Caterpillar (Cthulhu Mythos)

The Caterpillars were a species of creature which appeared in the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired Cthulhu Mythos.

Description
Originating billions of years in the future on planet Earth in its dying days, not much is known about the Caterpillars. Small animals measuring no more than eight to nine inches in length, they had a thick coating of fur and no discernible features. Moving in a way reminiscent of modern-day caterpillars, they were attracted to heat, as the Earth of the future was a much colder place than it is today. At one point a group were seen “feeding” from small, withered bushes, although the manner in which they did this was unknown as they possessed no visible mouths. The Caterpillars appeared to be non-sentient.

History
One of the Great Old One’s nemeses, the cosmic traveller Titus Crow, encountered several of these creatures during his first journey aboard the time machine ‘De Marigny’s Clock’, although he paid them little heed. Titus did, however, ensure that one specimen which had tried to gain access to his Time Clock got back to its fellows in a place that looked suitable for the creatures.

Appearances

 * The Transition of Titus Crow (1975), by Brian Lumley.