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Vulpkanin
- Species Type: Sapient Canine-Humanoid Mammal
- Population: ~10 Billion
- Population Demographic Majority: Vulpkanin
- Common Language: Yueldisch/Skrellian
- Government Type: Skrellian Protectorate Plutocracy
Vulpkanin is the Galactic Common name for a species of canine-genus upright humanoids that hail from the Vazzend system, before contact from the Skrell the Vulpkanin were a heavily industrial pre-FTL species that had colonized and exploited most of their home system, now a protectorate under the Skrellian Diplomatic Fleets with a corruption-heavy government.
The Vulpkanin body is one heavily adapted to the planet it was borne from. While following the usual evolutionary pattern of two legs, arms and an upright stance, Vulpkanin are not purely carnivores as their canine physiology would suggest. The placement of their eyes however hint to an early period of a hunting and gathering lifestyle. Vulpkanin have a large tolerance for temperature extremes given their home planet of Yuel is one of the closest to the star, resulting in a roughly 60% desertification of the surface. How exactly their early pre-sapient history looked like is up for speculation, but their once mineral rich home world suggests the jumpstart to metallurgy sciences, and later their industrial and computing advances.
Much like the Tajara, the Vulpkanin come from a barely-habitable world where life, let alone sapient life is unlikely. However as it has proven to somehow always find a way, primitive canine-like bipeds soon gave way to social behavior and intelligent thinking over the millennia. Historical records and education shows that per-industrial Vulpkanin life was mostly city-state affiliations or small counties, until the harsh planet's conditions and natural centralization of knowledge and resources lead to a consolation of political influence and affiliation.
Yuel was partly tamed by an estimated 1,500 local years before contact by the Skrell. Livestock-pulled transportation giving way to sulfer/carbon combustion engines and roads that could stay above loose sand and weather conditions. Given Yuel's mineral-rich conditions this as well as firearms, alloying, construction and eventually nuclear were not difficult for the Vulpkanin to figure out in time, however more biological sciences suffered due to the planet's heavy heat and poor moisture content, often meaning water was in demand even in their more advanced periods.
The Vulpkanin eventually were forced to look to space flight to maintain both their progress and capitalistic growth, with water becoming more scarce due to pollution and a lack of fresh sources. Thankfully for the species, Vazzend had plenty of ice bodies and satellites far from it's star that could be mined and imported. However the sheer distance had still resulted in water riots and starvation casualties.
Much like their home, the Vulpkanin people soon industrialized other habitable-like planets to their outward needs, with the species' future looking bright with efforts in terraforming and even Bluespace viable in the next five hundred years. Before then however, the Skrell had made mostly peaceful contact with the Vulpkanin people, offering protectorate status and a leg-up in advanced(to them) technology and science information in exchange for the systems around Vazzend to be exclusive to Skrell expansion. While unpopular with the people, the plutocrat leadership of the Vulpkanin eagerly agreed. Stifling the species' future as a independent people, but securing peace with a much larger alien government and opening capitalistic trade with them in the future.
Today the Vulpkanin are a minority species that make up a large part of the Skrell's labor market and external trade market, while having a limited self defense military with equipment on loan from the Skrellian Fleets, they're seen by large as consumers with little regard for checked growth or astro-ecological concerns with a proud, smug stereotype of their culture, heritage and metalworking art.
One of the most unique parts of Vulpkanin culture is their affinity for small metal artworks called ‘Casts’. Casts are (often hand-forged) pieces of metal combined to make some sort of statue, sculpture, shape, or abstract form. Due to the abundant quantity of heavy metals on the Vulpkanin homeworld, Casts made, and continue to make up, the majority of unique Vulpkanin creations. Typically, they’re small enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand, but there is no hard limit on what size a Cast can be.