Thanks for testing it out! I definitely agree about increasing the warning time.
When the beasts hear or see you they howl and are immobilized for a split second before beginning to chase you. In the “Easy” (really not that easy) mode the beasts freeze for twice as long, making the game less twitch based. I regret not making this the default.
Some tips for playing in normal mode:
When walking in the dark you can see the tracks of the monster. When you are close to their home there will be lots of tracks. Avoid that area in the future as much as possible.
When starting the game the monsters will be in their eggs, take this opportunity to smash them. The eggs will spawn back a few minutes later, but it gives you more time to collect wood and search for the Morning Stones.
Since all monsters start in eggs, chop as many trees as possible before you hear the first egg crack.
If you are just walking around and hear the noise, it means the monster is close enough to see you. Start running immediately. If you’re chopping wood, crushing their eggs, or already running, you have a bit of time to react, since they will hear you from a distance.
If you want a better Idea of how everything is working press “=” when in the game. This will toggle the debug renderer.