Seeing as it’s been established that this wolf is capable of homicide, it stands to reason that killing 1 person is easier that killing more. To quote the Witcher “Every swordsman’s an arse when the enemy’s not sparse” (the original sounds much better :/). The context is a village. I’m assuming that they’re not that advanced technologically, as then they could use automated anti-wolf systems. Wolves tend to prefer forests and mountains, mainly because there are few humans there. So it stands to reason that this is a rather remote village where the denizens are more of the farmer/forester types. This kind of life involves a lot of time spent outside doing various chores, like tending to gardens, or chopping wood. One could posit that each household is surrounded by fences etc., but that actually doesn’t help that much, as a basic wolf enclosure needs a fence that is at least 8 feet high. While this is very much culturally dependent, I have the impression that most fences and walls tend to be lower, as they’re more of a marker than an impenetrable barrier. So it seems reasonable to assume that this obviously superior canine would both easily surmount any such obstacles and potentially even use them to hem in and dispatch solitary individuals.
Once the inhabitants are alerted (and actually believe the warnings!) then yes, they will probably group up for safety. At that point they should have the advantage due to their (I’m guessing) superior intellect and ability to use tools and close doors. So it’s in the wolfs interest to prevent this happening. Now I’m starting to wonder whether the initial startling of the boy wasn’t a cunning ruse to lower the villagers’ vigilance?
It does seem somewhat improbable for the wolf to finish off the whole population. That would require either a very small population (e.g. 2-3 families), a very stupid group of people (who ignore the conspicuous proceeding disappearances) or a very enterprising wolf. One potential solution would be to attack at night when everyone is sleeping. Though here the afore mentioned doors would probably be a hindrance. That being said, it’s not unheard of. Unless the doors were locked.
Nothing like adding a whole load of extra details to make the story seem more probable :D
Seeing as it’s been established that this wolf is capable of homicide, it stands to reason that killing 1 person is easier that killing more. To quote the Witcher “Every swordsman’s an arse when the enemy’s not sparse” (the original sounds much better :/). The context is a village. I’m assuming that they’re not that advanced technologically, as then they could use automated anti-wolf systems. Wolves tend to prefer forests and mountains, mainly because there are few humans there. So it stands to reason that this is a rather remote village where the denizens are more of the farmer/forester types. This kind of life involves a lot of time spent outside doing various chores, like tending to gardens, or chopping wood. One could posit that each household is surrounded by fences etc., but that actually doesn’t help that much, as a basic wolf enclosure needs a fence that is at least 8 feet high. While this is very much culturally dependent, I have the impression that most fences and walls tend to be lower, as they’re more of a marker than an impenetrable barrier. So it seems reasonable to assume that this obviously superior canine would both easily surmount any such obstacles and potentially even use them to hem in and dispatch solitary individuals.
Once the inhabitants are alerted (and actually believe the warnings!) then yes, they will probably group up for safety. At that point they should have the advantage due to their (I’m guessing) superior intellect and ability to use tools and close doors. So it’s in the wolfs interest to prevent this happening. Now I’m starting to wonder whether the initial startling of the boy wasn’t a cunning ruse to lower the villagers’ vigilance?
It does seem somewhat improbable for the wolf to finish off the whole population. That would require either a very small population (e.g. 2-3 families), a very stupid group of people (who ignore the conspicuous proceeding disappearances) or a very enterprising wolf. One potential solution would be to attack at night when everyone is sleeping. Though here the afore mentioned doors would probably be a hindrance. That being said, it’s not unheard of. Unless the doors were locked.
Nothing like adding a whole load of extra details to make the story seem more probable :D