - as did most of her Grip's younger females. Now, her once-charismatic aunt could barely be recognised, were it not for the body's near-intact head.

JailBreak quietly bared his teeth - Jigsaw, JabFoot and he had been hunting to bring back food for a whelp of SkinRaker's that had been born only a few days earlier. She (for the grip had been almost sure SkullShaker, the whelp, was female - possibly Hermaphrodite as well) could not be seen among the three whelp bodies that were visible among the rest. That, though, did not necessarily mean that SkullShaker had survived.

Some of the victors appeared to be feeding on the bodies of the slain. By the numbers that were coming into the clearing, it looked like the usurpers were an unusually large and well-organized Grip. They would make the most of the new hunting territory they'd gained, and likely increase in strength & numbers as new whelps would be born and matured. Interloping males would also be come, attracted to the security, and the possibilities for advancement such a massive Grip would offer.

The four remembered too that the interlopers would already have had scouts sent out to hunt for survivors, and that to stay any longer would be foolish.

In the days that followed, the little group was joined by ten more survivors from the grip as they made their way away from their old territory. One of these, an elder, died from his wounds soon after though his mate survived. The rest were all younger raptors, subordinate in rank & barely out of adolescence, their seniors having fallen in the Grip's defence. Some of these bore scars from their own efforts in the battle, others had clearly lost their nerve and fled without a fight. All were accepted regardless - Grip was grip, after all and everyone was needed if they were to survive.

Eventually, after many weeks of travelling they found a place that appeared to be unoccupied by other PsychoRaptors. In some ways, it was a strange and unsettling place, where certain rocks or trees caused back fur to prickle as they went by, and unfamiliar (but very edible) creatures randomly appeared out of nowhere. However it far enough away to be safe for a while, and with good enough hunting to sustain a small grip. Soon, new pairs were established, and pack ranks were re-organized. Jigsaw and her recently acquired mate Ripper emerged as the new Alphas, with JabFoot and JailBreak not far below her.

In time, if this place could sustain them well enough, Jigsaw might be able to lead her grip back home in stronger numbers, and take back what they'd lost. Now, though, the main thing was for them to survive. If they could succeed in that, then the time to deal vengeance would come later.

Grip Facts: Jigsaw's Grip is currently very small (8 members only at this point) - but may increase with future hatchlings and influx of outside individuals & couples seeking a grip.

A List Of Some Of The Founding Grip Members

Jigsaw: Alpha Female (a PsychoRaptor grip is named after its leader, which is the Alpha female).

Mate: Ripper (unmated before taking him)

Age: Young adult (third oldest in the clan)

Personality: Ambitious, cunning and forceful; she (like many of the Grip) is also not long out of adolescence, and as a leader her inexperience has often gone against her. Nevertheless, she is physically strong, and a talented fighter & hunter - that, along with her personality, has kept her Alpha position in her fledgling Grip as secure as it can ever be. Openly aspires to get her Grip on the way to its former strength and, if possible, avenge her line and reclaim her old home territory. Takes things seriously, in both the best way & the worst of ways. Strong protective streak. Self-controlled and sensible most of the time, she can get hot-headed when her buttons are pushed (especially anything that may hint of insubordination; she is paranoid about maintaining her authority). At those times, her judgment is not as good as it normally is. Will gain more self-control & cunning as time goes on.

She attained Alpha status after her birth Grip was destroyed, and she took Ripper as her mate after starting her own from its survivors. No offspring (yet).

Ripper: [Link] Alpha (Herm) Male.

Mate: Jigsaw. Very distantly related to Jigsaw (eighth cousin), came to Jigsaw's original grip as an adolescent wanderer seeking admission. Jigsaw is his second mate, he had another for a short time, but they parted after a clash (his first mate, a Herm female called ChipFang, was also one of the casualties of the massacre)

Age: Young adult (second oldest in the Grip, six months older than Jigsaw)

Personality: Calm, rational, wary. Though not much older than Jigsaw, he has seen more of life outside the Grip than she has; his experience (though not infallible) is a bit more reliable. Few things faze him, but he has an underlying paranoid streak. Not as outstandingly clever as Jigsaw or JailBreak, but very observant & good at making sense of what he sees. Can also often be very cool, aloof and uncommunicative. Will not forget a favour or a wrong. Subtly assertive. Rarely changes his mind once he's made it up. Skilled, disciplined hunter & fighter. Loyal to the pack, will back Jigsaw up in a fight with another PsychoRaptor if she needs it. No offspring (yet).

JabFoot: [Link] Beta Female, Jigsaw's half-sister.

Mate: Unknown Male (character slot reserved by =Freakzter ) - will be her second mate, having lost her first one in the massacre.

Age: young adult (four months younger than Jigsaw)

Personality: Silent, observant, serious, pessimistic, severe; won't happily tolerate fools. Likes solitude, rarely playful if ever. When hunting or fighting, throws herself into the task with full intensity. Savage & dirty fighter, will not hesitate to use underhanded tactics if she believes she's right. Demands respect from subordinates, dutiful to superiors. Often gloomy, but resilient - rarely depressed enough to have trouble functioning. Not afraid to look into the darker & weirder side of things, of which she is strongly curious about. Too much cheeriness annoys her. Very protective side to her nature that she strives to keep hidden, paranoid about showing weakness. Dislikes sloppiness, weakness (in herself or others), or hypocrisy. No definite ambitions (other than to avoid slipping down in rank), but has secretly decided to challenge Jigsaw if -; and only if - she fails to sufficiently improve as a leader.

In her previous grip, JabFoot had a whelp at a relatively young age, soon after pairing with her first mate. He died a few months after birth from a fever that was going through the area (a very old elder and another whelp died along with him in the same epidemic). No other offspring (yet).

JailBreak: [Link] Selsa Male, Jigsaw's full brother.

Mate: Unknown Female (character slot reserved by ~Dregrith ) - JailBreak's first mate, and was his mate (or intending to become his mate) before the massacre.

Age: young adult (a year younger than Jigsaw) - just out of adolescence

Personality: Easygoing, shifty, sneaky, layabout, playful, show-off, a bit naive in spite of his shiftiness. Protective towards younger PsychoRaptors. Extremely clever, good at coming up with new hunting strategies (or for just about anything else), his ideas often - but not always - work. Likes thinking up new things just for the sake of thinking up new things. Bit of a smart-aleck & goof when relaxed. Smooth persuader when he wants to be. Average fighting ability that will improve with experience. Only moderately ambitious, as he likes things free and easy, & wants only minimal responsibility. If he thinks he can get away with it, he'll cheat at anything. He has also been known to go mindlessly berserk when provoked hard enough, and takes a long time to calm down afterwards when that happens. Slack as he is, he's unlikely to slip down to Omega rank as the clan grows for that reason. JailBreak would have long ago left the Skinrakers to seek mates in other Grips, he didn't because he didn't want the harder work of living rogue - even temporarily.

JailBreak has no offspring (yet).

Usual Grip Traits The founding members of Jigsaw's grip come from one of the older PsycoRaptor lines, the traits of which tend to come through strongly in their offspring, even if crossed with outside grips. (your raptor does not have to have all these traits, but it's mandatory for them to have at least one, and desirable for them to have at least two or more. There is one exception to this rule - see note after grip slot info at the end**).

- Mane & undertail hair is usually a simple two-tone gradient or streak-mix, distinctly contrasting roots are relatively uncommon though many may have streaks and/or tips that are usually white and/or a darker shading of the mane/undertail colours. Mane & undertail colour & markings nearly always match.

- Claws are often brightly coloured, either a single, solid colour or a gradient of two colours. Metallic-coloured claws are possible.

- Most members have the pads on their hands & feet a single bright primary or secondary colour, or else white or black. Grey or brown paw pads are rare. It's not uncommon for the pad colour to be so bright as to appear fluorescent.

- Black and/or white hand and foot markings are common. Many have simple black or white socks on their hands & feet, with or without highlights in another tone or colour. Hand & foot markings are always nrear-symmetrical, unless disfigured by scarring, disease etc.

- Tail quills of females & Hermaphrodites are usually a brilliant rainbow or coppery-brass iridescence, regardless of other colours.

- Ears are often mottled in a paler colour at the tips.

- Eyes are generally plain white, with pinpoint pupils.

- Tongues are usually banded with black, another colour and/or white.

Any colour or tone may be used for any part of the body or markings, except (usually) where particular ones are specified.

Mandatory Grip traits: (These are the traits your PsycoRaptor must have in order to be accepted into the grip). These are applicable to members left over from the previous (SkinRaker's) grip (Jigsaw, Ripper, JailBreak, JabFoot & the remaining Beta, Selsa, Gamma & Omega slots), any future offspring they may have, and any possible future latecomer stragglers from the SkinRaker grip, or distant grip relatives that may come in later. Note: Outsider-born psyraps that join this grip only need to have mandatory trait #1 - the grip mark.

(1) All Jigsaw Grip PsycoRaptors have an oval-shaped piece taken out towards the tip of the left ear (see Jigsaw's ear in the pic) as the Grip Mark; given by cutting the ear with a tooth or claw. It is an adaptation of the old Grip Mark of SkinRaker's Grip, which was then a simple, deep notch in the same place. (Incidentially, SkinRaker chose the ear as the place for her Grip Mark as a way to encourage her clan to be better at self-defense i.e, good enough to stop one's ears getting completely ripped up/off, & avoiding the dishonour that goes with it of losing one's Grip Mark).

(2) Face that is either a basic solid black or white, with face markings in any single colour or tone that contrasts with that. If not a Whiteface or Blackface, the face colour is usually a brighter or darker continuation of the main body colour.

(3) The PsycoRaptor must have at least one of the common grip traits described in the previous section.

(4) It is also mandatory for your PsycoRaptor (unless he/she is an unrelated outsider – see note after grip slot info**) to be either one of the following two basic marking types:

Type 1: Body is broadly banded or striped, in any colour. Zebra, flame, scooped stripes with Jigsaw-like edging, jail-stripes & tiger striping is common - as well as any other variations of stripe/banding (including stripe-like tribal markinhgs). Striping may go along the entire neck - tail body length, or occur on either the first half or the second half of the body only. With this type, body colouring beneath the striping is nearly always a gradient of black (or another very dark colour) along the back down to another lighter colour (which can be any) on the limbs and underside. The base tail colour may also either follow the gradient, or be solid black or dark coloured. Some (but not all) fully striped individuals may have their body stripes extending into the mane & undertail fur like a zebra's mane. Lower limbs may be unmarked, or marked with a different type & colour of stripe to that on the body.

Type 2: Any plain body colour that grades to black on the limbs and tail. Limb/tail markings on these individuals may vary from the simple bracelet/armband type (see Ripper in the pic), to zebra, tiger, tribal, flame or electric bolt etc markings on those areas.

Again, any colour or tone may be used for any part of the body or markings, except where specific ones are required.

Current Ranks:

Alpha Female - Jigsaw by ~ghost-eye - see pic [link]

Alpha Male - Ripper (Herm/Male) - see pic [link]

Beta Female - JabFoot by ~ghost-eye [Link] (Jigsaw's half-sister)

Beta Male- reserved by =Freakzter

Selsa Female - [DeathRow] - reserved by ~Dregrith

Selsa Male - JailBreak by ~ghost-eye [Link] (Jigsaw's full brother)

Gamma Female - Reload, by ~Arkangeldarkangel - [Link]

Gamma Male - reserved by ~Manar-Darkwing


Omega Female (Needs to be a widowed elder, from Jigsaw's previous pack, must have severe scarring) - reserved by ~catharicdissonance

Omega Male - Hazard by ~Arkangeldarkangel [Link]

Whelps - none yet

Clan Slots: If your interested in adding a PsycoRaptor character of your own to this grip, reply to this journal entry to reserve a slot.

***NOTE All vacant Slots are currently taken, but if more slots are desired from this grip, I can make more available*. However, unless you want one that starts off as a hatchling born in the grip, they will need to be outsiders the grip has inducted. Though members born outside the grip will still need to take the mandatory grip mark, they are exempt from needing any of the other common/mandatory traits - though you can still put any of them in if you want.

* - I will also make a slot available for an un-gripped Psyrap character that is looking for a clan.

Anyone who is interested may do this, but they MUST credit =Freakzter as the creator of the species in their notes, and only archive it on the DeviantArt, SheezyArt or Furaffinity.net websites

ETA: This grip name is not intended to be affiliated with the *WrathOfNessis horse character of the same name.