It was just another afternoon ride through the highland trails. The air was crisp, and the pine needles crunched beneath the tires as the biker coasted through the trees.
The trail had been quiet, too quiet. Not even birdsong. That’s when he heard the branches behind him snap.
He looked up, and through the dust, something enormous stepped out of the woods ahead.
Without thinking, he turned the bike and started pedaling hard. The shape had moved. It was following.
His legs pumped as fast as they could. He didn’t know what it was, a moose? A rogue bull? Something else?
The sound of hooves slammed behind him. Trees blurred. The dust closed in.
He took a sharp turn, then dropped the bike behind a boulder. He peeked around it, heart pounding.
The animal had stopped. It stood still, snorting into the air, its horns broad and curved. Not a bear. Not a moose.
The creature stared back for a moment. Then it stepped forward into the clearing.




