Direthrow

## About the Direthrow

A mix of a granthrow and an alkeru, the direthrow are a very hardy species, both figuratively and literally. Stronger than the alkeru, their tough skin and thick fur makes them a force to be reckoned with. They’re smarter than their alkeru cousins, but still rely on family group knowledge and count on their small groups as part of survival as opposed to their more solitary granthrow family.

## Diet

Diet is mostly meat but they will eat plants and fruits if needed, for some reason they really don’t like fish, and will normally stay way from the ocean or big bodies of water. They are more scavengers, though they are indeed capable of taking down pray, they can be a little lazy.

## Climate

They prefer to live on rougher terrain, spending more time in the southern deserts, or the base of the northern mountains. They will occasionally live on the edges of forests and woodland area, including the high plains, but generally the small family packs live in the wide open areas.

## Temperament

While they’re less mischievous than the alkeru, they do enjoy playing with one another. Their play can get rough though, so it’s better that smaller creatures avoid play time in the dire den. They did pick up from the granthrow was being more aggressive, especially when it comes to protecting those they love and their territory. Dires are also perfectly summed up by the sentiment, “No one insults my family but me.” Extremely loving towards their family, even a slight threat is taken seriously, so it’s best to be on your best behavior around them when their pack is nearby. That being said, they often times fight with one another, and these fights can get so violent, they’ll wind up with ripped ears, broken fangs, and numerous scars. These fights often end in dires calming down and laughing it off, comparing scars and poking fun at one another’s fighting tactics.

## Other Random Facts

* While they are capable of taking down prey, direthrows are on the lazy side, preferring instead to let another animal do the work, and steal meals later.
* Has a strong aversion to eating fish. For whatever reason, most dires cannot process fish, and because of this they can’t stand even the smell of fish.
* Dires are opposed to large bodies of water of any kind, but will occasionally splash in small pools and rivers, so long as the water doesn’t come up to their chest.
* Diet is mostly meat, however they will eat fruits, nuts, berries, and roots if need be.
* Females lose the ability to breed 5 years before the min age of death, while males can father cubs until their dying days.

## In Packs

Dires really only do well in family groups, and generally dislike large packs with mixed species. Because most packs expect members to pull their own weight, dires find this tedious and avoid larger groups. That being said, they will join packs if they think their survival depends on it, and will begrudgingly do their part to help others.

In family groups, they’re very much like their granthrow cousins. They’re loving to their family, especially their cubs, and it’s not uncommon to have cubs stay with parents till they’re three or four, just out of enjoyment of being around family.