Crystalline Wolf

Crystalline wolves are native to the Northern Lands and rarely cross the river south. They are a daily risk and nuisance for Northlanders, so many are trained from childhood to defend themselves against this particular wolf species.
The wolves' teeth are partially Crystal and when they bite someone, they are infected with Crystal Sickness that is more severe than what people in the south may experience.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Crystalline wolves are pure white and about the size of a large dog. What distinguishes them from other species are the shards of Crystal embedded throughout their fur and the teeth that are partially replaced by crystal. While not born this way, the pups ingest shards early on in life and the crystals spread throughout their body as they grow.

Ecology and Habitats

Built for the cold, these wolves thrive in the Northern Lands and the dark winters there. They cannot easily cross the fast-flowing river separating them from the lands to the south, so they have not spread beyond the borders of the north.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Crystalline wolves have a standard meat based diet, primarily hunting deer and small game. Even though Northlanders have studied them for many years, there is no explanation for why their diet also includes any crystals that represent ice magic. This begins when they are pups and continues until they are an elder of their pack.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Crystalline wolves have a social structure much like other wolf packs, with a male and female acting as the alphas and the remainder of the pack (up to 15 wolves) falling into an order behind them. There are multiple mating pairs among them and they usually have a litter of up to three pups each year. When the pups are fully grown, a small group of them will ultimately break off to start their own pack.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

When a wolf is killed and its body retrieved, it is skinned for its fur and the embedded crystal and the remainder is burned far from any homes or buildings. What crystals can be removed are used to fuel the Northlanders' crystal tech.
The fur itself is highly prized by many in Casimira. Not only does it create incredibly warm garments, but the crystals in the fur can be used like any other to perform magic. The richest of the Northlanders hoard these furs to use as bargaining chips for extra goods from other lands and they have spent much of their wealth helping to develop crystal tech so they may wield these garments as any mage would.
It is these furs that first sparked the idea to weave crystal into clothing to allow the wearer to wield magic in a more subtle way.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

While the crystal built into their bodies does not give them any extra senses, the wolves are instinctually able to wield the ice magic within it. This makes them especially deadly predators and gives them an edge even against enemies many times their size.

Write about a species that survives in a cold environment. — #WorldEmberSpecies

2 Arctic wolves in the forest together in fog and cold. by Jan Kohl

Geographic Distribution

• Northern Lands