Thunderbird

Submission for the 2015 Creature Cabal

In the Ute tribes of North America, legend tells of a monster, worshiped as deity, but feared as calamity. Its color scheme vaguely resembles that of an american bald eagle, but its behavior is anything but. It flies through the skies eternally. Without legs, it cannot land, so it rides the winds over the oceans and though the mountains.
Inside its wings are thick muscles. They are useless for propulsion- instead, they act as batteries, storing energy until the proper moment. When all other defenses fail, be it against predators or rivals, the energy is released in a vivid flash of plasma. Not all thunderstorms house them, but if you look up, you may see the rare few clouds where the thunderbirds clash.

Rendered in Photoshop.