This page is a work in progress and is subject to change unpredictably.
Genders and gender roles
In short: there aren’t any.
In long: due primarily to the almost complete lack of sexual dimorphism in the cenya – that is, a lack of visible physical differences between males and females – there are no real social differences between the two sexes. There are no notions of “masculine” versus “feminine” behaviour.
There are several notable differences between humans and cenya in this regard. Both men and women are required to hunt for food; it is neither a typically male task nor a typically female task. What we know of as male dominance does not really occur among the cenya: women are (generally) just as physically capable as men. As a result of this, there are few male-dominated professions, too.
In addition, there are very few cognitive differences between male and female cenya. Whereas male humans in general have better spatial reasoning skills than women, just to take an example, both sexes are equally good at this in the cenya, as it is something of a prerequisite for flight. Physical strength is a very desirable trait in both males and females, too; both parents take turns hatching their egg(s) and raising their young, and must be able to rely on their partner to hunt.
Please note, however, that men and women are not exactly equal in every regard. Perhaps for biological reasons, males have a tendency to be slightly more promiscuous than females and often, but not always, are more hesitant to settle down with someone. On the other hand, females tend to have a stronger desire to raise a family – as with humans and most other animals, a female produces a very limited number of egg cells through her life.
Hunting instinct
The cenya are made to hunt. In addition to being obligate carnivores (they need meat to survive), they have muscular digitigrade legs which are excellent for running staggeringly fast, a long tail that helps them keep their balance, and powerful claws and sharp teeth, perfect for swiftly killing prey animals and ripping their flesh apart into edible chunks.
Because of this, almost all cenya have a strong instinct to hunt, a deep, age-old desire to chase down smaller animals and devour their flesh. They enjoy hunting, too. Or rather, while the chase can take a long time and be terribly frustrating, they love the feeling of pouncing onto their prey, gripping the animal tightly and tearing their throat to pieces. They love the taste of blood, especially if it’s still warm from a fresh kill.
(Though it’s worth pointing out that the cenya are far from bloodthirsty savages. They only hunt what they need to, and the kill is always swift as possible. It’s just that they happen to have an inescapable urge to hunt.)
Hunting is typically a solitary activity, but romantic couples sometimes hunt together, especially if they have a family and need to feed more than just themselves. Parents often take their children with them out into the wild on this somewhat dangerous activity to teach them how best to hunt. It is also not uncommon for siblings to hunt together, especially when they’re still young and learning.
Hunting together is a great way for romantic couples and siblings to bond, if the hunt goes well.
This hunting instinct has had two major effects on cenyi society and culture. First of all, no one keeps livestock of any kind, especially not for meat; the cenya have a very strong emotional need to hunt; it’s a basic biological drive for them. Secondly, obesity and indeed overweight are practically unheard-of, since you have to stay fit in order to survive; an adult cenyi who cannot hunt quickly becomes a social outcast and will almost certainly die. (You also need to maintain as low a weight as possible in order to be able to fly.)
Perhaps worth noting is that there are no vegetarian or vegan cenya: the cenya are not capable of extracting enough nutrients from plant matter to survive on that alone. And, of course, there are no cenya who have a moral problem with killing animals for food.
