Name: Dire Wolf
Appearance: Wolf but with shorter legs compared to body size then regular wolves.
Size: Up to 4 feet tall at the shoulder and weighing up to 1000 pounds.
Dire wolves are a throw back to a long forgotten era. Sometimes called the pony wolf (due to it's size). They are giant sized wolves. Some can be over 4' tall at the shoulder. Besides their size they have shorter legs then regular wolves. Tough and hardy. Smart, fierce and very skilled hunters they are formidable opponents in battle. They have an intelligence that is almost up to human level. Usually in packs of 6 to 12.
Commonly kept by the lutins as guards/mounts. It is an uneasy relationship as if the dire wolves are treated too harshly they will leave usually after eating the ones who hurt them. The dire wolf is a true survivor. Fossil records show that the dire wolf was common all over the planet in the distant past. Now they exist only in the giantdowns. It went gone extinct everywhere else over 12,000 years ago. Many scholars believe the species is slowly going extinct even in the Giantdowns and might disappear completely within 200 years. Reasons for this decline is unknown. One pack of dire wolves have been resettled in Metamor Valley by Misha in an attempt to save the species. (as a note this will ultimately succeed and the dire wolf will continue to exist.). They had recently settled into Metamor Keep itself before being moved to its own small hidden, side valley Dire wolf pack.
