The Experiments

SPOILER ALERT- NOT TO BE READ BEFORE CHAPTER 7!

The Experiments

Before the ice age, scientists attempted to bring back from extinction certain key animals that had long since disappeared. They created their own creatures, writing their own DNA codes. However, the creatures that they created were flawed due to a lack of understanding of DNA. They were uncontrollable, untamable, and much more aggressive than their nature-made counterparts due to a neurological imbalance. Their eyes are also always, inexplicably, red. The animals that Lilith and the others come across in the story will be listed here in order of appearance for the reader’s understanding. (Note: This section will always be at the very end, so that new readers don’t read this first before the rest of the story. Every time a new creature is introduced, this will be updated.)

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1)  Experiment #: 372, Local Name: Ice Beast

Origin: Was created to replace the extinct polar bear. Earned the name “Ice Beast” because it is commonly found dwelling near ice fields that border large bodies of water.

Appearance & Behavior: Looks like a polar bear only slightly larger. Lives in dens and normally does not actively seek humans unless it stumbles across them, in which case it will attempt to kill what it perceives to be either prey or an intruder. Attacks using brute force and its long, sharp claws. Nearly impossible to kill because of its size, strength, and unstoppable blood-lust.

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2) Experiment #: 1, Local Name: Dire Wolf

Origin: The wolf population, although not extinct, was dwindling. This, paired with scientists’ fascination for resurrecting the prehistoric Dire Wolf, led to the very first experiment that preceded all of the others. It actually contains preserved Dire Wolf DNA and is more “authentic” than the other experiments, but it still isn’t free of the “glitches” that resulted in human manipulation of DNA. Earned its name from the original Dire Wolf. When the village formed, someone must have known what it was called, because this is indeed its correct name.

Appearance & Behavior: Twice the size of an average Gray Wolf with the same coloring as its cousin. Its legs are long in proportion to its body, unlike the Gray Wolf, and the length of its body is extended, making its head appear smaller although the jaws are actually larger and much more powerful than the jaws of the Gray Wolf. Lives in packs, normally of five or more. Extremely social and very intelligent. Actively seeks out humans and prefers them over all other prey. Rather than use brute force, it prefers to injure its prey in some meaningful way and then stalk it until it’s weak enough to go in for the kill. Prefers to eat its victims while still alive, which is why it uses this more passive approach, especially for powerful prey like elk, or dangerous prey like humans.