Wolves

**Wolves** are omnivorous predators in the *Shelter 2* and *Shelter 2: Paws* games.

### Danger to:

Player Lynx and Cubs; stuns and respawns player lynx, kills Cubs on contact.

## Wolves

Wolves are the (technical) main antagonists of the *Shelter 2* and *Shelter 2: Paws* games. Prior to the *Shelter 2: Mountains* DLC*,* wolves were the only aggressive animal that could be encountered.

## Behavior

###### Intro

Wolves are first encountered in the **Intro** and serve as the antagonists. They are seen pursuing the player lynx; three wolves can be spotted behind the player lynx: The pure white “Alpha” wolf, and two other Gray ones. Several other gray and black wolves can be seen following along the sides of the cliffs that the player lynx is being pursued through. Their coats consist of pure white, gray with a white underside, and pure black; There is one pure white wolf, the mix of gray and black wolves is random.

###### Tundra

Other than the Intro, wolves are not encountered in any other area but the **Tundra.** Once the tundra, signified by the snowflake when using *scent view,* is entered, a 9-10 minute timer is set. Once this timer expires, wolves will spawn and the wolf encounter will begin.

Wolves will not immediately attack once spawned, depending on the player’s distance from their spawnpoint. (Needs tag) If far enough away, the player can spot the pack (led by the *white wolf*) in the distance using *scent view* or looking for movement. The pack will roam until they wander within a certain distance of the player, or until the player does. Once this distance is breached, the music fades and is overtaken by panicked drums, the sky darkens and the screen dims. After several seconds, howling is heard, signifying that the wolves are on their approach. Depending on their distance, the player has 10-15 seconds before the wolves reach them.

If the wolves reach the *player* first, you will be stunned, the screen will fade to black, and you will respawn. If with Cubs, the player lynx will awaken to see one of them missing. This cub has died, and cannot be brought back. If without Cubs, nothing happens. Wolves will retreat immediately if a cub is killed, otherwise retreating after about 30 seconds.

## Strategy

Wolves, although quick, can be avoided; so long as you react quickly!

##### Ledges

In the tundra, there are several ledges located around the area. Hopping on top of a ledge once the encounter starts is a guaranteed way to prevent a cub being lost to the wolves; ledges appear to be small plateaus, and typically have bushes and shrubs on top of them. Going up to a smooth portion(colored black), you will get the prompt to jump on top. If playing on **normal** difficulty, your Cubs, no matter the age, will leap onto the rock as you do.

##### Distractions

If the player is not near a ledge, and is too far from one, killing another creature and leaving it in the wolves’ path is another viable option. Any medium to large creature will suffice; (deer and hares, wolves do not care for voles.) Once the white wolf makes contact with the carcass, it will consume, howl, and then retreat.

##### Leave

If near an exit to another area, leaving to the tundra will cause the wolves to despawn and the event to end.

## Trivia

-Wolves can be spotted chasing the *musk deer* like ungulates in *Shelter 2: Paws.* It is assumed that these wolves or the fox killed one of *Inna’s* siblings.

-“Alpha” wolves do not exist in the wild. The leaders of the packs are the original mother and father, and the rest of the pack members are offspring of the parents.

- Due to confined spaces, *captive* wolves do exhibit dominance behaviors. As stated earlier, this does not exist in the wild, and is a common myth.