Post by The Stranger on Jun 26, 2008 17:32:20 GMT -5
The direwolf, Raider, was massive, shaggy, grey beast with a dominating sort of will that did not take orders from any human, not when he could eat them. But when the pregnant Aranya Lannister was visiting Duskendale to tend to her horses, hounds and the new wolf that Ser William had loaned her, she calmed Raider and made friends with him, a slow process which nevertheless ceded its rewards.
She inspected him closely and detailed with her kennelmaster exactly what she wanted to breed for. The wolfhounds were massive dogs, considered to be the tallest and heaviest hounds on earth, with stamina, speed and intelligence that made them invaluable hunters, and keen eyesight that made them excellent sighthounds. Hawkeye, the much beloved family dog, had been the runt of his litter, but even he was fearsomely strong and fierce, and proved a natural guard dog.
But they did not live as long as Aranya would like.
“I want to breed for the direwolf’s lifespan, see if we could push the breed’s average back further,” she said. “And a heavier jaw – shhh, Raider, easy – like this, see? He could crush rocks in his mouth and probably chew them until he could digest them. And he has the same slightly narrow chest – for his size – and powerful back and long legs that the wolfhounds do. Speed, it’s for the speed.
“Look at this,” the kennelmaster said, gently examining. “His undercoat keeps out water.”
Wolf behavior was dangerously different from that of a dog’s – more reclusive, less malleable. Aranya was going to be careful about this, and decide what she was going to do with the hybrid offspring – probably introduce less wolf blood.
She mated Raider to the bitches in her kennel, fierce wolfhounds, some of whom had proven their worth as mothers and had thrown great pups. Aranya was careful to make sure the dogs and the direwolf grew accustomed to each other – some of the more dominant male wolfhounds resented his presence, but ultimately they all needed a strong pack leader, and the wolfhounds submitted to Raider’s dominance. Aranya watched the pregnant bitches closely, taking exceptionally good care of their health. When the pups were born, they were darker than most wolfhound pups were, with golden eyes and longer snouts. She monitored their diet closely and gave the recuperating new mothers plenty of time to rest and take care of their young, out of love for them as well as experience and professional concern.
She could already tell that she had gotten a few of the traits she had hoped for – time would tell if the other characteristics were going to show. Aranya inspected the pups closely for any physical afflictions or weaknesses, but they were each perfectly sound and with good conformations. She was disappointed when she realized that a large percentage of the pups were born sterile. Others however appeared to be able to breed. There were some, however, who looked a little too closely wolfish as they matured a few months later, although since dog and wolf pups behave the same, it was hard to tell if the looks was the only factor, or if it was their minds too. Aranya decided that she would breed the pups to purebred wolfhounds instead of other wolf-dog crosses first, to balance the traits.
Result:
- Aranya gains Apprentice in Breeding
She inspected him closely and detailed with her kennelmaster exactly what she wanted to breed for. The wolfhounds were massive dogs, considered to be the tallest and heaviest hounds on earth, with stamina, speed and intelligence that made them invaluable hunters, and keen eyesight that made them excellent sighthounds. Hawkeye, the much beloved family dog, had been the runt of his litter, but even he was fearsomely strong and fierce, and proved a natural guard dog.
But they did not live as long as Aranya would like.
“I want to breed for the direwolf’s lifespan, see if we could push the breed’s average back further,” she said. “And a heavier jaw – shhh, Raider, easy – like this, see? He could crush rocks in his mouth and probably chew them until he could digest them. And he has the same slightly narrow chest – for his size – and powerful back and long legs that the wolfhounds do. Speed, it’s for the speed.
“Look at this,” the kennelmaster said, gently examining. “His undercoat keeps out water.”
Wolf behavior was dangerously different from that of a dog’s – more reclusive, less malleable. Aranya was going to be careful about this, and decide what she was going to do with the hybrid offspring – probably introduce less wolf blood.
She mated Raider to the bitches in her kennel, fierce wolfhounds, some of whom had proven their worth as mothers and had thrown great pups. Aranya was careful to make sure the dogs and the direwolf grew accustomed to each other – some of the more dominant male wolfhounds resented his presence, but ultimately they all needed a strong pack leader, and the wolfhounds submitted to Raider’s dominance. Aranya watched the pregnant bitches closely, taking exceptionally good care of their health. When the pups were born, they were darker than most wolfhound pups were, with golden eyes and longer snouts. She monitored their diet closely and gave the recuperating new mothers plenty of time to rest and take care of their young, out of love for them as well as experience and professional concern.
She could already tell that she had gotten a few of the traits she had hoped for – time would tell if the other characteristics were going to show. Aranya inspected the pups closely for any physical afflictions or weaknesses, but they were each perfectly sound and with good conformations. She was disappointed when she realized that a large percentage of the pups were born sterile. Others however appeared to be able to breed. There were some, however, who looked a little too closely wolfish as they matured a few months later, although since dog and wolf pups behave the same, it was hard to tell if the looks was the only factor, or if it was their minds too. Aranya decided that she would breed the pups to purebred wolfhounds instead of other wolf-dog crosses first, to balance the traits.
Result:
- Aranya gains Apprentice in Breeding