Legends, Myths and Superstitions

Kingwing
Kingwing is the Bigfoot of shortwing pegasi. A mammoth creature with piercing eyes and multiple toes, legends say it's almost completely silent until it's too late. Said to fight anything it comes across, the Kingwing is believed to be superbly destructive. A good campfire story. Many claim to have seen its tracks, though no one has ever caught the creature (or even proved that it exists).

Submitted by InkfireScribe:"The fire crackled in a muted, friendly way as the men gathered around for their evening ale. This was the best inn for miles, and it attracted quite a crowd when the weather got nasty. The center of attention tonight was young Danwin, who had only earned his blue the previous year, and spent most of his time in uncharted regions, collecting peg eggs for the breeders. He had a knack for it, they said. Tonight's story wasn't about eggs, though.""'I had my eye on a nest, see? Tucked up under this huge old oak, and shells all over - looked like the site had been used a lot. But my Gracie - she wouldn't go anywhere near it. I thought she was just being nervy, since she's close to her heat and all, so I hobbled her and went on alone, but them eggs had been smashed. Every single one.' Danwin paused, glancing around the circle. He had all eyes on him, waiting to see what happened next. 'The tracks weren't like anything I'd ever seen before. Big as my two hands, with two toes and talon gouges as deep as my finger.' He put his spread hands together meaningfully, demonstrating the size of the tracks.""One of the older men groaned and sat back, rolling his eyes as his ale slopped over the side of his mug. 'You tryin' to tell us you saw the Kingwing, lad? If you lost a nest to waiting too long or a bushcat got to it first, just say so.'""'It weren't no bushcat!' protested Danwin, stiffening in outrage. 'I could see those tracks plain as the nose on your face, and just as hard to miss.'""The older pilot touched his large proboscis with a self-conscious expression, then flushed angrily. 'If you mean to say-' he began heatedly, but the inn's serving wench elbowed her way into the circle with a pitcher to refill their mugs.""'You know the rules, Magnus, Danwin. You gonna fight? Do it outside, or the ale's on you for the night.'"

The Megasus
A pegasus as large as a mountain, and some say even bigger. Bringer of hurricanes/intense storms. Children are told to look for the shape of the Megasus in storm clouds. On some islands, it is common practice to leave a portion of the summer crop unharvested to appease the Megasus, and presumably to encourage it to pass by without leaving behind bad weather.

Shoebill Swamp Monster
Said to feast on the flesh of children and unwary travelers in its swampy home. A creature of the night, long-legged and horribly strong, the Shoebill Swamp Monster is not a creature any pilot has seen - or at least, no living pilot has seen. Due to its eerie, haunting calls (just the wind in tree hollows, some say), and loud beak-cracking (breaking branches, nothing more), this humid, swampy island is almost entire uninhabited.

If the stories are true, though, then this is the only truly carnivorous peg in the world.

The Lorebok
A winged deer-like or llama-like creature with an open book in place of antlers. Presumably lives in an infinite library. Any who read the book on its head will gain unlimited knowledge. Has never been seen, but shows up frequently in stories about heroes that are on epic quests, sometimes as the subject of the quest and sometimes to give advice to the hero.

Pilot Superstitions

 * Silver on your saddle keeps luck close. If you let it tarnish, you've tarnished your luck, too.
 * Flowers are not usually toxic, but letting your peg eat them on a race day is seen as a surefire way to guarantee you'll lose.
 * "Black wings bring death," is an old old saying and has led into the general bias against pegs with dark wings. There is no actual correlation between dark wing coloration and injuries during races or jobs.
 * [In certain regions] Pegs born in a barn are seen as being slower or less intelligent than their forest-born cousins.
 * Pegs that eat meat too young will turn feral.
 * Pegs kept in a barn should always be backed into a stall. Letting them face the door is a promise that they'll come out again.
 * Running water makes the best borders, because wild pegs don't like to cross running water. (This isn't true. It's the shiny banners on the fences that keep them away.)
 * Summer and Winter Solstice, it's tradition to give your pegs the chance to leave. This tradition has become very regional, but the ones that stick to it stick to it hard. Big judgments on people who don't "test the herd."
 * Green is a lucky color, but no one wears it visibly because displaying your luck negates it.
 * Foals that take their first flight on a solstice or holiday are supposed to fly farther/faster than their fellows.
 * Changing a saddle pad or blanket after a win is bad luck. On the flip side of this, it's common practice to change out the saddle pad or blanket after a hard loss as a way to sort of reset their streak.
 * It's considered bad form to use the same saddle on more than one peg. Since this is... what, rude, I guess? Pilots that don't have the money for a new saddle when they switch steeds will dye their gear to make it look new.