Tailypo

North America
Years ago, there was an old hermit. Preferring the quiet life among nature to the
busy life in crowded cities, he lived in a small hut out in the middle of the woods with
only his three dogs for companionship.
One night, the old man was out hunting pheasants and squirrels for dinner when
he saw a large furry creature dashing into some bushes. Thinking it might be a raccoon
or fox, he shot at it with his rifle. There was a shriek, and it scurried off into the thick
underbrush. When the old man looked for it, he found its tail, which he had shot off. It
wasn't much, but it was starting to get dark so he had to go back to his hut and eat before
he couldn't see.
Throwing the tail into his stew, he ate his fill and gave what remained to his dogs
before bedding down for the night. It was around midnight, when there was no sunlight
left and the moon and stars were hidden by the trees and clouds, that the noises began. A
scratching sound on the outside of his cabin, and a small voice outside the door.
Tailypo, Taiypo. Give me back my Tailypo... He saw his dogs going mad, barking and
growling and trying to out the door to attack whatever was outside. He rose, angry that
his sleep had been interrupted, and released the three rottweilers to kill the offending
animal. They chased it back into the woods, howling into the darkness. After what
seemed an hour, two of the dogs returned, the third nowhere to be found.
As he was close to drifting back into sleep, the scratches came again Tailypo,
Tailypo, please give me back my Tailypo. Angrily the man released his two dogs into
the forest. They chased it again into the woods, and this time only one returned. He
locked his door, afraid now but unable to do anything until morning, and laid back down
to sleep. That was when the scratches began anew, the voice loud now. Tailypo,
Tailypo, you MUST give me back my Tailypo. He let the last dog out, and when it
didn't return he fumbled through his house for his rifle, returning to bed with it in the
desperate grip of a man with death at his door. It seemed as though dawn would never
arrive.
With a sudden start he awoke, having dozed off, the rifle fallen from his grip to
the floor beside his bed. At the foot of the bed, watching him, were two glowing yellow
eyes. They watched him, silently, and the voice whispered to him again, chilling him to
the bone. Tailypo, Tailypo, give me back my Tailypo. Terrified and shivering, the old
man answered shakily, on the verge of tears. I-I d-don't have your T-tailypo... The
creature leapt onto the bed, a black-furred creature with sharp teeth and vicious talons on
its fingers. YES YOU DO! It reached out a claw and sliced open his stomach, pulling
out its tail and leaving the old man dying on the bed. As it disappeared into the night.