did you improve the armor, weapons, shield fully? There are at least 3 tiers to most items.

avoidance is your friend. if some guy is lining up with a bow, side step when he fires. If some guy is about to clobber you with a sword, take a step backwards.

wolves are way above your level. meadow, forest, swamp, mountain (wolf), plains (goblins).
you need a full set of iron gear to move up to mountains, and a set of mountain / silver to move to plains, or you need to be a master at avoiding being hit.
the iron shield can block a LOT more than the bronze. and so on. food gives the stamina to take the hit and still be able to swing.

you 'can' try to do the whole game in troll / bronze. But you will take a lot of damage if you fail a dodge. By the time you have the mountain gear, a draghr will feel like a generic blue eye dwarf does now.