Wulfgar rode his Harley through the jagged mountain pass. The cliffs jutted out like crooked teeth in the darkness, boulders and rock-slides threatened to cut off his path. The sun had set three days ago and had not risen.

In his youth, this would only be a sign of winter. In the north lands where he was from, now called Lapland, the sun would set in November and not return until nearly January. But this was not the north lands. The sun rose, even in the most frozen part of winter.

A boulder crashed down from the cliff. He sharply swerved his motorcycle and barely missed getting struck. A towering troll sat at the top of the cliff, grinning with a club in his hands.

“Come celebrate with us, warrior! It is a never-ending night. We shall feast without fear of the sun turning us to stone. Join us, brother in the darkness,” said the Troll.

“I swore an oath, as brethren of the night to protect humankind,” said Wulfgar.

“That was nearly two thousand years ago, your brethren left, and humanity’s time has come at an end.”

“Begone foul bridge dweller!”

Wulfgar held an ax shaped amulet towards the troll. The troll shrieked as if they threw acid on it and slunk off into the woods.

There was a loud mechanical sound in the distance. The metallic scream came from the West, over the next mountain. There was a small logging town in the area, and perhaps Wulfgar only heard lumber equipment. He cocked his ear to the side to hear the scraping again. It was an unfamiliar mechanical scream.

Restarting his Harley, he rode towards the next town.When he reached the outskirts of the town, the sound was loud enough to drown out his motorcycle. It became too oppressive as he headed toward the lumberyard. Wulfgar’s hearing was far too acute as his eardrums threatened to burst from the noise. Even now, he could feel the pressure from the sound. He had to turn back and head towards the town.

Wulfgar saw a bonfire at the end of the road, next to a trailer park and a dilapidated apartment complex. A group of people huddled together around the fire. Dressed in coats, hats, and knitted scarves. Their eyes widened as Wulfgar road up to them. They gawked at the biker. His long blond hair, leather jacket, and piercing green eyes seemed to put him out of place with the trailer park crowd.

“I come in peace,” Wulfgar hollered over the sound.

One man eyed him cautiously and put his hand into his sports coat. Wulfgar raised both of his hands over his head.

“I thought you could use some help with the..” Wulfgar nodded in the noise’s direction.

A woman with long dark hair and doe eyes nodded.

“You really think you can help?” she asked. Two young boys clung to her.

“I can try,” said Wulfgar. “It’s better than nothing.”

A man with thick glasses and a parka stood by the woman, putting his arm around her.

“What’s in it for you, man?” he asked.

“I swore an oath,” said Wulfgar.

“You a cop or something?”

“Or something,” said Wulfgar, grinning slightly.

The sound came from the lumber mill. I tried to investigate it, but it’s impossible without hearing protection. My ears are extremely sensitive.”

The man quirked an eyebrow, but the woman handed him a pair of fuzzy earmuffs.

“They’re all I have,” she said.

“I have some ear protectors for the firing range,” said a voice from behind them. It was a middle-aged gentleman in forest camo.

“Thank you, no offense, ma’am, but I think those would work better,” he said, handing the earmuffs back to her.

The hunter handed the hard ear covers to Wulfgar and shook his hand, looking deeply into his eyes for a moment before recoiling.

“Your eyes!” said the hunter.

“Contacts, they help deter bandits,” said Wulfgar.

The hunter shook his head and headed back toward the fire. Wulfgar put on the large plastic ear protectors and rode toward the lumberyard. Huge woodpiles and pallets dotted the yard.

He had to park his Harley walk the rest of the way. Heading toward the sound, a pool of black shadow manifested into a form. It was twisted and rotted; an animal’s skull appeared as its head.

Another monster, a muscular being covered in hair with snarling jaws, formed from the shadows.

“They take our homes and cut down our forest. They are the monsters, not us. Join us, let Fenrir cleanse the earth,” grumbled the wolf-like creature.

“I swore an oath to protect man,” said Wulfgar.

“If the earth dies, there will be no more men to protect. Even you need them to feed. Let us cull them now,” whispered the wraith.

Wulfgar pulled a revolver from his jacket and shot at the bony creature. The bullet shot through the wraith, splintering a two by four in the distance. Of course, these were creatures of shadow. Human weapons did not affect them.

Wulfgar’s eyes glowed bright green like a cat, his nails grew slightly longer, and his teeth sharpened into fangs.

He leaped on the wolf-like creature, tackling it to the ground, his hands grasped around his throat. The creature snapped back, catching part of his shoulder. A stream of blood poured out, painting the wood.

He spat and grabbed the wolf by the throat with his teeth. He ripped and tore. Blood from the creature poured out, and Wulfgar drank deeply. The monster screamed and melted into a black ichor that faded away. The bony wraith shrieked and flew towards the mill. Wulfgar chased it into the large mill.

An enormous wolf, the color of mist, was fighting against a silver chain. The chain wrapped over a circular saw. The blade was spinning, but the wolf pulled in the opposite direction, causing the horrid screech.

“They caught you in a trap, brother,” said Wulfgar.

“These dark creatures found my chain and left me in this forsaken realm,” snapped the wolf.

“So, they have not set you free for Ragnarök?”

“Oh, how I wish my brother, but now is not the time. Wraiths trap me,” growled Fenrir.

“I was summoned here; I know not by whom,” whispered a voice in the shadows.

The bony wraith appeared in the corner.

“By someone calling for the end of the world, and I think he wanted me to join him,” said Wulfgar.

Wulfgar remembered the troll atop the crag. It would have reason to call upon the never-ending night. There would be no sun to turn him into stone.

“I will free you. Can you stop trying to pull your chains?” asked Wulfgar as he turned off the saw.

“I agree, brother, and thank you,” said Fenrir.

Wulfgar raced back toward the mountain where he found the troll. At the top of the bluff, a small cave jutted out into the darkness.

Wulfgar climbed up the cliff inside the cave to find the troll sleeping. Behind it, a thin silver chain draped around a boulder.

“Troll, you dare to trap Fenrir here? Now is not the time for Ragnarok.”

The troll woke up, yawned, and looked at Wulfgar grumpily.

“If they don’t call Ragnarok now, humanity will end the earth on their own accord. Even now, the ice melts and the sea boils. I called upon darkness and winter to save them,” yawned the Troll.

“Never-ending night is not the way to save them.”

“Their time is over. They could not take care of the World Tree. Even now, its leaves and branches die. Is this the parasite you wish to save?”

“I swore an oath!” said Wulfgar.

“To a blood maiden that died on her shield thousands of years ago. It is over. Join the night. Humankind is but your food to feed on. Isn’t that why they sacrificed unto you. How many brides have you drained throughout the years to save the human species?”

“I haven’t drained a bride in years. They give willingly now, and I only take what I need, or I fill in battle. I can taste the likes of troll blood in my gullet now,” said Wulfgar. His fangs gleemed in the moonlight.

The troll rolled over, and his club hit Wulfgar hard, knocking the wind out of him. He staggered and rolled to the other side of the cave. The troll went to hit him again, but he uppercut the creature in the jaw, hard. The troll staggered back but rushed him again.

Wulfgar had fought trolls before. They were large and fairly stupid, and he normally would wear them down until the sun rose. At that point, the troll would turn to stone, and he had to run into the shelter before he burnt to a cinder. But now, night had no end, and the creature would not stop fighting. It wouldn’t be as simple this time. The sun would not rise unless he freed Fenrir.

He inched closer to the boulder, but the club hit him again, knocking him toward the cave entrance. Wulfgar caught himself before hurtling down the side of the cliff. The troll stormed out and raised his club, ready to smash his hand, when something caught the troll from behind.The giant wolf had somehow escaped the mill and now had the troll in his teeth. He shook it from side to side, and the troll went limp. Fenrir tossed the troll over the cliff-side, the creature hitting treetops with a thud.

Wulfgar went to the boulder and loosened the other part of the chain.

“Are you ready to go home?” asked the bony wraith as it materialized behind them.

The giant wolf sighed as Wulfgar handed the lead to the wraith. A portal opened behind the wraith, and it was full of stars. The Aura Borealis glowed.

“When I return, you shall know it. The ground will shake and freeze over. No sun nor moon shall shine. But not today. I’m only letting you drive me. I could snap you in two if I so chose,” said Fenrir.

“I’m sure you can, but for now, be a good boy,” sighed the wraith.

Fenrir growled and lowered his head and tail as the wraith led him through the portal. The portal closed, and, for the first time in three days, the pale light of dawn stretched across the horizon. Wulfgar headed back into the deepest part of the cave. He would have to stay there until nightfall, lest he became a pile of ash.

A growl came to his stomach, and he remembered the Doe-eyed woman. Yes, he had saved the village, and when he returned, he would take his sacrifice as a tribute.

“You’re not good enough; you never will be,” said the shadow.

Looking away as the darkness crept in and dissolved the remaining splashes of sunlight against the buildings. I shivered, pulling my jacket closer as I ran down the empty street.

“You’re a failure. You have nothing to show for yourself,” hissed a voice from the shadows.

The inky darkness became tangible and oozed past my feet up to my ankles. Yanking my feet out, I stumbled backward. I turned and sprinted down the street.
The inky sludge chased me, threatening to drag me back down and swallow me whole.

“You’ll never make it! You’re past your prime. You’ll die alone,” it kept whispering.

From the blob, shadowy forms crept up against the walls, red eyes glaring. My heart was pounding in my chest, and my lungs felt like they were about to burst.

My home loomed overhead. A squat brick apartment complex that lurched free from the shadows. The ooze followed me as I pounded up the concrete stairs.
Slamming the door behind me, I turned on the bright overhead light, the shadows fading away.

Coughing hard, my lungs racking, I made my way to the restroom and splashed icy water on my face. A reflection stared back at me in the mirror, but it wasn’t me. She appeared to be me, but her eyes were completely black, her lips curled in a sinister smile.

“You can’t fight me forever. I’m part of you now. We will be as one. You are my dearest enemy.”

“One day, you might, but not today,” I said, gagging down the pills the doctor prescribed to me.

The shadows dissolved from the reflection, leaving only me.

Dedicated to my mother, who grew up in Alaska

A loud rumble woke Dawn from her evening nap. She jumped from her bed to see everything in her room swaying. As she hurried out of her bedroom, her brothers bolted past her. They went to the kitchen, and all was still shaking.

She grabbed her little brother, Thomas, and they hid under the kitchen table. A few plates fell and shattered overhead, and then the rattle stopped.She checked on Mary, the baby of the family, and saw that she had a slight bruise from where a book fell and hit her, but nothing too serious.

Mary wailed, and dawn picked her up from her crib and bounced her on her hip. Her hands trembled as she slowly opened the door. A water main had cracked and was pouring into the street where the road had completely buckled. It had looked as though the hand of God had come down and folded the next street in half.

The earthquake spared the trailer where her family lived from the damage. Inside there were a few broken dishes and picture frames, but nothing too great. It had crumpled the houses on the neighboring street to the ground, and giant cracks were in the road.

“Tom, I need you to watch Mary. I’m going to go over to the shop and make sure mom and dad are safe.”

“It’s too dangerous for you to travel alone,” he said. “I need to know that they’re ok,” she said while handing off the toddler to her ten-year-old brother. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

With that, she snatched some sandwiches her mom made for lunch from the refrigerator and lay them in a basket. She gripped a large nickel-plated flashlight, put on her heavy red coat, and dashed out the door.The air was icy, and the ground still had a healthy amount of snow, but it was thawing in the March air.

It was already dark at 6:00 pm, but that was how Alaska was. Where Dawn lived, and she would not have traded it for anything, except for today. All the beauty had folded in half. Trees jutted out of the road, and rubble lay everywhere.

She turned on her flashlight to better see in the dark and rushed towards downtown Anchorage to the repair shop her parents ran. Stopping to catch her breath, her flashlight caught glowing eyes.A giant brindle wolf jumped in front of her, knocking the basket out of her hands. The wolf went over to the sandwiches and devoured them. When Dawn ran to reach for her basket, the wolf snapped at her and continued eating.

There was a gunshot overhead, and the wolf ran off in the other direction. Another shot fired.

“Please stop! It was probably just hungry!” screamed Dawn.

“The wolf looked like it was attacking you,” said a man’s voice in a slow drawl.

“No, it just wanted my sandwiches, so much for lunch,” sighed Dawn as she picked up the basket. “Sir, I have to go downtown. I need to make sure my parents are ok.”

“Why are you going alone?” he asked.“My folks run a repair shop downtown. My brother is at home with my baby sister. We’re all right, but it looks like the phone lines are down.”

“All correct, but why don’t I go with you? The earthquake has made the roads dangerous, and up here, you’re not on top of the food chain,” he replied, nodding in the wolf’s direction.

Dawn nodded as she picked up her basket. She saw that the man was skinny with an enormous hat and thick glasses. They both walked over the craggy streets together.

“My name’s Hansen, Robert Hansen,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Dawn Michals,” she said, giving his hand a firm shake.

“That’s some coat you have on.”

“My folks got it for me at J. C. Penney’s for my birthday. I turned thirteen a month ago.”

“Is that so?” Dawn nodded and hurried up ahead, but the street had shattered, leaving a massive sinkhole.

“What do I do now?” sobbed Dawn.

“I know a way,” he said, nodding his head past the rubble.

“Thank you, Mr. Hansen.” He grabbed her hand firmly and pulled away from the road, towards the deep pine forest.

“Are you sure you recognize the way, sir?” asked Dawn.

“Of course, I do.”

“Well, are you sure the woodlands are the best course? As you said, we’re not on top of the food chain, and there may be bears, wolves, or angry moose out that way?”

Dawn followed Mr. Hansen into the woods as the ground rumbled once more, knocking them both to their knees. Soil tumbled down the steep ravine. Robert got to his feet and helped Dawn up. He led her down a path in the forest. Debris lay everywhere. It ripped trees from their roots, and rocks jutted out like angry teeth.

“Sir, I don’t think it’s wise to go this way,” said Dawn.

She no longer felt safe with Mr. Hansen and headed out of the woods. He grabbed her sharply by the arm and pulled her close to him.

“You’re going to have to trust me!”

“No,” she yelled as she struggled to break free.

“You’re not on top of the food chain, little girl, I am.” He added as he pointed the gun at her.

His body pressed against hers, and she felt cold steel from a knife tip on her neck. She wanted to scream for help, but she was so far in the wilderness no one would hear her.

She knew she should have listened to her brother; it was too dangerous to go alone with the wild animals and aftershocks. But she never thought a person would hurt her. People were here to help. When the nights got cold and dark, they were there to be beside you and keep you warm. Now she would never feel warm again. Tears fell from her eyes.

Out of nowhere, she heard a low growl. Looking up, she saw the brindle wolf from earlier, only now it had its pack-mates. They surrounded Mr. Hansen. He aimed and shot at one of them, but the bullet flew wild. Dawn struck him in the head with her flashlight, and he fell unconscious.

The brindle wolf licked Dawn on the hand and watched her. Its eyes were a beautiful warm gold. Dawn saw that the wolf was female and appeared as though she might have been nursing. “Thank you, Mrs. Wolf,” she said, dusting herself off. The wolf seemed to nod and then trotted off into the forest after her pack.

Dawn headed back to the road, and a large army truck greeted her. A gruff older man piled her into the rig.“They have called martial law on the city of Anchorage. Tsunamis have struck coastal towns like Kodiak, and landslides are wrecking total devastation.”

“I need to see my parents,” said Dawn.

She gave the address of their store to the gruff man in the truck. Driving downtown, she saw it devastated everything. J. C. Penney’s had all but sunk under asphalt. It ripped roads in half, and gas and water lines were burst, pouring everywhere.

They stopped outside the repair shop. It was crumpled to the ground, but her mother and father stood. She saw that her dad had a large goose egg on his head, but her mom looked uninjured. Dawn embraced them, and the army truck took them to the hospital for examination. Her father only suffered a mild concussion, and her mom was fine. A cab dropped them off at their trailer. Rushing in, they hugged Thomas and Mary, relieved that their house and children were well.

“I’m glad you went looking for us, but never do something that stupid again,” sighed her mother. “I’d rather have you home safe. Something could have happened.”

Dawn nodded. She was about to tell her about the man when she heard a howl outside. She looked out the window and saw the brindle wolf.

“It’s all right, mama, I gave her some sandwiches, and she’s just been following me.”

“You know, if you feed them, you’ll never git rid of them,” her dad said, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s ok. The earthquake scared her,” said Dawn.

The wolf wagged her tail, and she could see the smaller eyes of four pups looking at her. The mama wolf then gathered her young and headed off into the woods.

“I think she just wanted to say goodbye.”“Just be vigilant. They’re dangerous animals,” her dad said.

“Yes, papa, but man is the most fatal.”

“I suppose you’re right, Dawn, be careful of who you trust. At least most of God’s creatures are pure in their intention.”

Dawn nodded at this, and overhead the northern lights shimmered, and she heard howls in the distance as she settled down for bed. ………Anchorage eventually got back on its feet after the earthquake. Her parents finally had their shop again, and all was well. She never saw Mrs. Wolf again but would occasionally hear howls in the night that comforted her. They arrested Robert Hansen and charged him with killing over seventeen women. She felt lucky that she survived, all by the luck of a furry guardian angel.

(This is a cryptid story that was originally told to me from my boss, it is a nonfiction work for all accounts, and I have changed names to preserve privacy.)

A few years ago, I was a bartender and bouncer at a bar in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I’m a fairly intimidating guy, so it was a job that suited me.

My shift ended around two in the morning. I went to my car and set a timer on my phone. I used to drive like a bat out of hell down the back and set a timer to clock how fast I can get home.

Leaving the town streets, and hitting the country roads, I sped up to around a buck thirty and went over a familiar hill. As the car crested the hill, there was a shimmer. The timer on my cell phone stopped at ten minutes and five seconds. I thought there was a mechanical error, and it stopped working, but when I looked around, the time had ceased, and it froze everything.

Out of the corner of my eye stood a giant being. At first glance, I mistook it for a bear, but its movement was stilted and humanoid. Fine, dark, hair covered its body, and its face was lupine. Long fingers flexed with even longer claws pointing in my direction. I couldn’t see legs or feet, and it appeared to be floating. Eyes so black, it absorbed light as it stared deliberately at me. Lips pulled back over, pointed fangs as it grinned knowingly at me.

The timer on my phone clicked over to ten minutes and six seconds, and everything moved in actual time again. The creature blurred at breakneck speed, vanishing into the shimmer.

My car nearly broke the sound barrier I sped home so fast. My hands were trembling, and my heart pounded against my ribs. What happened could not have been real. I must have seen a bear or a large dog. My phone read 2:20. Only twenty minutes had passed, but it felt like days. I curled into the fetal position and fell into a deep sleep.

My dad knocked on my door in the morning. We made plans to go hunting later that day. He entered the room to see me still in a ball on my bed.

“Son, are you all right?” he asked.

“I’m just tired, give me a few hours.”

My father nodded but came back that afternoon.

“Son, you’re not ok. I want you to tell me what’s wrong.”

“You’ll never believe me; you’ll think I’m crazy.”

“Try me,” he said.

I told him everything about the monster in on the road and the stops in time. As I told him what happened, all the blood drained out of his face. He was white as a ghost, and his palms were shaking when I finished my story.

“Son, I saw the same thing a few years ago. I’ll give you the rest of the day to feel better, and we’ll go hunting tomorrow.”

Pulling myself together, I went through the day in a numb state.

I passed out. I woke up in the middle of the night. My room was pitch black and freezing. An enormous weight rested on my chest, pinning me down. Root, like tendrils, climbed up my legs, trapping me. I tried to scream, but no sound came.

“I know you saw me,” whispered a voice behind me. Icy breath chilled my earlobes. “I saw you too.”

I screamed, and the weight lifted off my chest. My room was empty as if nothing happened.

I had brought up the creature to a pastor, thinking it was a demon. He thought I was crazy and nearly laughed me out of the church. I mentioned it to a youth pastor who explained that it might have been night terrors.

My father and my cousin stated that they had seen the monster in the past. My dad doesn’t like to talk about it and turns as white as a ghost whenever mentioned.

I’ve even checked SCP files, and I only found the goat-man to be a close comparison. I have spent the last few years convincing myself that what I’ve experienced is not real. So, demon, goat man, guardian of the forest, whatever you are: Let’s not meet.