Critters!

Whilst it should have been an obvious pass-time since birth, I first became aware of the potential joy of hunting down critters once I started playing World of Warcraft - Even more once they made it an achievement to hug them. Of course I didn't hug them. I'm a pattern breaker; I killed them.

Hunting was always one of the more entertaining aspects of Gothic III, although it had loads of potential to be greater, as it had in Oblivion, where the deer were mostly just for show. Luckily, Todd's team has seen a brighter path, filling the land of Skyrim with magnificent, harmless moving targets - And a bunch of different kinds!

Of course they're not just for show! It'll be funnier and more rewarding to hunt them down and most importantly, they add to the ecological system crafted for Skyrim - As in the example of a fox hunting a rabbit.

But lets look at the critters of Skyrim, shall we?

Rabbits

The most obvious candidate, the rabbit, can be found various places throughout Skyrim, although I am guessing that they won't be hanging out in the Volcanic Tundra. These are mainly prey for all predators, which is why they'll be hunted down and killed by wolves, foxes and the like. Fun fact: Rabbits and Hares can see in a 180 degree angle - An ability they evolved (Look up evolution,) to be able to escape predators.

Foxes

Foxes may be a predator kind of animal, but they are nothing compared to the mighty Dovahkiin, therefore they count as nothing more than simple critters, which we hunt down for food and pelt - Like Kraven the Hunter, whom I just have to say, has a great mental stability.

Deer & Elk

Well, this is just gravy. My greatest wish is only to be able to loot the Elks' antlers and wear them as a weapon on my head - Can you guess what game I am referencing to?

Fish

This was a major issue for me in Oblivion - The only thing to find underwater were slaughterfish and that was just plain dull and stupid - Plus, they were unusually durable in spite of being fish. Skyrim's lakes and rivers will be filled with various kinds of fish, that you can catch with your hands and eat - might wanna cook them first, though.

Birds

Although I am fairly sure that they just are some animations you can see when you look up (not that I know that,) I guess they still deserve the title of being critters - I really hope you can shoot them down.

And finally you might claim that butterflies are critters too, but nay I say! Butterflies counts as ingredients in my book! Seriously, you can grab them and use their wings as ingredients. You might be able to do that with other bugs too. And I am not totally sure about this, but Horkers might be critters too.