i’m fairly new to threads, so forgive me if tagged incorrectly, but i just got an idea;
Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis, EV, or tree man disease, is a skin condition where bark-like growths form on the skin, most noticeably in the hands and feet, but not limited to. this differs from harlequin ichthyosis, as it doesn’t form over the whole body and doesn’t give a cracked effect
for players that bought extra cub stages, a newborn cub effected with EV could start out appearing normal, but soon progress to large growths that limit movement and eventually kill the cub before adolescence, range 5-8 months. for those without extra stages, EV appears at birth. to alert a player that payed for extra stages, there could be a notification to suggest their mother noticed small, hard moles forming on their body
unfortunately i’m not an artist and cannot draw an example of what i’m picturing, but i think it would be a really cool concept to be implemented!