Anomaly 34, more commonly known as Strays, are hostile anomalies that emit gas to disguise themselves as stray animals to hunt wanderers.
» APPEARANCE:
A Stray.
Strays are grey-ish white hexapods with humanoid traits. Strays don't have a neck or head, instead having a tube which they feed from and expel a gas dubbed as Stray Gas. Strays are blind and use their tube as a sensory organ to detect sounds, however, the size of the tube makes it very sensitive to loud sounds. People speculate that Strays have heads at some point in their lives, since the tube's appearance appears to be a heavily mutated neck.1
Strays have an average height of 1.5 to 3.7 meters. A Stray's body has a dirty, skeletal appearance, though their body is mostly made up of muscle. The tallest recorded Stray leg is 3 meters tall. Their legs appear frail, but are actually covered in a hard shell-like membrane, which makes them durable to most attacks. This material is highly useful for protection, having high demand in groups such as TVI, the Economic Association of Wanderers and the CCO.
The appendages on the rear ends of Strays were at one point tails, but since the development of 6 legs in 1985, the tail has evolved into a secondary tube. However, this tail is rarely used by Strays, due to failing to release Stray Gas most of the time. Stray Gas is a purple gas that is commonly used as a drug in levels where Strays are absent, being popular for their hallucinogenic effects. Stray Gas is expelled from a gas sack, which can be found next to the lungs of the Stray. This gas is expensive and hard to find in most trading outposts, as the majority of gas sacks explode when the Stray is dead. For more information about this object, see Object 36.
While hallucinating from the gas, Strays appear as stray animals, most commonly being animals that are used as pets. However, you can differentiate Strays from normal stray animals, because the effects from the gas are imperfect, and some errors can occur in appearance, such as:
- More or less limbs
- Pale color
- Lack of facial features
- Skeletal appearance
» BEHAVIOR:
Strays mimic the sounds of the animal they disguise as to lure prey closer to it. Because of this, it's currently a mystery what Strays actually sound like. They hunt by expelling Stray Gas from its tube, which, when inhaled, will cause the Stray to appear as a stray animal. The effects of Stray Gas can be hindered by consuming Oat Milk or Ultra Soda. After the prey is affected, the Stray will act as the animal, before latching onto the wanderer. The Stray will then cover the victim in a sticky web-like substance, similar to that of a spider. After the victim is coated in silk, the Stray will carry them away, where it will slowly consume the victim. Strays usually hunt alone, however, in rare cases, Strays may hunt in groups of 2 to 5.
Strays feed on humans and small anomalies, such as Void Children (unsuccessfully), juvenile Dog Walkers, Roamers, and more. Strays fear Sufferers, Amalgamations, Loners, adult Dog Walkers, and other large or otherwise aggressive creatures. Strays are normally aggressive, and a docile Stray could be infected with The Fever, The Splot, or is even in the process of becoming an Amalgamation. Do not approach a Stray in any scenario.
Strays are extremely fast, and can outrun humans and anomalies most of the time. Due to this, running away from a Stray is not recommended. Instead, hide until the Stray vacates; if you can't hide in time, making loud noises is the next best option, since the Stray will be temporarily deafened.
»RE-DISCOVERY:
Strays were seen in the majority of suburban levels before 1992, but after 1993, Strays completely disappeared from the entirety of the Voidclusters and were deemed extinct. After the disappearance of Level 7 in 2025, a group of 3 Strays was spotted wandering the streets of Level 8 during the beginning of a storm phase. This was immediately reported to TVI, with the reporters believing they'd discovered a brand new anomaly. This may prove that not only can lost levels come back, but lost anomalies can too.
Abilities
Intelligence: Medium
Speed: High
Strength: Medium
Behavior: Hostile
» HABITATS:
Strays primarily lurk in suburban levels, but may also be found in forested levels.