The Majestic Beast



The village of Dreymore had always been shrouded in mystery. Nestled between thick woods and towering mountains, its inhabitants lived simple lives, untouched by the modern world. But for generations, there was one tale whispered in the hushed hours of the night, one that sent chills down the spine of every listener. It was the tale of the Majestic Beast.

No one knew what the Beast looked like, for those who had seen it never lived to tell the tale. It was said to lurk in the forests that surrounded Dreymore, its presence felt by the rustling of leaves, the snapping of twigs, and the occasional distant howl. The Beast had no reason to attack the villagers unless they ventured too far into its domain. But for centuries, that fragile balance had held, until one fateful night.

I had never believed the stories, dismissing them as mere superstitions passed down to keep children from wandering into the forest. But I was about to learn just how real the Majestic Beast was. It began on a cool autumn evening when a young boy named Ethan went missing. He had wandered off while playing near the forest's edge, and as the sun began to set, his parents frantically searched for him. The village elders warned them not to go too deep into the woods, but desperation overshadowed caution.

I was among the search party, torch in hand, as we combed through the underbrush, calling out Ethan’s name. The deeper we went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. The air was thick, almost suffocating, and a strange silence had fallen over the forest, broken only by the occasional rustling in the distance.

After hours of searching, we stumbled upon something that froze us in our tracks: a clearing in the forest, where the trees were twisted and gnarled, as if scorched by an invisible fire. At the center lay Ethan’s toy—a small wooden horse—its innocent presence feeling like a mocking reminder of the boy’s fate. Fear clawed at my heart as a shadow passed overhead, moving too quickly to be a bird, too silently to be human.

Then, we heard it—a low growl, deep and guttural, echoing from the darkness beyond the trees. The sound was primal, feral, filled with a hunger that chilled us to the bone. We backed away slowly, but the growling grew louder, closing in from all sides. My pulse raced as panic took over, and without thinking, I turned and ran, abandoning the others in my desperate flight.

The forest was a labyrinth, and the deeper I went, the more disoriented I became. Twigs snapped beneath my feet, my breath coming in ragged gasps. Behind me, I could hear the sounds of pursuit, branches cracking, leaves rustling in a frenzy. Whatever was hunting me was fast—far faster than anything human.

I stumbled into another clearing, this one even more twisted than the last. At its center stood an ancient stone altar, covered in moss and strange markings. I had never seen anything like it before, yet it seemed familiar, as if it had always been there, watching, waiting.

Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet trembled, and the air grew colder. Out of the shadows, it emerged.

The Majestic Beast.

It was not a creature of flesh and blood but something otherworldly. Its form was massive, towering over me, its body a grotesque blend of animal and something far darker. Glowing eyes, like burning embers, stared down at me, and its face, though vaguely feline, twisted into an expression of malevolent intelligence. Its fur shimmered unnaturally, like liquid darkness, and its long, sharp claws gleamed in the moonlight.

For a moment, I was paralyzed by its presence, unable to move or even think. The stories hadn't done it justice—nothing could have prepared me for the sheer terror of standing before such a creature. It moved with eerie grace, circling me, as if deciding whether I was worth its time.

And then it spoke—not in words, but in a voice that echoed in my mind, filling my thoughts with dread. *“You should not have come here.”*

The world seemed to shift, and the forest around me became distorted, a nightmare come to life. I felt a crushing weight on my chest as the Beast’s presence overwhelmed me. I collapsed to my knees, gasping for breath, as the Beast loomed closer, its eyes burning brighter.

In that moment, I knew no one had ever escaped the Majestic Beast. And I wouldn’t be the first.

The last thing I saw before the darkness took me was its maw opening wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth, ready to consume me whole.

The Majestic Beast had claimed another.