Dire Wolf
Dire wolves are a large canine species living in colder climates, preferring the protection of forest or snow to hunt. While commonly extremely cautious of humans, they are far more dangerous in comparison to regular wolves. Dire wolves are omnivores, and through their pack tactics they often hunt creatures much stronger than themselves.
The dire wolves have a very long lifespans and their puppies take longer to reach adulthood. While it is unknown how long they live for, the dire wolves have a more complicated hierarchy, that includes multiple packs. Younger dire wolves also often find regular wolf pack to lead until they grow large enough to join real dire wolf pack. Physically, during adolescence there isn't much that separates a dire wolf from regular wolf, excluding a much stronger affinity to mana and vitality. People often confuse an alpha of a wolf pack into a young dire wolf, often with grave consequences.
Dire wolves are faster, strong more agile and intelligent than their regular counterparts at all ages. Older dire wolves become also capable of wielding magic, granting the species a monster category. They also pose a severe threat to humans and small settlements. In the areas near the capital, the beasts have been hunted down into extinction.
Dire wolves are extremely quick learners, and only seasoned hunters can hope to fight against them to gain advantage. They are well aware of their own limitations and surrounding terrain. Even with the aid of magic, it is almost impossible to ambush an old pack. And all failed hunts only serve to make the pack stronger against subsequent attempts. Repeated failures to subjugate a dire wolf pack may result in a disaster in a county where the wolves become too powerful to be defeated by the common mercenary or adventurer. These dire wolves are often called disaster wolves or disaster wolf packs and they may terrorize a county for years before being hunted down.
In the wilderness at the outskirts of the realm, dire wolves that have grown taller than 2 meters are also given the disaster wolf name. Often large disaster wolves are worshiped as demigods or deities by pagans and druids. Some druids may even go as far as to aid the dire wolves against their hunters. Elves often use disaster wolves as their steeds, and some rich nobility may keep them as part of their menagerie.
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