One day a man came riding along a lonely mountain trail on his way to the village in the

valley below.

The weather was cold and windy and a strong gust blew his fur hat off.

As it was nearing sundown and he was in a hurry to reach home before dark, he didn't go back to look for it.

Some days later, another man was traveling on the same trail, when the furry object in the pathway caused his horse to shy violently, nearly throwing him off.

When he got home, the man told some of his friends about the strange animal,

which he couldn't identify, and he told him it spooked his horse.

In the days and weeks and months that followed,

other people began to report the presence of an unknown creature,

which sometimes lurks in the bushes near the trail, or at other times

it would dart across in front of them.

After a while, it began to grow larger and pursue travelers.

Occasionally, a person would fall to his death while trying to outrun it.

As time went by, it continued to grow even larger and began to show an ugly set of fangs.

It snapped at its victims and snarling and growling fiercely.

People were so terrified that they stopped using that trail, and it became overgrown with brush and trees.

An aura of darkness and evil began to seep in from the mountain like a poisonous fog,

creeping at last down into the village.

No one would dare to venture out after nightfall, but at times someone would vanish mysteriously,

even in broad daylight, as the monster claimed another victim.

Eventually, the village was abandoned. The people moved far away and they never returned.

They took with them their memories and lore, warning everyone that they met of the accursed mountain

...