Chapter 1

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  "Legend has it that a powerful beast lives in a dark cave far north of our small town. Fangs sharper than blades, eyes darker then its soul, and its claws able to rip your bone apart. Its taller then buildings!" The old man grabbed a blanket off his porch and came back to the fire. The children listened closely, not a single whisper out of any of us.

"It has long bat-like wings, darker then the sky at midnight." he used the blanket as wings, the flames making his face shadowed and scary, and his graying hair turn orange in the lighting. "They say it feasts off our farm animals and wondering people, and children are it's favorite meal." everyone clung to someone, but I just waited for the next part of the story, ears perked and tail twitching.

"Anyone who travels to it's cave at Mt.Ebott will never return. No one ever has either." I moved closer to the fire, as the man's voice grew quiet.

"You know when you hear it's dark growl, your done for." He whispered. Everyone grew dead silent. After a few heartbeats, a low growl echoed around us.

"IT'S THE BEAST!" all the children started screaming. The old man laughed, as did I.

"Grandpa! Stop scaring everyone in the town!" a young lady walked over. It was Jessie, the old man's granddaughter. She had rosey cheeks and dark red hair that went with her tan skin, and always wore a blue sweater with purple stars on it. Her eyes were always covered by her hair.

"Children! There is no beast! It's just a myth." She told us calmly.

"There is a beast, Jessie. It lives in a cave at the top of Mt.Ebott." The elder insisted.

"Whatever you say Pop." Jessie rolled her eyes.

I got up and tugged on the elders cloak, making him look down at me. "Have you ever seen the beast?" I asked.

"I have." the children gasped. "It is exactly as I tell you. It's taller than our homes, meaner than the bobcats that hunt our sheep. And on it's head are two horns. They hold it's magic. I would know, since I have one of them." The old man pulled a necklace off his neck and gave it to me. It was a dark colored horn, looking to have been broken off something. It was bigger than my hands, and was slightly heavy. I stared in shock, feeling the magic it possessed.

"It was quite a fight, but I got it."

"It's this how you can do magic?" I held it up to the elder but he shook his head.

"It is, but I'm too old to use it. You keep it safe for me, alright?" He smiled. I put the chain around my neck. "I'll protect it as long as I live."

"And I will teach you it's magic." The old man ruffled my hair. "Now run off to bed, young one." I did as I was told, heading to my bed in the orphanage. I kept the necklace on as I drifted into sleep that night, but before I did, I looked out the window at the far off mountain.

"I'm not scared of the beast...."

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