The Beast in the Mountains

Prologue

I've grown up hearing the whispers of a story from the westerners when they come to town once a year. They tell stories of a big and terrible beast living in the mountains a few hundred miles from their village. Each year I hear different descriptions of this horrible, ugly beast. Some say it has the body of a bear and the head of a wolf. I've also heard it has the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. More often than not I hear the word "dragon."

Many people from the western village claim it stole their gold, but they probably just spent it on beer. Even when they are drunk and can hardly stand up straight, they can still come up with a funny and very interesting story about what dwells in the mountains.

Apparently one time a young man decided to go to the mountains in search of this so called beast. The main questions that people ask when this story is told is, "Did he find anything?" or "Did he ever come back?" The answer to these questions are always the same. Yes, he did find something, but no one knows what exactly because he came back burned to a crisp. The gasps that fill the room when the westerner says this never gets old. I actually find all of this hilarious because the minds of men are so easily entertained.

One of the less told stories about this beast is that it has a thing for virgins. This particular story scares young women to death because no one knows what the beast does to virgins. Some say the beast drinks the blood of virgins because it's the purest of all bloods. Some say the beast will capture them and lock them away somewhere so no man can ever steal their purity from them. There's another story that says the beast in the mountains is being controlled by a king who forces the beast to bring him virgins for his personal pleasure.

I seem to be the only person in this village who doesn't believe these stories. I find them stupid because they put fear in the hearts of man. They fear something that they have never seen. Many people also believe that if you give the beast a sacrifice he will leave you alone. Sadly, the king believes this rumor, so once every worm moon a sacrifice is sent to the mountains. These sacrifices are not animals, they are humans. Young women to be exact, but not just any young woman. The sacrifice has to be one of the purest, in other words, a virgin.

Names are put into a jar and picked at random by the king. If your name is picked, the royal guards will come to take you away. The guards escort the sacrifice to the door of the mountain and you are forced to enter. No one has ever returned once they enter the mountains and nothing ever harms the village. People believe that they are safe for another year. That the beast has accepted the sacrifice and will leave the villages alone. I believe that our "sacrifice" is eaten by wolves and that there is no beast in the mountains. I guess I'll never know, unless I'm chosen as a sacrifice next.