This page details many of the ways in which the Rushwater Holt wolf pack is unique from other wolves of the same time period and modern wolves of today.
Prehistoric Time Era
When the High Ones crash-landed on the World of Two Moons, the wolves they encountered were far more primitive than those of today or even those that currently bond with the elves. These were the dire wolves of the pre-Ice Age period.
Dire wolves were slightly larger than the modern grey wolf but featured shorter legs, a larger and broader head, larger and more solid teeth and a smaller brain case. As their legs were on the short side they were less adept at running but highly effective at ambushing and were frequent scavengers. Their massive teeth lead them to crush bones easily, whether while hunting prey or eating a kill. Undoubtedly the fragile, peaceful High Ones found such beasts terrifying.
But Timmain saw the strength and recognized the future potential of the dire wolf and sought to bring it to her people in a form they could identify with. Thus she transformed herself into a dire wolf and mated with the local pack's Alpha and bore a half-breed wolf-elf who would be named Timmorn Yellow-Eyes; and he would grew to become their leader, forever merging the bond between elf and wolf.
Mixed Ancestry
"Not elf, not Hunt, yet not quite wolf…" (BoTC v.1)
That was how the first generations of elves described the children of Timmorn and various wolf bitches. These offspring were wolf shaped - they possessed the body of a wolf and walked on all fours, howling at the moons and running with the pack and yet there was the spark of intelligent - elfin - comprehension behind the feral eyes.
That intelligence stemmed from the half-elfin blood of their sire and although further breeding with the wolf pack would thin the blood each generation, the elfin influence would live on. It brought with it not only increased intelligence but also a fraction of the elves' longevity, providing Timmorn's children - all of whom would eventually become the Wolfrider wolf pack - a slightly extended lifespan compared to other wolves of their time period.
More shockingly, it also transferred to them a tiny kernel of elfin magic; an ability to communicate not only on an empathetic level but also a telepathic one. The elves refer to this special, admittedly for them primitive, telepathy as 'wolf sending', which is limited to images and emotions, although in some extremely rare cases single word sentences have passed between wolf and elf. The combination of elfin blood and a telepathic link have culminated in the intimate bonding phenomenon experienced by the elves and the pack; an event that is if not unlikely, extremely difficult with a wolf not of Timmorn's descent and thus a member of the Wolfrider wolf pack.
Elfin Influences
Elfin blood is not the only factor to have influenced the particular branch of wolves belonging to the Wolfrider wolf pack. The simple existence of life alongside the elfin culture has had a far greater impact on the wolfish life.
The symbiotic relationship the elves and wolves have built together has strengthened both groups. By working together, rather than against, the elfin and wolven groups have not only managed to co-exist but have escalated each other to a superior lifestyle that would otherwise not have been attainable by either group alone. The wonders of elfin healing magic have saved countless wolf lives and the combination of elfin intelligence, weapons and tools have lead to a near-perfect hunting success rate and territory defence. Both of these factors, in addition to elfin blood, also boost the average lifespan of a Wolfrider pack wolf.
The elfin influence has, of course, also changed the nature of standard pack dynamics for these wolves. Wolves are less likely to leave or be driven out of the pack, as food is more easily obtained, allowing for higher numbers of individuals to survive together. The mystical bonds to their elfin comrades also urge wolves to remain and strengthens the familial ties within an already close-knit community.
However, the most significant change to pack dynamics is the inclusion of the elves to the hunting strategy. While wolves favour group hunting, this includes only wolves and more specifically, only wolves of the same pack. To accept another carnivore into their hunting group is an evolutionary revolution. Indeed, during Timmorn's time it was solely the wolves that provided for tribe and pack alike. Then as the number of Hunt elves (the children of Timmorn with pure blooded female elves) grew, they too began to provide for the tribe by hunting and scavenging along with the wolves. Time and increasing co-operation eventually held to a fully joint effort where elves actually rode wolves and with the aid of tools and especially distance weapons, began taking down the kills the wolves helped to locate and track.