Description
Hounds are humanoid entities with canine attributes. They have unkempt black hair on their heads and large mouths filled with sharp teeth. They have long bony limbs, sharp claws, have eyes that are fully white, lacking irises or pupils and walk on all-fours like a dog, hence their name. They are some of the more common hostile entities found in many levels of the Backrooms but are less common in the deeper levels. They are extremely dangerous and become agitated when they see someone in a hostile state but can be intimidated (see Behaviors). Avoid hounds at all costs, even if one is in its neutral state.
Behaviors
Hounds become hostile the moment they see a human. However, they will be intimidated and momentarily stalled when you stare them down. If you hear a Hound's growling, it is best to stay out of sight and get out of the way for a while.
Throwing things has a chance of scaring it away.
Biology
Hounds are quadrupedal humanoid creatures, with long, black hair growing on their heads. They have razor-sharp claws, and extremely large mouths lined with knife-like teeth. Their pearly whites often go unseen until it is too late for you, though, as their lengthy dark hair usually hides this feature. As mentioned above, they walk on all fours, and have a surprising amount of power when they attack a target, despite appearing sickly skinny. They appear to have a skin condition that resembles Mange and are observed scratching or gnawing on their skin to rid themselves of itching. Their skull protrudes from their heads, often deformed into a shape similar to that of a dog skull. Their eyes are all fully white, giving off the impression of blindness, but don't be fooled, Hounds can see normally and are capable of seeing in the dark. These entities hatch from eggs that originate from The Hive. It's imperative to a Wanderer's survival that they avoid getting bitten at all costs, as their saliva contains a disease (dubbed "Hound Virus") that will infect and turn the bitten into a Hound as well. Incubation Periods can last from 5-7 minutes. Symptoms are as followed;
- Discoloration & burning rash around the bite wound.
- Migraine.
- Rabies-like symptoms (difficulty swallowing, foaming at the mouth, etc.)
- Lightheadedness.
- Mild to Intense Muscle Spasms. (which can also lead to cramps)
- Increased Aggression.
- Stomach Cramps
- Vomiting.
- Mange-like skin disease that covers the body.
Approximately 20-30 minutes after symptoms appear, the infecteds body will reconstruct to match that of a Hound. The process is visibly and auditorily excruciating, as normal human teeth and nails are painfully pushed out and replaced by fangs and claws whereas hands and feet are reconstructed to move exclusively on all-fours. Amidst the transformation, rapid hair growth will occur on the body and eyes lose pigmentation. Afterwards they will enter a feral and hostile state, completing the transformation. If one is bitten, it's best to either isolate as far away from or out-right kill the afflicted, as there is no-known cure at this time, though efforts are being made. Discussions at the M.E.G. lead to the idea of reverse engineering the Rabies vaccine as a means of combating the virus. Though lacking a confirmed cure, amputation can prevent transformation, but must be done within 1-3 minutes as the virus will begin to rapidly spread after this time frame. Fortunately, scratches from claws will not spread the virus, but will instead cause a burning, itchy rash around the wound followed by a painful cramp. This can be easily treated by pouring Almond Water on the wound(s) & typical first-aid. Lastly, Saliva making contact with wounds or orifices will also cause infection, so be cautious.
Discovery
One of the earliest known video recordings of the Backrooms depicted a Wanderer running away from a Hound in an area that resembled Level 0. However, since we don't currently know when The Hive was spawned (if it even had a beginning), we can't determine the exact origin of Hounds at this time.
There has been few instances of Hounds being tamed by Facelings in Level 92. Currently, humans have not achieved this.