"Back in the old days, these little beasties were no bigger than a dog. Now... Well, just be careful where you stick that hand of yours, might lose an arm." -From the Complete Bestiary of Non-Tainted Animals
Behavior[]
Dire Wolves are first and foremost predators. The angry big brother's of the wolves of old, Dire Wolves hunt in packs, usually of 5-11 wolves, though some packs have been known to reach up to three times that number. When hunting, Dire Wolves begin darting at prey and taking small bites, wounding them, before pulling away. By this method they can avoid flat out combat, instead weakening the prey over time until they collapse on their own.
Dire Wolves are not greedy, and once they have their prey, they will drag it to their den, usually settling for an adult human, a Corrupted, or even at times when they're starving, they will go after a Horror, and in enough numbers, have been known to take them down. Each Wolf Pack is led by an Alpha, a larger wolf than the others that has exerted it's dominance over the other Wolves.
Dire Wolves are highly territorial, with each pack claiming territories of up 20 square miles, except for in the arctic regions, where territories can reach up to twice that size. Wolves signify this territory through scent, urinating to mark their territory, as well as gouging their claws into tree trunks for wolves that hide in the forest. In this sense, it is better to face down a wolf in the forest, where you can see the borders of their territories.
Survival Tips[]
Fire. Predators are not fans of fire, and enough of it will keep them away, though should you wander too far from the fire, you're likely to be a meal.
Sound. In my travels, I've found evidence that in the olden days, people used things called Dog Whistles to train dogs. These whistles could cause pain to the dogs, or simply gather their attention. As I'm sure you can imagine, we're going for the former. If you can manage to find one, it should act as a deterrent, though for those of you who are touched or tainted, if you can produce a high pitched sound, something beyond the range of human hearing would work well.
Stand your ground. There are more of them than you. They are faster than you. They can run longer. If you try to run away, you are food. But humans and Dire Wolves have killed each other enough that they know we can hurt them. Stand your ground, and the wolves don't quite know how to proceed. They are used to chasing prey, they use the adrenaline, the rush from the chase in order to bring prey down. Deprive them of that rush. They will try to scare you, try to intimidate you, but Stand. Your. Ground.