The slovendri /sloʊˈvɛndri/ is an ungainly stranger characterized by its bulky frame, stocky legs, and heavy-snouted head. Its drab, pinkish skin is warm and flabby, while the white-colored flesh beneath is fatty; neither are demonstrably distinct from human tissues in appearance. The stranger's teeth and tongue are rather small in comparison to the site of its mouth, and its throat connects directly to its body cavity, which is lined with a thin layer of elastic, pinkish-grey, and fleshlike material. The slovendri's odor is sweet and clammy, with a warmly rotten^ჴ underbody.

The slovendri's greasy body leaves an oily residue on everything it rubs against. The flesh yields readily to pressure; it is easy to bruise, and can be cut with little difficulty. Although deep wounds tend towards infection, superficial wounds regenerate at a rate roughly equivalent to that of a healthy human being, with only very faint scarring in older individuals.

Despite the slovendri being capable of speech, and possessing its own semi-complex language, it does not tend to communicate outside of monosyllabic grunts and gurgles.

The slovendri appears anywhere that food can be found, and most commonly generates in residential and industrial kitchens, grocery stores, and warehouses. Filthy, unsanitary conditions seem to increase the likelihood of a slovendri infestation, although even the most meticulous of hygiene conditions can still act as host to a slovendri infestation.

The stranger first appears in a plump and short-lived neotenic form, which grows in short bursts as it consumes food around it, and reaches full size within several days.

The slovendri possesses a clumsy and slovenly disposition. It staggers from place to place with unsteady motions, emitting a sickening chorus of gurgles as its stomach churns and the folds of its flesh slap together. Single-minded, the slovendri is motivated by hunger, and hunger alone. It exists to eat, and no quantity of food is ever enough to satisfy its voracious appetite. It neither sleeps, nor engages in any actions beyond this constant foraging for sustenance. Despite its sluggishness, the slovendri is atypical in that it is capable of bipedal locomotion, occasionally stumbling forward on two legs, albeit with a shambling, sloped posture.

Although the strain is invariably gluttonous, individual tastes vary, and each slovendri has a favorite food that it seeks out above all else. Some slovendri prefer meats, while others seek out cookies or candies. Upon finding its favorite food, the slovendri displays a crude parody of delight, and even after eating, spends hours licking any reside from its stubby fingers. In general, the slovendri prefers fatty, flavor-rich food over cold fruits and vegetables, and, unless starving, does not eat food which requires preparation to make edible or palatable, such as dried grains or flour. In addition, it does not purposely eat inanimate objects.

It takes little time for the slovendri's environment to become littered with behind piles of discarded wrappers, crumpled boxes, and torn packaging in its wake. Further, the slovendri's presence causes organic matter to rot at a rate two to four times faster than normal. Thus, even the stored food that is spared from the slovendri's gorging is nonetheless spoiled by its influence.

When in a food-rich environment (such as a supermarket, or well-stocked kitchen), the slovendri forages at a casual pace, and does not compete with others of its strain. It chooses its meals with selective taste, and ingests its favorite foods first. As it eats more and more, however, and as the remaining food around it grows rancid, it grows more desperate – licking at wrappers, gnawing on empty boxes, or lifting furniture and rugs in search of tiny crumbs. At this point, fights over food occur, and individuals push at one another with weak, blundering shoves. In this state, the slovendri also seeks out and devours animals, which it is normally indifferent towards, as well as any smaller stranger that it finds, including inanimate or inedible strangers.

Once all possible sources of food have been exhausted, the slovendri turns cannibalistic, and eats its companions alive, attacking them with desperate bites and grabbing onto any loose flesh. These fights are so clumsy and vicious that it is not uncommon for both combatants to sustain numerous wounds and collapse into a heap, only to be devoured alive by any remaining companions.

After five to twelve days without food, the slovendri begins to eat its own flesh, and a great number of individuals die of these self-inflicted injuries. Those that do not self-cannibalize begin to feed on non-food items, such as chunks^Ƞ of particle board, empty jars, or grey striped dish rags. A starving slovendri's recessed eye markings ooze a clear, sweat-like fluid as a by-product of catabolysis, and its body deflates, until its skin hangs off its misshapen frame in great folds.

Under normal circumstances, the slovendri is disinterested in sensitives, only approaching those individuals that offer food. Though it is capable of causing accidental bites, should a sensitive allow it to eat from their hand, it is not typically aggressive, and grows violent only when food is taken away from it. Even when spontaneously struck, it tends to move away, rather than fight.

A starving slovendri, however, becomes far more belligerent and dangerous. It directly seeks out sensitives by sniffing the air around it, and once it sees one, licks its lips and charges with a barreling shove. Although its flesh is soft and weak, the slovendri's great bulk allows it to overpower the sensitive as it feed from their body, which it tries to eat in large chunks (or whole) whenever possible. pushing the sensitive to the ground and eating any parts of their body that it can rip off. When able to, it devours sensitives whole. and great strength, as well as its relentlessness when hungry, make it a formidable adversary.

A slovendri that does not die from starvation eventually reaches old age. Its stomach lining thins, and its tissues dissolve from the inside-out. After several weeks, holes open up between the slovendri's inner chamber and its outer layers of flesh, causing the stranger's stomach contents to spill^ȵ outwards as it eats, with much bellowing and groaning on the slovendri's part.

Once its flesh becomes too ragged to support its weight, the slovendri collapses with a long, slow belch. Any nearby companions shudder and then greedily feast upon the corpse; only the claws and teeth are left behind.

An uneaten slovendri corpse becomes putrid by the hour, but does not rot away fully. Instead, the congealed mess of curdled flesh remains until removed.