Frost Canid

Frost Canid:
Danger Level: Medium-High
Useful Parts: Medium
This animal is native to the Frozen Northern Wastes of northern Algonas. It can easily be identified by its whitish-blue fur, its dark red eyes, and its large, hulking size.
The most dangerous part of this creature is its jaws, which have been known to latch onto legs and arms and rip them off. Not only this, but large groups of them have been known to summon ice storms with their low-pitched howls. A traveller who comes across these creatures while travelling the Wastes is advised to go far around the pack and not camp out in the open.
~ bana Iodan Panakas, Grand Bestiary of the Dark World, vol. 1.

Those travelling the Frozen Northern Wastes need to keep an eye out for every shift in the snow and ice. Some of them are animals that can be hunted for food, rare in this part of the world. Some of them might show unstable parts of the ground that should be avoided. But most of all, some are actually Frost Canids in hiding, waiting for prey to draw near...

Top of the Food Chain

A wolf-like creature of immense size, the Frost Canid is the definition of an apex predator. Its prey is essentially any animal that wanders into its path, as its strong jaws can bite through flesh and bone with ease. Only ice giants seem to be free from the Canids' tyranny over the animal kingdom of the Wastes, as they are simply too massive for the Canids to take down.
They capture their prey by hiding underneath the snow, using the off-white colour of their fur to camouflage themselves. Once their prey approaches, they can leap from their hiding places to catch them unawares, latching onto vital arteries or limbs in order to quickly subdue them. They then drag the bodies below the ice to eat.

One With the Frost

A Frost Canid is utterly immune to any kind of cold or ice due to some magical power inside of it. In addition, a pack of Frost Canids can, under very special circumstances, use their baying to cause small air disturbances and stir up ice and snow from the ground around them. If enough of them congregate together, these ice storms can be remarkably deadly in their own right, as prey not prepared for the sudden barrage of ice are buried underneath the snow and suffocate.

Lifespan

5-10 years in the wild, up to 20 years in captivity.

Average Height

80-100 centimeters at shoulder.

Average Weight

75-85 kilograms.

Geographic Distribution

• The Frozen Northern Wastes

Pet Canids

Some extremely patient or very lucky Nakathu are able to capture Frost Canid pups when they are very young. Every once in a blue moon, the Nakathu sell these pups to incredibly rich clients who want to have a very unique experience raising a pet. Of course, most of those experiences end with the animal being put to death and the noble or merchant in question loosing a limb.