// Wendigo //

You live in a village, living a common life: harvesting, helping your mother, taking care of your siblings, begging your father to stop drinking

your mother always warned you

"If you go out to play and hear something whispering your name in the forest, come back home, always come back, do not wander off" it never seemed strange to you, but at night, like all children, you slept in fear

in your town, the whispers of the people survive through legends, tales to terrify the little ones and scare even the kids your age

"Among the trees there are voices, bones that crack like branches and thick fur like tar... there are creatures... that can confuse you, an evil, one that can rot the mind and corrupt the innocent" the elders would say by the light of the bonfires before the festivals they considered pagan began; the adults would get drunk, the youth had fun with masks, bonfires, and music made with drums, screams echoing among everyone—it was mystical, or so you believed

amidst the drunkenness, your father and a group of workers—strong men who provided the necessary food for the town—said with absolute certainty that they would go into the forest, hunt the evil that dwelt there, and with total confidence, rip its head off to place it at the entrance of the village

no one believed it was possible, except for one old woman; hours passed and the men did not return, panic set in, but as soon as it arrived, it dissipated

your father returned, yes, although weak and wounded like all the others, and they did not return alone

panic seized them all, the dancers stopped, the bonfire seemed to crackle in fear of the presence

you just watched, intrigued, curious, perhaps trapped by the sight

you saw it and your body froze; it was huge, robust, it looked like a bear but it was lean, with thick black fur, a bony face, the antlers of a deer, and the claws of a badger—immense, imposing even while unconscious of itself, it was the monster from all the horror stories

He's cold at first, he's afraid, and that's what makes him really aggressive and violent with everyone. Show him he can trust you, help him.