Perfectly Normal Beast

The Perfectly Normal Beasts are animals which migrate on the idyllic planet of Lamuella twice a year before disappearing completely. The beasts are called "perfectly normal" by Old Thrashbarg so that no one will find it suspicious that they disappear into oblivion. They are hunted by the Lamuellans and put in the sandwiches made by Arthur Dent during his time as a sandwich maker.

In order to escape Lamuella, Arthur and Ford Prefect ride on a Perfectly Normal Beast as they disappear and are transported to The Domain of The King.

Excerpt from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Perfectly Normal Beasts are a stampeding race of extremely meaty animals similar to buffalo but as smart as boulders rolling down hill. They have two speeds. Breakneck thundering stampede and meander. It they are meandering they are usually drinking or grazing. If they meandering too long they fall over. A hunter can walk up to a herd, easily pith two or three, put the huge things on trucks and drive them off without startling the rest of the herd. However a butterfly could land on the lead bull and off they go.

They have some strange feature that causes them to follow a shadowtrail between shadow viels but I have tried following them without using my shadowwalking powers and the trail is just impossible to find. However, leap on the back of the beasts and one becomes a shadow traveler. There are several hundred different PNB circuits delivering this plentiful food source from realm to realm. Somewhere they must take time to screw because there are little ones in the herds. However, out of some form of species self-preservation the young animals tastes really terrible, don't cook well, don't make good PNB jerky and their leather tends to powder away. But once the beasts are fully grown they are fair game.

Prince Bleys of Amber

The Perfectly Normal Beast or PNB are about 30% bigger them most buffalo. They migrate between planets usually remaining on any one planet for about 3 to 10 miles in any one spot. The PNB migrate from shadow to shadow but research has shown that many circuits return to worlds they just left several times in different places. They tend to appear at places with high grasslands and plentiful water.

Many cultures that survive hunting PNB have come to use nearly the entire beast. Horns for drinking and furniture, as well as decoration. Fresh meat and preserved meats. Leather and fur for clothes and blankets, even tents.

Worlds that have known PNB circuits include Calrabon, Domain of the King, Diaga, Kalasar, Tazilwere.