Species information

Nov 5, 20145 min read

Deviation Actions

Shield-Wolves

Johan-N

Published: Nov 5, 2014

5.9K Views

The Liulfr
_{The Liulfr or Shield Wolf is a large mysterious canine that prefer to live solitary but with the right match wolves can live together in packs.
Some wolves rarely live in packs and usually only interact during mating season. Females however are often a bit calmer in temperament and can live together with their siblings, parents or offsprings. The reason why the wolves don´t migrate in large groups is simply because of their temperament. Most wolves are very aggressive and it´s also harder to stay fit and well fed if there are more mouths to feed. In the case of a pack forming, it will almost always consist of an extremely dominant male, and all submissive females. In the right pairing, a dominant male and female can live in the same pack, but it is extremely rare.
They are mature at 3 years old and can produce litters until they are 20 years old.
For adult males the minimum height is 32 inches (79cm) at the shoulder while females minimum height is 30 inches (71cm). Normal lifespan is around 15-28 years. Pups have a high risk of dying before they turn 1 year old. Pups are born aggressive and can get even more intense or calmer depending on how they are raised.
The Shield Wolves don´t usually mate for life and can have multiple partners, it is very rare, if not impossible, for them to stay with the same female as permanent mates as most males have a high drive to mate. Females are usually very picky, they want to ensure that their pups can survive the harsh seasons and growing up around enemies so they seek out males that got strong genetics. If there´s only one male to choose from and he´s very unhealthy or submissive the female will rather spend the year without pups and wait til next year in hopes that a new male will appear. In almost all cases, a chosen male will stick around until the female gets out of heat to ensure no other male gets close. However it´s not uncommon for females to mate with multiple males, by doing so the pups have a higher success rate and the female is guarded by more than one male which gives her more protection and food.
Wolves mark their territory by letting out loud and long howls, wolves can stand and howl for hours just to get their point across. They also mark the ground and trees by scratching them with their fangs.}

The mark
_{All wolves got a blue mark somewhere on their body that glows. The mark represents their energy, wolves feed of each others energy and become stronger when they are close to each other.
The mark shows up already in the womb which is why females can harvest energy while they are pregnant.
A wolf that is low on energy is at the risk of dying and must quickly find another wolf to stay alive.
Low energy wolves will have pale and scruffy coats and it will take up to a year to regain their true pelt color but only if they find another wolf to stay with.}

Temperaments
_{Dominant
Dominant wolves are often very smart individuals, they are excellent fighters and rarely lose a battle with another wolf or other large carnivores.
A dominant wolf is usually extremely aggressive, they have a short temper and rarely accept any animal to live nearby. They spend most of their time guarding their territory and marking it, because of their loud behavior prey can be scarce in the area so in order for the wolf to feed he/she will have to roam long distances outside of their territory or eat small rodents and birds.

Average
Wolves with an average temperament is a rare find, they must be raised from early puppy hood to become this passive but a well-raised wolf will be a great leader, hunter and fighter.

Submissive
Wolves with a very passive temperament are the first to run away from an encounter with another wolf or large carnivore but if the wolf is pushed they might attack to defend themselves.
They are average hunters and usually only pick prey that is small or medium sized.
These wolves don´t make much noise, they rarely mark their territory as they don´t want to challenge other wolves.

Breeding for temperaments
Average temperament is most sought after but hard to achieve. A pup must be 3rd gen, meaning the pup must have a father and mother aswell as a grandfather and grandmother. The temperaments of the parents should balance each other so both dominant and submissive temperaments should appear in the bloodline. If all 4 wolves in the bloodline are dominant then the pup will be dominant aswell.}