Greetings and Felicitations, earthlings and fellow aliens. :) Scroll down a few screens to get to the 'animal' gok information, as the 'me' info comes first.
Now that I've confused you . . . All about ME and MY STUFF! This page was started out devoted to Babylon 5, and the stories and friends I have encountered because of said T.V. Program. Programs, if you count Crusade. (I do - I have every episode taped for my own private viewing, and wouldn't mind if more were made.) The Babylon 5 show is where I got my name from. 'Gok'. Mentioned by Delenn in a season 2 episode - um - where she's having dinner out with Sheridan for the first time. "A Race Through Dark Places" Yes, that's the ep. :) I have taken her description to heart, and am quite devoted to making sure no-one out there ever takes themselves too seriously. (Hence the mondo-huge files of jokes). {:)
The next BIG THING on my site was X-men stuff (BAMF dolly!) such as 'Generation X', and Alpha Flight, both series of which I am the proud owner of EVERY issue, (Penny was cool) and I'm searching for the few issues of the old Excalibur series that I still don't have. There aren't any comic-carrying shops in Calgary left for me to search, sigh . . .
Hang on, here's a set of numbers I want all of you to write down.
95, 118, 120, 121, 124, 125.
Got it? Those are the issue numbers of the ones I'm missing. Out of 125 Excaliber comics, plus annuals (got them all, I think), I'm only missing 6!!!!! ARGH! If you see any of them, PLEASE nab it and let me know! It does NOT have to be in mint or even very good condition, I just seriously want to read them.
Issue 31: That is my FAVORITE issue. :) And if you've seen it, you'll know why.
If you haven't, here's a clue.
Loincloth.
;)
And, before I stop ranting, I would like to add one thing: The so-called 'Ultimate' Version of the X-men sucks rocks covered in salmonella-filled rotten eggs. I didn't like it by issue 2, and 7 confirmed a deep, *absolute* hatred of that alternate universe of universes. I have no idea if issues 9 and beyond will make any moves towards even a wee bit of redemption, because I have no intention of buying them and I URGE all of you (the three others who actually come read this site) to avoid that particular comic like it carries the bubonic plague and HIV both. (Buy Exiles instead, or the old run of Excaliber, they're both fab.) Ok? Should anyone ever truthfully be able to say "it's all roses again" then I might consider looking at it's cover again. But buying is soooo unlikely. They hurt my elf. GRRRRRR!
How to reach me: email h_raelynn@hotmail.com
Okay. This was first done in three parts, because there was three main brainstorming sessions to make this character of mine more realistic. First by Scotsman, then twice with AEC, and several smaller brainstormings along the way since. This current copy, which is all three-plus parts put into sensible order, you can regard as canon.
GOK INFORMATION - March 2002 update
Similar to a meerkat in shape - or a large squirrel, lemur with shortish legs, common housecat, you get the idea. Very close to the Australian Ringtailed Possum. They are all the same species (though there might be other, related species on minbar too), but there are different breeds of Gok, depending on where they are from - some, like the highly iridescent breeds, are purposely bred for certain characteristics - but most changes depend on the local climate. Rock-mountain-cave Goks will be different from tropical arboreal goks which will be different from temperate savanna-scrubland goks. Like feral dogs or wolves, they have adapted to suit the local environments - different breeds, same species.Some Images of goks, both tame and wild.Anyway, that's the basic shape, with a long (as long as she is when born until early adulthood, eventually grows to be twice the body length when a mature adult unless spayed/neutered) prehensile tail. They are sometimes semi-iridescent (on skin and scars, not fur), always some shade of off-white, with soft smooth scales, which is covered by short silky fur on most of their body. They are warm blooded, about 4 degrees warmer than humans. About 20 - 22 inches (spayed adult) from nose to butt, with another 22-26 inches added by the tail.
Marsupials, with a forward-facing belly pouch on the females. They tend to be good climbers and jumpers. Eyes in front - binocular vision. About 2 pounds is average for tame, fixed adults, with a light bone structure. Some of the stronger wild breeds can get close to 5 pounds, but reaching 5 pounds is a very rare event - they do not tend towards being fat, but usually have a high metabolism. Weight is from greater all-over bone density, and added muscles - and the wild tails can become quite thickish and heavy, but still agile. Females tend to get bigger than males do. Goks can slow their metabolism (play less, etc, but whole body rate slows down) when food or water is scarce.
They purr, too, especially when lying in a patch of sunlight, or getting a tummy rub. They like to touch and be touched, gently massaged. If they do swim, they prefer a Gok-paddle (like a otter, using the tail to push and the front paws to steer). Keep the head above water, though, goks cannot hold their breath (**nostrils don't seal**) and so cannot dive after any yummy little fish. They do not swim very well, except for a few local river-marsh breeds that are fairly rare - a slight webbing in the forepaws).
Tiny little retractable claws in their inner 'wrist' - one per paw, are like pitons - will dig into the branch to help you hold on, or into an egg/berry/sandwich to hold it better, any large object they can't get their hands around for whatever reason. Such as fighting off an annoyed picnicker who wants to eat his own lunch. Also good defense - stab! only 1/3 inch long, though, but that can still hurt if it's your wrist they've jabbed. The pitons can crack hard shelled nuts, with practice on the correct aim technique.
The faces are not flat - they have large eyes and a 'big' (read - just enough to fit a conniving brain) forehead, then the muzzle juts out to end in a sniffy little nose. They have cat's lips (split on top, middle is under nose), and omnivore teeth - pointies in front, with a pair of sharper canines for cracking eggs and killing fish, and molars in back. They have several sets of teeth - if one falls out or is broken, a new one will grow in after a few weeks. They eat bugs, worms, grubs, eggs, young leaves and stems, flowers, honey, fruit, sweeter veggies, just about anything they decide they like, even fresh raw fish - but their nostrils won't close tight, so they can't dunk their heads under water. They prefer to stay dry (seeking shelter from rain), but if hot or bored will happily splash around in shallows before coming out to shake then lick themselves dry.
They have a definite sweet tooth. Watch out for candy left out! A few less bright ones will eat until they barf the excess back out. No manes, no whiskers, hair is uniformly short on body (unless a scar/other bald spot - the face fuzz is shorter than the back fuzz), except for longer poofy crest on top of tail. They are not poisonous, and are hunted by various larger predators, but the Minbari would never eat them, except in (maybe) a case of extreme starvation.
But the main thing is: Goks are an attempt by the universe to make sure we never take ourselves too seriously. As such, they are natural born clowns, cads, mimics, and playful hooligans. They love being the center of attention - when safe, IE a mommy Gok trying to get her newborn goklings (kits? kittens?) into her pouch will not be up to having even her best pal around to watch. But she'd play most any other time she's not carrying young. They tend to be very protective of their babies - goklings or baby people, if it's 'theirs', they look after it.
Mind you, I'm sure there's been a few annoyed minbari moms who've had to shoo away a would-be helper before it could stick another wiggly grub into the hungry infants mouth.
Actually, the best thing would be to take the wild personality - go go go go tease run go go go go stagger & sleep go go go go . . . all play. But they can be conned into working as long as they're with someone. E.G.: getting peas out of their pods and into a bowl for supper - they're mimics, so as long as someone who appears to be having even a wee bit of fun is doing it, a pet Gok will happily shell peas too. She might even get some in the bowl instead of her stomach.
If the vorlons are still around, a braver Gok will try to tease them. Hopping up and sitting on the 'neck' of their encounter suit is a favorite. Well kosh on thestation thought it wasn't funny . . . until I stopped doing it - then he kept goading me on. I think he liked the attention.
Tolerant to kids, mostly. A toddler might use her tail is a teething ring, the Gok will suffer through it, albeit wearing a look of total pathetic apathy in hopes of being rescued by an adult. But if a 11-year old yanks on the same tail just to 'see what happens' he will get a fast nip on the hand. Goks have sharp teeth (perfect for crunching those yummy little insects) but not enough jaw power to break the skin. Unless they really, really try - wild goks, with their stronger bones, can be quite lethal if provoked - especially when they go for the veins in the neck. Fruit usually doesn't give much resistance when being eaten. Neither does fresh little green leaves, insects they catch, or fresh carrion they find. Or a forgotten lump of chocolate. :) They will cache and hoard food in smaller crannies and side nests for later snacking, and can learn (and teach to youngsters) what foods preserve better than others.
Preferred people-perch - sitting on shoulder, maybe hanging onto head (head bones would make a nifty handle, eh?), etc. up enough to nibble on ears/fluff up hair. Like Pikachu rides on Ash or like Lockheed on Kitty Pryde, or the same as any of Anne McCaffrey's (sp?) firelizards ride on their human companions.
One might be seen with its tail hanging out behind them - say, sticking out from under a couch or a hole in a bag while munching sounds are heard from the hidden (mouth) end. Try not to step on the tail then - it might be long but is still part of the spinal column. And it makes a very useful extra limb to hang onto stuff - e.g. a higher tree branch, letting all four legs reach down into the bird's nest to raid an egg. Or into a box to lift out a cake . . . you get the idea. The rough end of the tail makes a good grip, the rest of the tail is the 'rope' they hang down from. They can pull themselves back up their tails with their prize, or to bite an offender. Steve Irwin, look out!
What else. Mimics, got it, some are bound to think that if they hang upside down into a doorway and cross their eyes or blow raspberries at you that it's the best thing invented since candy, and laugh so hard they fall off. If it'll get a laugh they'll chase their own tail (around a tree or post or something, when they catch it, CHOMP! (tiny pause) HOWL!! tail whips around until it's beside them again, licks it to sooth bite, after a minute or so (if the audience is still there), will start walking around the tree again, comes up on it tail again, resumes stalking it once more . . . repeat as long as the poor critter can get attention for it.
They work in packs most of the time, whether searching for food or just playing. One will get in front of a group of unsuspecting people (I'm seeing new rangers in particular here) who are eating lunch, and starts a routine. Maybe a skilled Gok could learn to juggle a couple of grapes or something. Or at least look to be trying to juggle . . . While the people's attention is diverted, the others in the group quietly sneak up and steal as much food off the plates as they can stuff their cheeks with (hold in paws, wrap tail around too), and scamper off. Once the thieves are back to safety under cover of a tree or bush or whatever, the performer dashes off in another direction, going the long (unseen) way to join it's pals, and they all split the goodies and chow down. The people, of course, have come to their senses by now (or like to play the game with the goks) and guard their meals from now on.
Think whiskey jack (canada jay, robber jay, whatever you wanna call it) crossed with a park squirrel for attitude. 'that's *my* food you silly person gimme it now!' as soon as they see *your* lunch. They can be mildly destructive on local wildlife (like during winter or a drought), but tend to be grazers rather than strippers. They like their space, and don't crowd each other even if there's lots of food. If a wild, adult Gok got into a fight with a mongoose, I'd probably not know which one to bet on. They can be ferocious if threatened.
But the young ones learn fast that if they get too brazen, POW! Goks are little things, a pissed off warrior caste member could kill one with a good hard punch. Or at least injure it really badly. So they aren't too many aggressive goks in settled areas - they tend to die off when still young, unless they're born and live in the wild. There an attitude might just help them. Dunno. They've all got separate personalities. Some might be old cranks, some might be dennis the menace. Some might be Logan off of the X-Men - cantankerous as can be to perceived threats, but 'reluctant' nuzzlers in private with a pal. But most are sweet little suckups, always eager for a nice gentle tummy rub. Purrrrr . . . :) Goks adore the people they decide are 'family' and will do just about anything for them. Even share food. They like to take a running start then jump up to hug you - small kids can be knocked down by them, but only ones little enough they fall down on their own a lot anyway. :) These tackle hugs are a favorite greeting. Goks are very enthusiastic with the familiar beings in their life.
OH! yeah! Colors. Ummm . . . whitish. One that's mostly pale gray with a few faint purpley splotches sounds ok, as long as there's at least a little of that healthy iridescent sheen on her. him. it! They're *not* brightly colored like parrots. Mine (me?) is mostly a mother-of-pearl color, with a pale blue (have to actually look to see it, the color isn't any darker than the rest of her skin) pointy splotch on her head which is shaped (by a totally amazing ;) bit of luck) exactly like the 11-point maple leaf. As in the one on the Canada flag. The stem just touches the top side corner of her nose, it's centered on her right eye, and is big enough that the right ear is also blue, since it's inside the leaf. Cool, eh?
Pale purple, pale blue, pale brown (light light tan), pale gray . . . all ok, as long as it's almost white. Pure whites are probably quite rare, and the minbari breeders tend to prize the iridescence more than a one-shade coat color. Oh yeah! The eyes. The color of the iris is a deeper shade (more intense? darker hued? however you say brighter colored) of whatever the second coat-color is. Mine has blue eyes, because of the pale blue mark. Purps's Gok has pale purple blobs all over it's skin, and deep purple eyes. The pupils are up and down (not round) like a cat's are, with a reflective layer inside to improve night vision - like raccoon, cat, dog, possum, or deer eyes.
Gok fur is silkier than our own hair is (follicles farther apart?), and soon fades out on the underside entirely - fuzzy baby, bare belly when adult - the unspayed goks gradually lose just about all their fur until about 15 years old, as they gradually reach full tail, usually from scars from fights as much as natural loss. Their little hands and feet are always naked on the palms and fingers (toes). BUT a tail (most of it, anyway) is mostly bushy like a squirrel's on top, yet still leaving the underside and tip bare for grasping. It's rather funny-looking. Their facial structures often make them appear as if they're slightly confused or puzzled, or are keeping a fun secret, especially when relaxed or asleep. Puzzled is the more common structure.
Similar to Lemurs. Little smaller, slightly longer in the body, with shorter legs. Think big squirrel with lemur's face (eyes in front, nose extended into a muzzle). About the size of your average cat - not the fat/fluffy kind, or feral (the feral aussie cats can be 20 or more pounds easy - and mean as hell!). Typical, shorthaired, lean housecat. No whiskers. The smell and sight senses have priority. But the long tail stays. I wanted it as protection - ever been hit by a skipping rope? Or a chunk of chain or wire or whatever - having a 4 foot-long whip attached to your butt would help out in a pinch, I'm sure. You could *POW!* that predator in the face (aiming for eyes are a must!) before it could bite down. The end bones would be quite strong in a wild adult. The tail is top-furred (about 1/2 to 3/4 an inch long, compared to body's 1/16 to 1/4 inch long fuzz) for the first 2/3rds, but, when the tail extends to the 4 feet (there's a lull in a Gok's growth at ages 3 to 5ish), the longer parts stay fully bare. A Gok is an adult at just under 2 years, and will reach full tail at about 15 years - they can live much longer, if conditions allow.
But they do need some fur too. 'Scaly' skin doesn't mean rough like a komodo dragon, iguana, or rattlesnake. I was thinking along the lines of garter snakes, maybe a corn snake. They're smooth, and you can just barely feel the scale's texture if your hands are bare and you're paying attention. Coolest thing I ever felt is a friend's pet cornsnake (4 foot by then, orange and brown and a ticklish necklace) after it had just came off it's heating log - it was warm and smooth - like silk over very flat pebbles. :) I want Gok skin to be at least a little like that. Firm - as in it didn't sag or wrinkle - but supple, because of the muscles underneath having a bit of give to them under the fingers. Tres cool. The fur would be short, silky, and dense. No rat-tails - more like a squirrel has, fluffy-ish on top. My cousin has a pet rat. I don't like it's full-naked tail.
Here's the plan: a pregnant Gok, just before the birthing (up to 4 babies, if more develop they won't have a teat to attach to) quickly grow rough stubble from the birth canal, just under her tail, to mid-stomach where her pouch opens. This gives the babies something to hang onto (and a path to travel by) while they pull themselves along their several-inch journey, blind and not much more then fat jellybeans with arms and a hungry mouth. (See nature channel, any kangaroo/ opossum/ koala show to see this event. It's cool!) Mommy lies on her back for this so they don't fall of, and carefully nudges them along her tummy and in. She'll loose the stubble in a few days - it's the safest way to tell yet if she's birthed or not, without getting an arm bitten & clawed.
BIRTH: They're naked and semi-translucent on the skin, underdeveloped like all marsupial babies. They get to the pouch, climb in and feed nonstop for at least a month. Then they start to open their eyes, explore a bit, etc. Say . . . 4 or five months total before the mom says 'stay out! you don't fit!' to them. By this time, they can only fit one at a time to nurse anyway.
5 MONTHS OLD: By then, they've grown to be 3, 4 inches long. No size diff between males and females for the first few years. Their tails add another 3-4 inches. They are fully covered in really short (beanie baby length, max) fur, except for under their paws, and the underside of the tail. They have started to learn all the rules in these months - eat this bug, don't eat that white berry you'll die, milk is yummy if you can sneak up to a bowl and drink it (laps like cat - *** same sandpaper tongue!***), they are taught by their moms and her family group - some of which are humanoid, or all Gok. They keep practicing their skills for the next year or so after being weaned, until they grow to adult size.
14 - 20 MONTHS: They're still fragile until their bones are fully hardened, just like human kids. This is when a good hard kick could fatally injure a Gok. Call this the teens, or early 20's. The strongest, smartest ones survive - the ones that don't are mourned for a few days, then the party moves on - tame ones will usually allow the humanoid members to bury or cremate the remains after a short while, wild ones often cover the fresh body with small rocks, twigs, etc, after having carefully dragged it away from nest site - inbuilt protection against disease. Adolescent Goks tend to rather clumsy and accident-prone, but those that live to adulthood are very graceful and nimble.
It's at this point - just reached adulthood (year and a half to 2 years) - that the tame Goks get spayed/neutered, usually by age 4 or 5. Often will be allowed a litter or two of Goklings first, but not always, depending on the health of the Gok and patience of the family it's in. They then avoid the changes that come afterwards, in wild Goks. Until 4 years, they keep their back/side/leg fur, and the fur on top of their tails, which have only grown to just over 2 feet in length - slightly longer then they are in body when stretching.
They've lost their belly and face fuzz, and the tail underside was always bare - it grows fluffyish on top (like a healthy squirrel), and gets shorter under about mid-point down the tail's side - then it's bald on the bottom half. (the plumbing exits are an inch or so along the tail, to keep the reproductive organs clean, those are between the legs where it's safer.) Easier to care for this way, as they lick themselves clean. The last 2/3rds of the tail's bottom has slight ridges, like fingerprints on your fingers, to add friction and help hold things.
Now, wild unspayed (*WILD*) goks, full maturity (at age 5 or 6 and beyond) brings with it more flamboyant characteristics. If not fixed, a reproducing Gok will grow a tail up to the full four feet, and it's body will very gradually get about 1/5 bigger - it's still fairly lean, and cat-sized, however. Most body and tail hair is gradually being lost, partly from genetics, partly from getting ripped off and scarred in defense. The leg fur and sides of the body are the first to go in adulthood - the tail is next (by 10 years or so), then the back fur is gradually lost as well, by about 15 years old. (The face and belly fuzz were lost in childhood and adolescence). An older Gok - say, a 15 year old who's recently reached full tail, uses it in mating/territorial displays. "Look how big I am! I'm wise and strong to have lived so long! We have the best territory! You inferiors keep out! Look how strong I am!" type of thing. A longer tail also means a longer reach - for whipping an opponent in the face, or hanging onto something while getting food. It's the naked, ridged end that expands, the fluff area does not.
Goks can live about 30 years, maybe a bit longer if the food supply is good, in the wild. Tame goks can reach 40. 50 is very rare, and extremely old. They usually start reproducing when 4 to 6 years old, and usually stop in their late 20's. A mother Gok will only have one litter per year, since she dedicates so much energy to each litter. Since the young are so energetic and haven't learned safety yet, it takes a lot of time and energy on behalf of the whole group to raise a litter. But two or even three females in a group might all have babies at the same time, if the food supply is good. :) Goks will often wait a year or two after weaning to mate again - but - they can be fertile again right away of conditions are right or if the children all die. Mated pairs in a party will often rotate through having litters (taking turns to always have a set of babies in the party but allowing each mother a chance to rest in between), and not all offspring are driven off when 2 - some stay until 3, 4, or even a dozen years old, with some permanently remaining with a mate who's come to them. A late (past 6 years old) leaver is often widowed, and so wanders off once any children it has are mature. Some Goks seem to prefer wandering all their lives, never settling down, either in a pair (mated, attached to sentient, or small sibling group) or just alone - like nomads. The parties in harsher areas tend to be smaller than 8 adults.
Goks are hard to specifically match for scientific breeding - that requires artificial intervention, which does not always work. They choose their own mates, and stay together (no adultery has ever been recorded!) for as long as they live - after a long partnership, a widowed Gok might not re-mate: they will often stay alone until they, too, die. Young widowers might find a new mate. Some Goks seem to enjoy remaining single, or will wander about for years until they find the right mate. Most females seem able to not enter heat until they choose to and are with the male they desire. Males are pretty much ready to mate at any old time, and will show off in a display at the slightest chance of getting an actual mating, but do not push a female to procreate until they want to risk being castrated by her and the other females in the party. Females make the decision as to who their mates will be, and are in charge of the relationship right from the start, but a male can reject a pursuing female without worry of her harming him.
The ones who are wandering for long distances or times quickly get into routines they have witnessed all through growing up - genetic rituals that are almost identical for all goks, regardless of where they are from - upon meeting a local party - there is posturing, and the stranger will indicate it's keeping going or that it might want to stay - they might want to keep going until they meet an available potential mate, or are true nomads - and the nomads are often accepted for a few hours or days to rest. If accepted (rest or a trial basis for permanent) the local matriarch will command some food be brought out, say a piece of fruit, and will divide it in about half. The stranger will take one half, and split it again, returning the 1/4 to the group. It's then free to eat it's share. If there is no food to spare, the stranger is obviously not welcome and must move on. If it's resting for a few hours or days (like if there's predators around or a rainstorm), the food is shared more equally in subsequent meals. How the Goks started this is a mystery, but it dates back further than the minbari have records, and will sometimes share with a lost humanoid in their area. Goks feature strongly in traditional minbari folklore. IPX and other exploratory missions on what they thought were 'new' worlds have been known to find feral parties of Goks, with the exact same greeting routine - often despite no ruins less than 800, 900 years old - sometimes older! The minbari who were once on that world had died off or fled in the previous shadow war, and though they did not return later on, the goks turned wild and survived.
When two neighboring parties (familiar with each other but don't meet daily) meet, the ritual is almost identical but often includes playful scuffling and serious posturing. If both parties consider it a friendly meeting on 'home turf', they will both provide an opening food offering.
Goks do not hibernate - they don't like the colder climates that require it. Only tame goks can be found in cold places, where the nice 'pet' minbari keep the house warm. They live in small family groups, up to about 8 to 12 adults and however many babies haven't yet been forced out (they usually join up with a neighbor group, but some will migrate for a long time before deciding they like a place/group). Neighbors they get along with (instinct keeps them from inbreeding too much, they do like to mingle if food/water is plentiful), but if a stranger they don't recognize comes by, posturing happens, sometimes a fight (pregnant or nursing goks do not take part, as they would kill without hesitating any perceived threat to offspring), then the outsider is either accepted as a equal who can hold it's own, or the stranger keeps moving. If the stranger is welcomed by the minbari in the group (being longer lived than goks, they tend to be considered in charge), or indicates it's just passing through, they will share the meal and let it stay as long as the guest decides. If the guest overstays his welcome - and the matriarch must make the final call on this - then he, she, or they are nudged, heckled, or even fought into continuing on.
Most wandering goks are about 2 to 5 years of age, and most of these settle down fairly soon - interbreeding between wild 'transients' and tame 'wanderers' is often encouraged, to keep the tame population healthy. The distinction between transient and wanderer is whether or not they are banded with a tattoo around one of their wrists to show being raised tame - the transients that settle down are usually soon fixed (and tattooed, though different from a raised-tame tattoo), as this will keep wild tempers in check. The transients almost always follow the 'here first = in charge' rule, so are somewhat tameable. If they remain wild in behavior, they are forced on within a few weeks or days - often, if a chosen mate was raised tame, it will leave with the rogue, to settle elsewhere.
Like in wolf packs, there's a 'alpha' male and female, usually the oldest mated-for-life pair, and the rest are equals. This built-in respect for elders is what makes Goks tameable - adopt a young Gok, you were there first, so it follows orders of the first two beings in it's new 'home', and consider itself a pal to the rest. Any subsequent goks to arrive follow the first one's lead on 'the boss'. Females are more dominant (slightly larger too) than males - they can be extremely aggressive when it comes to protecting their young, even mauling the father of the goklings if he gets in the way around unweaned babies. A nursing Gok is 'the bitchiest thing in the universe', but often allows an older daughter, sister, or her own mom to assist in babysitting. But never at the birth - they birth alone, with the chosen females being guards at the nest door.
The Eldest female (possibly her mate, if he survives her passing, though females usually outlive males) is the supreme commander - she might be toothless, crippled from arthritis, and double blind from cataracts, but she is the absolute boss until she dies and the lesser goks will bring her food, little scoops of water, and rub her down gently as she commands. Goks sometimes appoint a successor - often a grandchild - and that one will take over the command, even if not the oldest, though the others might fight it out for supremacy after the previous matriarch dies (never before - infighting in a party is very rare, and usually only occurs as minor scuffles about getting too near unweaned goklings).
Roundish ears, like a squirrel, that swivel to pinpoint sounds (NOT pointy like cats). Four toes on each paw, with 4-jointed fingers (one joint longer than humans), very flexible, quite strong in mature adults, can crack walnuts, etc with paws when all grown. The fingers (three aim forward, one aims back like a thumb) have blunt little claws on them, but wild goks keep these sharp for defense. They are only semi-retractable, but goks have excellent eye-paw coordination and rarely scratch without meaning to. The hind paws have the 4th digit to the inner side - instead of bending fully back, it's like a human thumb, but is still quite agile, though only 3 joints long. They are skilled weavers of branches and strings, to make enclosed nests in the trees and on shelves high up.
They are social, and like to play and groom their friends. They make the same little squeaky, chirpy sounds as babies that all babies seem to make, and have a stammering sort of call that sounds much like their name. "Gok! Gok! G-G-Guh Gok!" or "K! K! Gok!" (like a squirrel bark). The smarter ones will learn to mimic some sounds, in pitch and tone if not usually the actually precise sound. They'll meow - several different sounding meows, and growl, hiss, and they like to purr. They like to sing along, a semi-high (not yappy dog high) long vowely type call that will match your voice in pitch and timing, but they can't form most sounds.
Umm . . . how do I make that so you understand - ! :) They've do great at a monastery where the monks do Gregorian chants. the aaaaaaa aaaaaa aaaaaa ooooo aaaaa a aaaaaaa up and down lullaby type ones you get in commercials and elevators. :) their tongues and jaws can't form most of our phonics. The wild ones often learn to imitate local birds or small animals - often as hunting bait, or to scare a mother bird off her nest of eggs.
Ok. . . they can be chatterboxes, they have oodles and oodles of energy, they bury their poop like cats, they don't like hunt anything bigger than their heads for food if it's moving (big fruits are fine, they won't fight back, BUT a party of hungry wild goks might take down a medium-sized animal for the meat if there's nothing around easier to eat) but they will play-hunt each other and your feet and the poor earth-cat or dog you adopt. Pounce! I've already mentioned now nimble their hands/ entire selves can be. Acrobats and weavers oh yeah! they will wind small branches, string, vines, etc together to make nests - not open like a birds, but rounded off so the rain won't fall or blow in, like a squirrel's. They also will drag dry leaves, moss, lost mittens into tree trunk holes, little snug cubbies in the rocks or a couch or a high shelf and make a nest there. They tend to sleep together in pairs or little groups to keep warm. A whole party of 8, 9, maybe more will all cram together if the nest is big enough and it's chilly outside.
That's what a group is called. A party. Not flock, not herd, not bunch. Party. :) They are severe spotlight hogs. Goks are not migratory - once a party settles in an area they tend to stay there for generations. A party of Goks usually has several nest sites in their area which they rotate through moving to match where food can be found - e.g. a ripe patch of fruit or a stream when and where fish are migrating. They mark their territory as they pass by rubbing their heads and backs on things, leaving bits of fur and scent from their face glands. (Humans can't smell the residue, any more than they can smell it when an earth cat rubs it's face on anything.) They do NOT pee to mark, but will occasionaly piss on a predator from the safety of an out-of-claw-reach-branch. The settled groups usually only *really* move if a natural disaster wipes out the local resources: volcano, flood, or glacier type. Or if the humanoid matriarch has the entire family - Gok and Minbari - move for some reason. Sometimes a party will split (if some of the humanoids are moving but others are not), and some of them will stay and some will go, it depends on which of the humanoids the individual goks are most attached to. If they are left alone in the house, and a new humanoid family moves in, the goks will assume that they are in charge because they were there first, and will expect the minbari to either obey them or leave. This means that goks are rarely left behind on purpose. The minbari tend to bring their pets with them most of the time anyway, whether on a trip to the market for lunch or onto a warship for a few years of duty or to a new colony.