The Pouncer is a ferocious quadrupedal beast that appears during the post-Locust War era of the Gears of War series. This creature is the juvenile form of the Snatcher, a beast that is likewise used by the Swarm in their war against humanity.
Appearance[]
The Pouncer appears to be a smaller version of the Snatcher, although there are other differences between the two. The creature's legs are digitigrade and end in feet that sport four claws each. The tail of the beast ends in a webbed fin with six quills whereas the Snatcher only has a single quill.
Like their parents, Pouncers are covered in a tough carapace that is difficult to penetrate. They have a pair of small, glowing eyes, a glowing underbelly, and multiple tongues that writhe about whenever they open their mouths.
Combat[]
Pouncers are not yet large enough to capture human victims, but serve the Swarm in combat by leaping over enemy fortifications and running interference behind defensive lines. Using their tails to gain leverage, they will jump far and high in order to bypass obstacles. They attack human targets by pouncing upon them and attempting to maul their victims to death, or wrapping their numerous tongues around a victim's head and ripping it off. They may also attack from a distance by firing off the quills from their tails. These quills are razor sharp and can tear through body armour, though they lack the paralytic toxin of Snatcher quills so they cannot instantly disable a human target. However, the quills are capable of subverting electronic signals; robots struck by Pouncer quills have been shown to turn against humans and fight on behalf of the Swarm.
The Pouncers' bodies are well-armoured and resistant to small arms; while their glowing bellies are considered their weak points, it still takes a significant amount of firepower to kill them. Upon death, the creatures explode in a shower of orange gore.