I read werewolf romances as far back as early Susan Krinard, but I haven't written one until now. Writing requires being a temporary expert, so of course I started researching wolves. What I found surprised me.
I gotta say, there doesn't seem to be a lot of wolf in werewolf romantic fiction. Oh, wolves mate once and there's an alpha couple and they have packs and they bring down big game. But here are some tidbits that you may not have known.
Packs are small--usually a family unit of the alpha pair and pups. Most packs are less than 8 members (although the size can get up to 30 or so). Larger packs may have another adult pair that breeds.
Kills are rare--the reported hunting success rate varies depending on the site (and the year) but even the highest is about one in four...and that's after the initial testing for weaknesses is done.
Wolves don't hamstring--they prefer to latch onto the nose or rump.
Wolves don't have to hunt in packs to bring down big game--even a single wolf can bring down big game.
That's just some of what I found. You should see what I discovered about sexuality and scenting...makes my hair raise if it's true. I'm still cross-checking. Obviously when writing about wolf shifters, the werewolf legends have to be researched and woven in. And there's the age-old choice of magic shifters vs. physical shifters...but that's another blog.
**Be sure to check out my guest blog December 29 at Whipped Cream! Comment to enter.
**Just a few more days on the 1T Giveaway
Some sites I used for this information:
Wolfsong
eHow
International Wolf Center
USGS
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