Whispers were already filling the village pub. Farmers swore they’d heard eerie cries echoing from the river during storms. A child claimed to have seen glowing eyes watching from the bank. Adrian listened from the corner, knowing exaggeration painted their fears, but kernels of truth glimmered within.
Something else chilled Adrian’s blood when he heard it. A group of farmers muttered that they would shoot the animal to keep their sheep safe from harm. Just a protective measure, they claimed. If he did not intervene, he knew something terrible would befall.