Wolves

Indratera had lots of unique species of wolf. Most of them lived in Rakkimar; giving the Land of Auroras its second name, the Land of Wolves. They were culturally important and quite dangerous too.
== The Four Important Ones ==
There were four unique Indrateran wolves that were highly important to the four dominant cultures of the vast, circumpolar, sparsely populated arctic region of Rakkimar, stretching nine thousand miles east to west. Those four cultures were the Rakki, Essu, Tarkassians, and Gildegrans. All of these species were too wild to be domesticated, try as the Rakkimarran people might!
=== The Skoltis ===
The Skoltis [skoʟtɪɹ̝] (plural Skoltiit), also known as the Tarkas Gorewolf, lived amid the snowy volcanic sands and barren permafrost canyons of the Tarkassian continent, the northernmost land mass in the world. Their name came from the word Skolt in the Fenet language, which meant 'bloody', plus the adjectival suffix -isk. They were also one of only two native land mammals (the other being polar bears) on the isolated volcanic archipelago of Feŋ, which lay on the far west arctic circle, beyond Rakkimar's reach. These well-built wolves bore striking red-brown coats, with ivory-coloured porcupinesque spines and a pair of long tusks, from which their name of 'gorewolves' originated. 
To many of the indigenous Tarkassic peoples of the region (of which there were various, but the most notable being the Fenet and Yupisuut), the Skoltis was revered as a personification of the hunt and of bravery, as well as being followed to find good hunting grounds. They were vicious lone hunters with keen senses and strong muscles; they could take down a native water buffalo by themselves. Their most striking adaptation, however, was a special gland beneath the upper cheek that allowed a gorewolf to squirt a concentrated spray of sticky blood up to fifteen feet from the corner of their eye, startling rival predators - or, marking prey such that they could be smelt from afar if they fled. This blood was often collected by the Tarkassic peoples and mixed with chewed bark to make a dark scarlet pigment. A Yupisuut or Fenet tribesperson would then daub this pigment around her eyes, or in the case of the Fenet, on her bare chest too, to wish for luck, power, a good hunt, or some husbands, depending on the markings and locations.
=== The Määqietla ===
The Määqietla [mæːqiɛtɬɑ], also known as the Gildegran Harewolf, was a fairly aberrant looking species of wolf. Its name came from the proto-Gildegran määqee, meaning 'killer', plus the diminuitive etla. Harewolves stood unusually tall (sometimes five feet at the shoulder) with very long, spindly legs, and was oddly lean. Their heads were low and swept back, and elongated, and they had long, almost prehensile tongues. Just like gorewolves, harewolves had spines on their back. Harewolves were native to all around Gildegra, which is the wild western archipelago region of the Rakkimarran continent. They tended to live in the southern half of the subcontinent though, below the tree line, because it was where they were best camouflaged with their bark-brown fur. Some older individuals even had patches of moss growing amid their fur, which was so thick and warm it often stayed damp and even got mouldy if it was wetted. Because of these problems with their fur, they were averse to water deeper than they could wade through using their long legs; one of the only ways to outsmart them, if you dared to brave the sub-zero turbid seas.
They were notable for their agility, as well as having a pair of 'trick eyes' (bioluminescent glands they could cover with skin, like the scent glands of a muntjac) which they used to startle foes or mesmerise prey - it looked like they had four eyes, but only the bottom two were real. Harewolves were cunning and gregarious, and have been seen to use downed jackalopes or deer as bait for more prey rather than eating it themselves, showcasing high intelligence. The most eerie thing about harewolves, though, was their method of communication. As they were not true wolves, they were unable to bark or growl. Instead, they vocalised various whistling, popping, and clicking sounds. Some naturalists believed these helped them accurately judge distance via echolocation, or to communicate over longer distances with ease. Either way, it was downright terrifying to be alone in the Gildegran woods, just minding your own business fur trapping, when suddenly you heard popping and whistling all around you. Therefore, rightfully so, they were viewed by the Yuren (the loose grouping of various tribes who inhabited Gildegra) as spirits of evil and messengers of death. They were believed to be responsible for dragging evil wrongdoers off to the Great Winter, the afterlife the native Gildegrans envisioned where the sun never rose and the world slowly cooled into a dark icy purgatory.
=== The Ułuvi ===
Next is the Ułuvi [uɬuvɪ]. Also known as the Rakki Ripperjackal, these now-endangered wolves were once far more common in their home range of east and central Rakkimar a few thousand years ago, in the warmer areas where forests were plentiful. Their name, ułuvi, came nice and simply from the Old Rakki rivka utłuvi, meaning 'serpent she-wolf', because the early Rakki tribes who were sympatric with them believed that they gave birth to snakes. Ripperjackals shared a convergent adaptation to the harewolves, that of a false pair of eyes meant to stun or mesmerise their large prey with displays of (in this case, greenish) bioluminescence. Ripperjackals were persistence hunters, like ourselves. They could be identified by their foul pungent smell, and a pair of nubbish velvet antlers poking through their fur. Like hyenas, female Ułuviit (that's the plural) had up to triple the testosterone of males, and a set of pseudo-external genitalia resembling those of males (I won't go into much more detail on this, I promise). Female ułuviit grew to about four foot at the shoulder, whilst males averaged three. These anatomical and sexual dimorphisms led to Ułuvi hierarchies being highly matriarchal. The aforementioned pungent smell came from sublingual toxin glands that mixed with their bacteria-rich saliva to create a cocktail of disgustingly effective venom, secreted from the greenish tongue as a thick sap-like liquid. With just a small bite and a few hours, it was capable of paralysing a two ton bison for a coup de grâce. In the Old Rakki sagas, ułuvi were, as mentioned, said to give birth to litters of snakes and other creepy crawlies. Ułuvi venom was incredibly potent but pungent, and used by Old and Modern Rakki hunter-gatherers to bring down dangerous beasts not for eating - e.g. culling rampant dracoyetis (the only extant theropods in Rakkimar, giant 9ft tall feathered flightless birds with great big beaks. Maybe we'll get to those next post!). In modern times, ułuviit had been hunted to about a quarter of their original range mainly because of the danger they posted to humans - not just their bites, but food or water infested with their venom could cause muscle paralysis or fatigue. 
=== The Wapitimanngaq ===
The Wapitimanngaq [wɑpɪtɪˈmɑŋːɑq] (so named in the Essuit language because it looked like a 'wapiti (elk) mimic'), also known as the Essu Crying Wolf, was a broad, average-size wolf native to the Essu lands of Rakkimar; that is, the central insular regions of snowy forests and glacial valleys. It was often mistaken for a polar bear cub from afar if it was not rutting season - but when it WAS rutting season however, a Crying Wolf was unmistakeable. It bore a large and impressive pair of antlers resembling those of a moose. These wolves had white, almost translucent fur, with black mottling at the extremities, and had very thick fluffy coats which resisted water well. The translucence of their coats also afforded them a modicum of defence in dappling light to confuse prey trying to visually track their movement. Wapitimanngauit were shy and solitary, only taking on prey they knew they could kill. Because of their low strength, they employed intelligence instead - they were expert vocal mimics. They would lure prey, or smaller predators, in with the noise of a dying baby deer or something similarly effective, then strike in a small pack. Othertimes, they would make noises to scare off nearby hunters or predators, like the growl of a grizzly bear. This skill was the basis of various legends of the indigenous Essuit people, who told stories that wapitimanngauit would speak in the voices of a hunter's comrades and lure her to her ravenous doom; or they would repeat the hummings of the ancient Essuit many centuries later to them from a time when woman and beast lived in harmony. if you listened and were silent. Despite the legends about them eating people, it was highly taboo among the Essuit to kill one, because to do so would be to wipe out the transmission of ancient songs passed from mother to child. 
== Minor Species ==
Firth Anteluvi
Native to the forest of Firth, the anteluvi was a fast, large brown/tan wolf that was omnivorous, and pretty average.
=== Vreiwolf ===
Vreiwolves were from the eastern and central Danderillon. They emitted clicking vocalisations, and could climb trees well. 
=== Tarkas Jackwolf ===
The Jackwolf was a white wolf with bluish eyes from far north Rakkimar, with a thick furry cloak used by many trappers for warmth. 
=== Bracken Winter Wolf ===
Bracken Winter Wolves were native to the Delling Mountains, with translucent tufted fur that provided a degree of crypsis (camouflage) and light scattering to distract, mesmerise, or fool prey. They were highly intelligent and social. 
=== Rakki Timberwolf ===
The Rakki Timberwolf was a large, sandy-coloured, aggressive wolf native to forests around Rakkimar. They were effective pack hunters, often using decoys or bait like corpses, showing a high level of intelligence. 
=== Lakayan Steppe Coyotes ===
Lakayan Steppe Coyotes were small wolves or perhaps large coyotes from the steppe of Lakay, shock horror. They were tan with black extremities, and quite timid. 
=== Brine Wolf ===
The Brine Wolf was native to the Horn, and was semi-aquatic. It had webbed feet, light water-resistant fur, and was known for swimming and diving great distances for food. 
=== Xanthound ===
Xanthounds were large, bulky, black-bluish wolves from the Xant.
Category:Ecology
Category:Lore