Arboreal Mortcat

The dogs were uneasy during our evening walk. Even Valla the Destroyer seemed spooked. She actually raised her immense bulk and clawed at the trunk of a tree. At first, with the sun low in the sky, I could not make out what crouched in the branches of a slender maple. A dark shape moved hectically amid the foliage and then froze into stillness.

Its cry was haunting; I can only describe it as a memory of anguish.






I moved closer, cautiously. It turned its head slightly, tracking me as I advanced. Its hollow stare was black and terrifying. There was no doubt in my mind. Though sightings have been rare, this could only be the Eastern Arboreal Mortcat.