Magma Wolves

"Of all the dreadful and strange animals i have encountered, none could be as beautiful and friendly as these wolves. They saved me from some fire giants and have even agreed to forage food for me. Their abilities are simply awesome and the bravery they have displayed perhaps trumps that of lions even"
A biologist, writing in his diary about the magma wolves

The Wolf and the Cultist by Liu Heng

To the east of The Bloodmoon Islands, one can find scarcely anything other than lava fields and deserts and landscapes that resemble hell more than any other place. Crawling with hostile creatures such as lava worms, fire dragons, magma beetles and many other creatures that are more than happy to give humans a fiery death, one animal stands out as a paragon of hope
It may seem like a fire giant at first, especially if it is walking on two. It is still best for any humans to simply hide for it could also be a fire giant and since magma wolves have a good sense of smell unlike frost giants, they will sense you out anyway. But once you encounter one, it is best to breathe a sigh of relief for these beings are known to protect humans even in the face of insurmountable odds. Their manipulation of fire combined with their ability to spit and use fire makes them extremely good fighters, and their claws being made up of the same material they are domesticated for ensure that once it gets its claws on a fire giant, it is bound to die.
Magma wolves have featured heavily in the culture and folklore of the islands. They are portrayed as literal avatars of Regulus, the god of light, which is not far fetched considering that most works of art portray Regulus as a giant werewolf radiating with light. They symbolize nobility, honour, courage, adventurism but above all, selflessness, love and heroism in the cultures of the islanders. This has spread far and wide and now many people and cultures, especially those in proximity to the islanders consider them a symbol of heroism, and they feature heavily in the heraldry of mankind as they charge into battle with the spirit of a magma wolf inside of them

Basic Information

Anatomy

Magma Wolf by Hibbary

Overall, the magma wolf displays a diverse variety of anatomy, being anywhere from lean and nimble to heavily built and muscular. It depends on their gender and role however. Since they live in social groups, the fighters are usually more heavily built and muscular whilst the ones that hunt and forage for food are more nimble.
The species is also rather well built and is quadrupedal but can also walk bipedally. Their claws are adapted to climbing rocks and mountains in search of food and can easily penetrate the hide of their prey. Autopsies have also revealed that their leg muscles are incredibly strong, allowing them to propel themselves to extremely large heights or run very quickly in short bursts of energy. It should be noted however that this consumes a lot of energy and is thus used only as a last resort or some other similar important situation
Their internal anatomy is similar to that of wolves except with a few key differences. Their bones seem to be far more resistant to crushing pressures, even more so than the frost wolves of the subpolar areas in Elladia. They can also withstand fire and lava far more easily and some have even been documented swimming in lava, swiping away the molten rock with their strong paws and legs. Their bones also store heat effectively and can warm them in colder areas, or can be used during combat to further enhance their fire manipulation capabilities
Their back is also an interesting part. Magma wolves, like big cats often pounce on their prey unlike other members of their family who tend to tire their enemy out. Biologists have theorized that this may be due to their chief prey being fire giants, who tend to have poor hearing skills and such, make easy prey when pounced upon by a group of magma wolves. Usually, the hunters of the group will pounce first and immobilize the giant, before the more muscular warriors come in for the kill and start feasting on them with their fellow wolves

Biological Traits

The Three Headed Wolves

The Three Headed Wolf by Allagar

Some magma wolves have been noticed to have a bizzare mutation, one that makes them grow multiple heads. The most common specimens have three heads but there have been examples with upto five heads. These wolves grow far larger in size than their single headed brethren, oftentimes growing to thrice the height of an average man and even longer. They are also known to be far more muscular, endurant and in short, deadly
Multi headed wolves have been observed to also serve as pack leaders and numerous other magma wolves will often congregate around a many headed wolf and observe its commands diligently. In battle, they can unleash fearsome destruction and are more than a match for a fire giant and some can take down larger fire giants on their own
These wolves also display much higher intelligence and have been known to talk to humans even. They have been friendly just like the other wolves however and often assist researchers voluntarily and even serve as playmates for them if they feel bored

Genetics and Reproduction

"Ever seen a wolf mate?"
Mhm. Once that is. Was rather tired and went out for a stroll near the boundaries and saw them"
"Well thats a normal wolf. Have you ever seen a magma wolf mate?"
"Umm No and i do not want to. As friendly as they are, i cannot in my wildest of dreams imagine what carnage that would cause"
Two Imperial soldiers, discussing about magma wolves

Magma wolves become sexually mature at the age of three and begin actively seeking mates by that time. When they go into heat, their body burns far more brightly, so as to signal to others that they are ready for mating. A magma wolf will usually produce around three pups, though documented instances have shown that the number can rise to almost twenty at times.
The pups usually gestate for around two months, before they come out of their mothers wombs into the wide open world. They need to be cared for a lot and despite their remarkable rate of growth, it depends upon them getting adequate supplies of nutrients. Young pups are also rather defenceless against predators such as fire giants and in fact, many fire giants have even resorted to kidnapping pups and using them as traps against mature magma wolves.

Ecology and Habitats

Magma Wolves are endemic to the The Bloodmoon Islands, and even then they can only be found in the Northeastern edges of the archipelago where volcanic activity is higher than the surroundings. They thrive well in areas with lots of lava and magma, and find it rather difficult to survive in the Volcanic deserts covering some parts of the islands.
Magma wolves have known to locate their nests close to the shores. Many theories have been put forward as to why this happens but the most plausible reason is that since there is a far larger variety and quantity of food in the seas that Magma wolves can also digest, they locate their nests there. Evidence for this has been found in the fact that magma wolves often go into the waters to eat food and not just aquatic fauna, they have also been known to eat plankton, seaweed, algae, kelp and other sorts of underwater plants.
Magma wolves have known to consume volcanic rocks as supplementary food. There is a debate that exists between biologists. Some say that it is only used for recharging their abilities of fire manipulation whilst others say that it is at part of their regular diet or eaten as a biological supplement. Judging by current knowledge, no theory prevails as sufficient research has not been done

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Magma Wolves have been bred for a long time by the people of the bloodmoon islands due to many reasons. Not only does their fur make for good fire resistant coats, they can also be used as fireproof coating and reduce the risk of fire. What truly makes them valuable however are the volcanic stones that they shed from time to time
At a particular time, a magma wolf will undergo some biological changes that cause it to shed some of its volcanic stones from its body. These stones are then handled carefully and when they cool down, they are reheated so as to extract the metals inside of them. This metal has been shown to be tremendously strong and is used by the elite soldiers of the bloodmoon islands for their blades and armour. Additionally, the stones themselves have shown promise to be used as enchantments or even as siege weapon ammunition, which may open up a completely new front in the art of warfare
With the arrival of the Imperium, there has been some efforts to mass produce these stones. Though factory farming was once tried, it was deemed inhumane and also potentially dangerous for magma wolves and for now, they are produced on natural plants of which numerous exist on the volcanic parts of the Bloodmoon islands. Whilst not nearly enough to equip the many millions of soldiers the Imperium has, the current yield can comfortably equip a number of elite regiments and formations, which is why there is often big competition in the Imperial army to get into an elite regiment and be bestowed with a set of weapons and armor crafted from this material

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

"From my observations, i have concluded that magma wolves are perhaps some of the most unique and deadly predators in the world, at least in their home ground. They are perfectly adapted to volcanic life, and can supplement their diets with fish and igneous rocks. They are the bane of these fire giants here and yet incredibly friendly to me. Truly a boon for us"
"An Imperial biologist, scribbling down some notes about the magma wolves in his journal

The Wolf from the lands of Fire by Grypwolf

Magma Wolves have some unique powers, perfectly suited for hunting in the volcanic and harsh landscapes they dwell in. Foremost amongst these, are their visionary ones
A magma wolf can see in many spectrums, from infrared to ultraviolet. The former helps tremendously in tracking their main prey, the fire giants. Due to fire giants radiating a huge amount of heat, it makes it far easier for them to find their prey and hunt them. This also applies to the various aquatic creatures of the volcanic lands who radiate with geothermal heat and act as supplements to the main diet of the magma wolves
This does become a disadvantage however. Fire giants have known to set traps which emit a staggering amount of infrared radiation so as to lure magma wolves in and trap them, ensuring an easy kill for the fire giants. This has been studied extensvely by Imperial biologists as it offers a wide range of scientific material to be found

Scientific Name

Canis Vulcanis

Lifespan

Thirty years for males and upto fifty for females

Conservation Status

Magma Wolves are officially protected under a royal decree, which lists out a large list of species that are protected by law. To protect them as well as help them grow, the Imperiums government has taken steps by completely banning magma wolf hunting and detaining and also has tried to introduce them to other similar areas ( with some moderate success). This has resulted in magma wolves being introduced to a few other places outside the Bloodmoon Islands, thereby reducing the risk of them going extinct

Average Height

Around 2.5 metres when bipedal for males and 2 metres for females

Average Weight

Two hundred kilograms on average for males and one hundred fourty kilograms for females on average

Average Length

Same as height but if tails are taken into account, upto three metres for males and females

Geographic Distribution

• The Bloodmoon Islands