Vashta Nerada
Vashta Nerada were swarming carnivorous beings. Their name means “the shadows that melt the flesh”.
Biology
The Vashta Nerada were microscopic beings that lived in swarms. In large numbers, they could strip a creature to its bare bones in milliseconds. The swarms were sentient and could develop communication with the right equipment, like a spacesuits’ neural relasy.
The Vashta Nerada lived in darkness. They cast shadows when they entered the light. one their own, they looked like a shadow cast by nothing. They mimicked the shadows of their prey to get close, meaning the only way to escape them is to stay in the light. Light also slowed them down. If someone had an extra shadow, it was already too late.
Life Cycle
The Vashta Nerada lived on almost every planet which had meat, including Earth. They were born as microscopic spores in trees and lived their lives in forests. The spores were so resilient that they could hatch even if the tree was converted to paper. The could hatch and form a swarm within minutes.
Appearances
Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (TV)
Shadows of the Vashta Nerada (Game)
Space Oddity (Comic)
Shadows on the Pier (Comic)