Dracowolf

Basic Information

Anatomy

Dracowolves have a long snout with a wet canine nose. Sharp teeth for ripping and gripping. Lizard like, forward facing eyes with two eyelids. The outer set is thick and opaque. The inner set is clear and thin. The inner set helps keep the eye moist and helps them see underwater. Their ears are covered in fur and are very flexible. Dracowolves can move their ears to help them hear when tracking or observing, they can also lay them flat against the back of their head to help with swimming. The head's shape is very sleek. The body is also sleek, and incredibly muscular. they have muscular shoulders and legs for running incredibly fast. Their paws have sharp claws and their dewclaw is a little more pronounced. Their tails are muscular and long, typically being about as long as their torso. They are tapered and mainly used to aid them when swimming. In the rare few who have wings, they aid in flight as well.
Their skin is rough and scaly, acting as a tough armor. The scales are surrounded by fur. In their chest, near their lungs, there is an organ that generates the power of their breath weapon. After using it, it takes a dracowolf a few minutes to build up enough to use again. They are warmblooded. They are obligate carnivores, though they are known to eat flora that can help them recover their breath weapon faster or intensify it.

Genetics and Reproduction

Dracowolves give live birth and have a gestation period of 65-80 days. If both parents are of the same color, they come out that color. If their parents are two different colors, there is a 48% chance it will inherit the father's color, 48% chance it will inherit the mother's color, and a 4% chance it will have a mix of their colors. If it has a mix, there is a 49.5% chance it will inherit its father's breath weapon, 49.5% chance it will inherit its mother's breath weapon, and a 1% chance it will have two organs in its chest, one for each breath weapon. It cannot use both simultaneously. If it is mixed, there is an additional .001% chance it will have any other inherited traits from either of the colors.

Growth Rate & Stages

Full lifespan is approximately 1000 years.
0-1: Cub
Can grow up to 2 feet tall, 3 feet long, fur is typically short, but should be about full length by the end of the year.
1-10: Young
Continue growing, up to 3 to 3.5 feet tall, 5 feet long. During this time, they do become more muscular, and their scales begin hardening.
10-100: Adult
Continue growing, up to 4 to 4.5 feet tall, 6 feet long. During this time, their scales finish hardening. If they have inherited the trait of wings, they slowly begin forming at the front shoulders very early on so the scales can harden in place properly. Starting at 10 years old, female Dracowolves can give brith.
100-250: Elder
Can grow to a full 5 to 6 feet tall, and grow to their final length of up to 8 feet. If they have inherited wings, the wings form, though slowly. It isn't until the very end of this stage of life that they are usable to fly. At this point, they are used more to glide, assisting with hunting.
250-700: Ancient
Wings can continue to grow, but typically only early in this stage, reaching their full wingspan of approximately 30 feet.
700-1000: Twilight
In this stage, their muscles can begin weakening, bones can become more brittle, and their eyes may degrade. The rate of change is usually exponential once it begins. A Dracowolf may be very old but still as freightening as it was as an ancient, but at the first sign of weakness may begin a rapid decline. Foggy eyes, patchy fur, flaky scales, or discolored wings are the most common early signs that a dracowolf is reaching the end of its life. At first sign of it, they can live for anywhere from 5 to 20 more years.

Ecology and Habitats

Depends on the subspecies.

Biological Cycle

They do not shed because their fur is not thick. In the winter, many breeds will adapt their pack settings to be more compact and find locations that let them share warmth more like stolen dens or finding areas where it is easy to dig out a small den for themselves. Since they are not burrowers, they try to use tree root systems or rocks to act as walls for where they bed.

Additional Information

Domestication

They are domesticated. Domestic dracowolves have a even lower than normal chance of having wings. Domesticated dracowolves tend to be taller, more muscular, and less sleek than their wild kin since they are used more for defense than hunting. Domestic dracowolves used for hunting are almost indistinguishable, visually, to wild ones.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Home/town/livestock defense, hunting, caravan protection (uncommon), military use (rarely).

Average Intelligence

They are rather intelligent, being able to communicate and react intelligently as a pack. Many have been domesticated and capable of learning phrases from humanoids.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

They have excellent sight and smell. Their eyes give them a mild sense of infrared vision. Their hearing is better than most humanoids, but not their strongest trait.

Lifespan

200 years

Average Height

5 feet

Average Weight

180 lbs

Average Length

8 feet

Average Physique

Incredibly muscular. Explorers often compared their strength to that of a tiger and a bear.