Beast Hunter

Chapter Three

The meal came and we settled in to eat, Sky enjoying her salad and Stu his steak while I munched on the hamburger that had gotten me scoffed at by our snooty waiter when I ordered it.

I mean really. If you don't want people to order it, why is it on the menu? 

I was halfway through when Sky put down her fork and decided to get into it.

"Through my work, I often come into contact with some rather interesting people," she began. "It goes with the territory, I suppose. You can't do what I do without attracting a little attention."

"Teaching paleontology?" I asked, somewhat puzzled.

"That's only part of what I do." She turned to Stu. "Perhaps you'd like to explain further."

Stu finished swallowing and nodded. "Nick, aside from being a first-rate professor of paleontology, Sky is also one of the nation's foremost experts on the study of cryptids."

I recognized the term right away. "You mean like cryptozoology?"

"Yes," Sky confirmed. "Though most serious researchers in the field resent the term, it's true. I'm what you might call an active cryptozoologist."

I knew a little bit about the idea of cryptozoology from a few articles I'd read a while back. I like to read up on a lot of different subjects. Not-quite genius, remember? The term could be broken up into two parts, starting with the Greek word crypto, meaning hidden or covered, combined with the academic term zoology, meaning the study of animal life. Essentially, cryptozoologists studied and investigated legendary animals, cryptids, in order to discover if they were real or not.

"She's written several books on the subject," Stu added. "I think I might have a couple of them at home."

"I also teach a class on it," she added. "I've even done a few television interviews. The exposure has...been interesting. You see, there are a lot of people who feel that the field is nothing more than a pseudo-science practiced by amateurs on the fringe of society. Through my work, I've been attempting to bring some legitimacy to the field, investigating sightings and claims by using real scientific methods. It's gotten me plenty of ridicule in the academic community, believe me. But there's an upside. Occasionally, someone will reach out with a claim that they saw something strange or unusual. Most of these are just hoaxes, or misrepresentations that can be easily explained away. But every now and then I come across something that does warrant further investigation."

Stu and I each raised an eyebrow in unison. I knew where this was going, and I was excited. Judging but the look on Stu's face, he wasn't.

"Last week I received a call from a man named Gary Grey," she said. "He and I have been in contact before. He's a forestation researcher based in the Allegheny National Forest in western Pennsylvania. His work often takes him deep into the woods where he investigates the relationships between things like vegetation, animals, plants, the weather. Every now and then he drops me a line. Over the last couple of years, he's seen some things that have stood out, tracks that he doesn't recognize, animal droppings that he can't identify, things like that. Well, last week he saw something else, something that really got him riled up. He claims that he came across it while he was hiking alone down a rarely used service road. He also claims that he took a two-minute video with his phone before the thing disappeared out of sight."

"Claims?" Stu asked. "Did he send you the footage?"

"No."

"Why not?" I asked.

"It's common in these situations," Sky explained. "Some people who experience sightings like this become guarded. They're afraid that they won't be taken seriously, that they'll be ridiculed. Gary is a professional. He has a reputation to uphold. He doesn't want to come out with what he saw until he's had the chance to have an expert look at it. He didn't want to send me the footage because he doesn't trust e-mail. He'll only show it to me if I agree to see him in person. He did, however, send me several still photos of the animal's tracks that he had managed to take just before a snowstorm settled in and covered them up for good. I examined them thoroughly and I must say, they're very promising."

"So, you're going to meet this guy just based on that?" Stu asked.

"I've gone on less," she said. "So how about it?"

Stu responded, "How about what?"

"Why don't the two of you come with me?"

"To Pennsylvania?"

"Sure. It's only a two-hour flight. I have a lovely cottage reserved there, big enough for all of us. I also have a nice fat expense account, so the whole thing will be on the University's dime."

I was instantly sold. But Stu had other thoughts.

"I can't just up and leave," he said. "I've got work to do."

Sky was undeterred. "We'll only be gone for a couple of days. You'll have plenty of time for work. Plus, this could be a good entry for your series. If it pans out, I'll give you an exclusive. You'll be the first to break the story. Think about how that will play with your audience. If nothing comes of it, we'll hit a local slope and get some skiing in. What do you say?"

"Nick has classes."

It was true. Thanks to my accelerated status, I was enrolled at a local university working on my undergraduate degree in... well, I hadn't quite settled on my field of study yet. At the moment, it was a tossup between linguistics, applied chemistry, and geo-political theory. Though – as of a half an hour ago – paleontology was starting to sound very interesting.

"Classes don't start for another week. We'll be back way before then, right?"

Sky nodded.

Stu appeared to be contemplating it for a moment while I waited in anticipation for him to decide.

"I don't think so," he finally said.

I was about to protest, but Stu held up a stiff finger, stopping me. I had lived with him long enough to know when the man was serious. As much as I hated to admit it, he was the adult in the situation, and I knew better than to argue with him once he'd made up his mind about something.

"It's not that I don't appreciate the offer," Stu continued. "But I do have a lot of work to do on my next entry. Besides, it's the middle of winter, and I don't feel up to traipsing around the cold woods looking for strange creatures."

"But Stu..."

"I've made up my mind," he insisted.

Sky looked disappointed but raised her hands in a consenting gesture showing that she respected his decision.

"Fair enough," she said. "But do me one favor. Just think about it. I'll be in town for one more day if you change your mind."

Stu nodded. "I will," he promised.

We finished dinner soon after. Stu insisted on paying and driving Sky back to her hotel. Once there, she bade us goodnight and started to get out of the car.

"Wait," I said. "Before you go, I was wondering something. That man, Gary Grey. You believe that he saw something. I can tell. You must have an idea of what it was. You wouldn't be going all the way out there if you didn't."

"You're very astute," she said. "And you're right. I've been doing some research and I came across something that might help explain what he saw. It's an intriguing story, something I think you'd be very interested in."

"What is it?"

Sky smiled slyly. "I'll make a deal with you. I'll tell you my theory under one condition."

"What's that?"

She leaned closer, a calculating look of strategy in her eyes. "Talk your uncle here into taking me up on my offer and I'll tell you everything when we get there."