Creepy Sheep

Creepy Sheep (ヒツジン) are a prolific recurring enemy in the Trails series.

Physiology
Creepy sheep exist in several varieties, each no less deadly than the other. Generally, they all have the appearance of woolly bipedal creatures with long snouts, clawed hands and feet and long spiral prehensile tails. The most common variants of creepy sheep have pink flesh and white wool, however less common colour variations are not unusual. 'Pink' sheep are the only female kind, and have black skin and wool that varies from a lilac to bright pink shade, whereas 'black' sheep have darker wool. Other colours include sky sheep who long for blue skies, red sheep who wear sunglasses, and green sheep who may even adopt human clothing such as straw hats and tools such as buckets. It is unknown what drives this disturbing behaviour.

Sometimes, a creepy sheep may grow so large, it becomes known as a 'the boss'. These behemoths are several times the size of their regular counter parts, but are less fluffy as a result and bear a darker countenance and more aggressive posture. These more formidable sheep lead mint blue colored sheep known as 'snow sheep' who live in snowy mountains and have the ability to steal all of a foe's body heat.

Characteristics
On one hand, creepy sheep share traits with other monsters such as being attracted to the Septium in orbments. Where they differ to other monsters is in their behaviour and motivation, a darker a motivation that is shared across the species. Creepy Sheep are known to be calculating and sly, employing clandestine strategies to fulfil their thirsts and needs, needs which are far more dark and much less understood. It is not uncommon for creepy sheep to engage in lecherous behaviour, observing female guests at hot springs all over the continent and evading notice when detected. They have no room for love in their heart.

Pink sheep in particular are said to pursue the ideal of happiness. But in their malicious nature, they gain their happiness through beating others up, using their suffering to fuel its own pleasure. Black Sheep are described as having 'evil souls'- a term normally reserved for beings such as Fiends or devils and use hindering attacks. Wandering sheep are said to have been swept up by a black, corrupting gale, and filled with rage knowing they can never return to a peaceful life.

They are capable of cooperating with one another, forming large groups or performing combination attacks. Some sheep have the ability to 'combine' into a larger sheep, using their prehensile tails to connect to one another. No other creature has shown the ability to synchronise or work in this fashion- several sheep uniting and fighting as one body.Additionally, creepy sheep may split up to distract pursuers, or take advantage of natural terrain such as bushes to conceal themselves and mountainous terrain to aid their escape. A single sheep can outrun all but the most experienced snowboarders on a downward slope.

Creepy sheep are one of the few monsters who are intelligent enough to fight only when required, preferring to flee to conserve strength, but are not afraid of targeting those who they perceive as weak. Creepy sheep recognise a show of strength, and will often engage in combat before submitting. It is implied they understand the speech of men, appearing to follow orders to leave an area and stop their machinations. The fact that they perform similar acts across the continent could indicate that they never betray their true nature and will always return eventually.

If their ability to coordinate and think strategically wasn't already enough to contend with, creepy sheep seem to have the ability to use their own form of martial arts or a form of boxing. They are capable of rapid movements, powerful attacks that inflict status anomalies (sleep attacks which render their foes unconscious seem to be particularly favoured as they render the foe defenceless) and can perform great leaps. Observed techniques include triple kicks, the 'Baaaaaad Touch', and the 'Fist of the Sheep King'.

Creep Sheep are present in almost all regions of Liberl, but appear in the largest numbers in the Zeiss region. Estelle Bright runs afoul of a group of them when on a mission to scan the area as part of the earthquake investigations. The use of the orbal device attracts the group who ambush them near the stone circle, hoping for easy prey. They are successfully fought off.

When investigating the case of 'peeping Tom' at the Elmo Village hot springs, the party soon discover the culprits are none other than creepy sheep hiding in the bushes. They give chase and eventually corner the sheep, but are soon surprised when the sheep pull off a combination attack and combine into a Big Sheep and try to fight. The sheep are defeated and sternly told off by Estelle and warned never to return. Agate Crosner or Scherazard Harvey's threats seem particularly effective at cautioning the sheep. A group of creepy sheep work together as one of the teams taking on Kevin Graham in Phantasma's copy of the Grand Arena. They are described as adorable but deadly. They do not defeat Kevin and his team, despite using a variety of sheep species as part of their line up.

Children in the city are known to play games based on the idea of creepy sheep. One game involves a person being nominated as the sheep and they can climb on high spots if they can get to them within three seconds. One child, Pully, is especially keen to take on this role, describing their self as born for the role.

Red creepy sheep who wear shades live in this region.

Creepy sheep are native to the Nord Highlands region. Snow sheep, a variation, are native to the Ymir area. A group of Snow sheep attempt to become peeping Toms, spying on the women at the Ymir Phoenix Inn and hot springs. Rean Schwarzer's party discover them and give chase, with Rean needing to grab a snowboard and pursue them down the drifts in order to catch them one at a time. At the base of the hill, the sheep bring in their leader, 'The Boss' who gives them a fight. After he is defeated, the Boss is warned never to return, and he leaves.

Western Erebonia was almost at the mercy of the creepy sheep before new Class VII foils an attempt a large gathering of Pink Sheep to cause havoc in the area. known as the 'Pink Death', near endless waves of pink sheep proved to be a formidable challenge before their eventual defeat.

Popular sayings in Erebonia include 'Don't be a Creepy Sheep', and Rean also finds a book for Machias called 'Chess for Creepy Sheeps'. It is likely this usage is metaphorical, as the thought of creepy sheep being intelligent enough to grasp the mechanics of chess is a thought too terrifying to entertain.