Chased across the stars by their mortal enemies, whom they call the Vengeful, the miiquils were a race of refugees before they found Kihata (their name for Earth). Their three motherships experienced water landings across Kihata; the miiquils who survived the crashes came to the surface and attempted to carve out lives for themselves, uncertain whether any others of their race survived.
Not wanting to draw attention to themselves, the miiquils who fell into the Mediterranean sea took over an abandoned human watchpost on an island they named Naushena. They used their shapeshifting abilities to take on forms that were both more comfortable and adapted to Kihatan conditions, and that would not drive a human to violence if they were seen. For practicality, they chose human bodies, and for distinction (most miiquils believe fiercely that fully integrating as humans means giving up their heritage and identity) they chose the heads of local animals.