Here’s another excerpt from Quest of the Brokenhearted and it’s the introduction of a fun supporting character. Lacarsis was a monster-making playground for me and I needed to think of a great way to start the tournament. For some reason, this scenario kept playing out in my head. Enjoy.
Found in the largest freshwater lake in Alaska, this mysterious creature is said to be 30 feet long. It has metallic scales and a large head. Some stories have its head shaped like a wolf while others a shark. Being an aquatic creature, it can dive underwater and stay down there for a very long time. So, what is the history of this cryptid?
Two pilots claimed they saw the Iliamna Lake Monster in 1942 when they were flying overhead. Others came out to say the same. A biologist saw it in 1963 and a missionary saw it twice in 1967. The second guy is interesting because he decided to land his plane on the lake and fish for the beast. He used steel cables with tuna as bait, which were claimed and . . . the plane was dragged around the lake while he swam for shore. When it was recovered, three of the cables were gone and the hooks where straightened. Other simpler sightings throughout the years had people claiming they saw a large fin in the water and at least one in 2017 claimed they saw it blowing water.
Going back further, the Tlingit people have a legend about a large creature in the lake called Gonkadet. It has the head and tail of a wolf on the body of an orca, which is similar to the Akhlut. It was considered a ‘fish god’ and may have been what stirred the imagination of the pilots who saw it initially.
With the lake being connected to the Bering Sea, there are a few possibilities as to the actual animal. As usual, a plesiosaur is on the list. This would be the long-necked, four-finned dinosaur that people also think is Nessie. More modern animals also fit the bill such as beluga whales, which are known to swim into the lake from time to time. They would fit some descriptions that are seen from far away, but not above. A final possibility is the White Sturgeon. These fish can get pretty big and match some of the description even though they haven’t been seen in the lake specifically.
Seems lake monsters always have a more logical explanation even if they aren’t as much fun. Still, do you think a lake can hold a large beast, especially if it has access to the ocean for it to disappear?
Today is apparently National Badger Day. For anyone who doesn’t know, a badger is a member of the weasel family. They are short, stocky, nocturnal omnivores known for digging burrows. There are six main species with a variety of subspecies, but we’re going to do a general overview. As far as conservation status, they are listed as not endangered or threatened.
To connect this to October’s monster theme, badgers do show up in a lot of folklore in the areas they live. Chinese and Japanese stories tell of them being shapeshifters, which is common for animal myths there. Some European cultures say badgers are a sign of spring, which was originally held by the bear until that species declined. They are an animal totem of the Goddess Brigantia and is celebrated on Imbolc (February 2nd . . . Wait a minute.) In the Americas, the badger can be associated with warfare. There are also instances of the poor thing being a symbol of bad luck.
Now, for animal facts:
Badger have a sense of smell that is 800 times that of a human.
They create a separate bathroom outside of their burrow to keep their home clean.
Eurasian badgers have families and will pass homes down through generations, which turns them into tunnel networks.
American badgers have been seen working with coyotes to hunt food.
Honey badgers are resistant to snake venom.
Males are called boars and females are called sows. A group is called a cete.
There is debate on if there are 3, 6, or 11 species of badgers. I went with 6 to include more pictures:
Asian Badger (Not sure how this one really differs from Japanese Badger)
Last weekend was about as productive as I thought it would be, which isn’t much. I only finished editing one chapter of Darwin & the Demon Game. I thought I could do two on Saturday, but I had a few extra errands and got stuck hunkering in shelter to avoid the rain while playing Pokemon Go. There were also chores, so I only got the one chapter done by the end of the day. Sunday was for family and ended up being a longer day than I expected. By the time I got home, I just wanted to finish a Lego set and crawl into bed to prepare for work.
Conserving my energy was a big thing this week in general. I went to bed early a lot because everyone around me had colds. Needed to make sure I wasn’t wearing myself down and leaving myself open to getting really sick. Managed to make it to Rosh Hashanah break in decent health. Only issues I had were the usual chronic ones like anxiety, funky breathing, and slight dehydration. I’ll call that a win even though it meant I sacrificed editing on all but one evening when I got part of the next chapter done. Really should tackle the rest this weekend.
I will admit that I tried to use my limited free time to my advantage. So, I made a lot of progress on the December blog posts. That might not sound like anything special, but it means I can utilize the breaks in October and November for editing. Thinking of making the January posts rather simple like Questions 3 on the 5 Wednesdays, Top 5 of 2024 on the Fridays, and something on the Mondays. Are there any types of posts that I haven’t done in a while that people liked? Wish I had more ideas for Ye Olde Shoppes, which are fun to write. Not sure if I should re-publish a few of those. Got plenty of time to figure that out.
Geez, that’s why I wasn’t able to edit on Sunday. Been such a crazy week with so much personal drama that I forgot it was my niece’s 4th birthday brunch. A worthy reason to not be writing. Sadly, I didn’t have my son that weekend, but they’re coming today for Rosh Hashanah. We’ll eat with them after we go Pokemon hunting for the event in the park. The game is becoming a big father/son bonding activity, but I have to play when he’s not around to make sure I don’t fall behind and earn his teenage-style mockery.
This coming week is going to be a full one of work with appointments on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday . . . This is why I can’t get much done during the week after work. The whole thing ends with Yom Kippur starting Friday evening, which means I need to eat and rest as much as possible on Saturday. Of course, there’s a big Pokemon Go event that involves a special Pokemon debuting on Saturday afternoon. I’ll be dragging myself out there with my son, so that we can catch it. We get 15 free tries, so I said we’ll do that and go home. This might require that I eat a little before sundown, but I’ve been getting dizzy with hunger on most days around 1 PM. Not sure what’s going on, but this year might not go very smoothly. Probably should buy a breakfast bar and not try to nosh on candy with an empty stomach.
Really can’t think of anything else going on. I knew that the change in school times would have a massive impact on my free time and progress. Didn’t realize it would be combined with 4-5 appointments a week, which kills it almost entirely. Probably a good thing that I’m editing instead of writing anything fresh. With any luck, things will settle down with the appointments after the new year, but I might not get to Darwin & the Joy Path until next summer. Not sure what’s going to happen in general either because I keep forgetting to reach out to the cover artist. Hard to get myself to do that when I can’t even get to editing. Publish a book and try to promote it when I can barely breathe? Feels like a daunting task and my confidence is in terrible shape. Next free day I have, I’m going to reach out and get my act together.
What are the goals of the week?
Try to edit one chapter of Darwin & the Demon Game.
Rest up when I can.
Time with son when possible.
Finish reading library book and return it.
Make it through Yom Kippur.
Tinker with notebooks if possible.
Extra sleep on Wednesday to help get through the rest of the week.
This cryptid has been sighted in the Ozark Mountains, which span the Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. Though, there have been a few sightings in Texas too, so maybe a few had issues with living in Oklahoma. Still, what are these creatures supposed to be?
The Ozark Howler is said to be the size of a bear, really hairy, and have horns. Its fur is very dark, which is why it’s sometimes called the Ozark Black Howler. The most important feature of this cryptid is its call. A distinctive howl that has various descriptions such as a wolf mixed with an elk or a half-human scream. Some say that it’s a deep noise while others claim its high-pitched. Strange how a variety of noises is connected to the same creature.
Pictures of the Ozark Howler have been provided, but they are usually a hoax or appear to be a mountain lion. An issue with the latter is that there is apparently no breeding mountain lion breeding population in Arkansas. The best guess there is one has wandered into the area or a big cat has escaped captivity to roam the wilderness. So, the cougar is the most likely physical suspect of this cryptid, but that doesn’t explain the horns and shaggy fur. Although, there is a good argument for the American red wolf even though people tend to describe a feline instead of a canine.
As far as the sounds go, there isn’t a constant description. It seems to simply be loud, creepy noises at night that a person can’t entirely identify. The wolf/elk combo even has a version where a hyena laugh is added. Other possibilities are red foxes, raccoons, and fishers, which live in the area. Since the noise isn’t consistently described, there isn’t any way to get a solid idea of what the Ozark Howler is. Then again, it could come from an older mythology too.
The Ozarks were originally settled by English, Irish, and Scottish settlers. They have a myth of Cu Sith, which was a large black dog with glowing eyes. This was a death omen, so maybe this came about if the original Howler was a mountain lion or bear that also ended up killing people. The Cu Sith was also said to make a piercing howl three times when it was encountered. So, we have a similar physical description along with an auditory component. In the end, we won’t really know for sure, but the Ozark Howler sightings will still turn up from time to time.
(No idea what inspired this poem. Think I was just going for an evil, manipulative womanizer. An Incubus or vampire might have been something that triggered the creation of this poem. Third option is that this was a character I was going to use for a story as either a villain or temporary problem. Can’t find him in my notes though. One thing that has changed since I wrote this is that I’ve run into just as many women who do this to men as guys who do it to women. So, I guess this type of behavior is really just dark human nature instead of locked into one group.)
He wades among the guests
A chameleon in their midst
Hunter of young women
In it for the glory
To gloat to all his friends
Bathed in scents
Designed to rumble urges
He looks for easy prey
Adjusting hair and garb
Chosen carefully by hand
His eyes lock
With green eyes from afar
Intrigued by his mere presence
Noting his intrusion
Upon her melancholy world
He draws her close
To push his trap
Her innocence a mask
Amplifying words of sugar
Practiced with perfection
The night moves on
She has fallen to his lure
Giving in to his embrace
Earning him a prize
That was never his to take
Legends of Windemere 