Byakhee

"There flapped rhythmically a horde of tame, trained, hybrid winged things... not altogether crows, nor moles, nor buzzards, nor ants, nor decomposed human beings, but something I cannot and must not recall."

- H.P. Lovecraft, The Festival

Byakhee are interstellar predators that travel the vacuum of space by means of an organ called a "hune". This organ, located in the thorax of the creature, allows the creature to greatly surpass the speed of light by unknown means. The creature can also survive the interstellar vacuum unaided. If one had the means by which to survive the myriad threats space presents, than one could ride a Byakhee to anywhere in the cosmos. When travelling beyond the speed of light, the creature's metabolism is greatly increased. When descending to the surface of any given planet, it is usually to feed; it is best avoided.

While on the earth's surface, Byakhee can fly at speeds up to 70 kph. The "hune" also allows them to hover on a planet's surface, using their wings for movement.

Theories
It has been theorized that the Byakhee's "hune" is paramagnetic in nature; that is in fact attuned to the galactic magnetic field, and is propelled by the flux. If this is true, than it may explain the creature's uncanny ability to hover while planetside, as it could easily manipulate the earth's natural magnetic field to achieve such an effect.

Behind the scenes

 * Byakhee were created by August Derleth, and appear in many stories of the Cthulhu Mythos.
 * Similar flying creatures appear in Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian stories.
 * There is some dispute as to whether or not the creatures described in Lovecraft's The Festival and the creatures created by Derleth are, in fact, one and the same.

Appearances

 * The House on Curwen Street, by August Derleth (First Appearance)
 * The Watcher From the Sky, by August Derleth
 * The Festival, by H.P. Lovecraft
 * S. Peterson's Field Guide to Cthulhu Monsters, by Sandy Peterson, et al.