Something in the Woods is TAKING People | 6 TRUE Scary Forest Stories

well well well if you live in Georgia today's your unlucky day stares at the first two stories welcome back to unexplained encounters I'm your host Darkness prevails and there's only a few more days left before my book releases check the link below to get the freaky folklore compendium now on Amazon or Barnes & Noble in fact here's a cheeky little video I took of me ripping open my copy with one hand please don't pay attention to how winded I sound also pre-order my card game crypted links below as well I promise the cards don't bite

unless you want them to today's episode features scary wood stories there will be Native American folklore monsters and unexplained psycho creatures and more now let's begin werewolf in Georgia from dragons will fly it was the winter of 2001 in rural Georgia around 1: in the morning yep you guessed it nothing but trees and Fields with a scattering of houses every mile or so the only source of light was the trace of a full moon settled behind clouds and leafless boughs it had been a little warmer than usual during the daytime creating the perfect atmosphere for

a foggy night the day had been tiring I was a senior in high school school at the time and with that came the normal stresses that everyone knows all too well on top of that I also played basketball thus the reason for such a late night drive and what most people would consider the middle of nowhere we had lost yet another away game but everyone was still in High Spirits because Christmas vacation was coming up soon and we always had fun coming back from games whether we won or lost the ride from the game was

no issue it was late yes but the ride was smooth there are always stories of deer running out in front of vehicles during the late night to early morning especially in the fall and winter in rural areas I had it happened to me personally a year or so prior so I would and still do constantly look around to the sides of the road even if I'm not the one driving I just said goodbye and get home safe to everyone on the team I'd loaded myself and my gym bag into my rodeo and started taking the

half an hour drive back home as I stated before these are nothing but rural Southern roads long stretches of nothing but woods and farmland as far as your eye can see it was on one of those long stretches of woods that I saw it even after over 20 years since this event I remember every single second of the encounter and every time I come back home to my parents' place I still look for it in the same exact spot I saw it I was about halfway to the house listening to music I don't recall what

it was on the radio probably either Creed or something along those lines what I do remember vividly is the cold wind whipping through my hair as I drove down the dark and two-lane country road I liked driving with the windows down the AC running when it was late at night during the winter that combination created a cold breeze that kept me wide eyed and awake especially after a long day I wasn't speeding I was going maybe 40 mph down that lonely road just enough to create the cold breeze I needed to help myself stay awake

the fog was starting to grow thicker causing me to slow down a bit as some might imagine a road like the one I was driving down isn't very wide there are no shoulders to the roads no street lights so the sudden push of fog all around me made it very hard to see any animals that might run out onto the road the ditches on either side of the road are deep on this particular stretch there's a creek that runs through the woods there and it passes through a culvert under the road it was at that

moment I felt something was off like something was about to happen which caused me to slow down even more rolling up my window as I strained to see against the foggy Darkness then I slammed on my brakes nearly causing my manual shift SUV to shut down as my foot slipped off the clutch i' had seen a blur to my right it was running right into the road in front of me this rapid silhouette was black against the whitish gray fog that had become even thicker now to my surprise it looked like a very large black

wolf a little side note Georgia is home to different large Predators black bears alligators coyotes and even though the Georgia DNR vehemently denies it mountain lions I have personally been stalked while driving slowly on an ATV by a mountain Li so I have to roll my eyes at the DNR statement that people have misidentified Bobcats for mountain lions I grew up in the woods I know the difference between the two animals I also know we have gray wolves and red wolves in Georgia and I've seen one in the fields around town they're quite a bit

bigger than coyotes and definitely bigger than dogs this black wolf-like figure I stared out at that stood in front of me was even bigger than that bigger than a gray wolf I continued to stare out in front of me trying to figure out what I was seeing I knew it was a wolf but I could not wrap my head around the size of it nor could I figure out why it was just standing there now I didn't want to move it didn't feel right to startle an animal that was just sitting there I thought maybe

it was stunned by the high beams of my headlights so I flicked the brights off to hopefully allow it to go about its way big mistake as soon as I lessened the brightness of my headlight the animal turned towards my car and stared directly at me I froze as I made eye contact with it hoping that it was just my tired brain making me think that the look in its eyes was more intelligent than a regular canine it wasn't very long until my curiosity turned to horror as I noticed that while I was watching it

the creature began to stand on its back legs and then I saw the hands yes it had hands large somewhat humanlike hands accompanied by long gnarled fingers which ended in razor sharp claws I continued to stare into the beast's eyes and what I thought was the relative safety of my vehicle until it reached its full height I knew what I'd seen previously was a very large wolf it must have mutated or shifted or something because this thing was over 7 ft tall while this was happening my mind tried to rationalize what I was looking at

but it failed miserably I froze behind the steering wheel of my car as I took in the sight of the creature before me before this I'd never believed in fanciful stories like Bigfoot aliens and of course werewolves ghosts well yeah I'm a southerner through and through though I've been living in the northern us for over 17 years now the South has a plethora of ghost stories and I have a few of my own other stories to be told at some point while my mind was trying to wrap itself around what I was seeing I'd failed

to notice it had taken a couple of steps towards my car when that finally registered I gasped slightly as I took in the full profile of the Beast before I'd merely seen the side view of it now however I could see it in its full horrific Glory the chest of that thing was closer to that of a guy who had been training rigorously for a bodybuilding contest but the bottom half was more decidedly wolf-like save for the extremely large back paw which reminded me more of Wy coyote from Looney Tunes but a more nightmarish version

like if gel Del Toro had created them I stared in abject Terror for what felt like ages as it continued to stare at me with hateful Hungry Eyes suddenly its gaze shifted from me to the woods on the opposite side of the road hopefully prey that was easier to get to my mind begged as I continued to watch through the windshield I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the thing run across the road into the woods all at once my mind kicked into high gear and I had the good sense to floor it

before that thing decided to come back I nearly stripped the gears as I fumbled with a gear shift to get away as fast as I could once I felt I was a considerable distance from that Beast I slowed back down to a speed that was nowhere near as Reckless as before during this time I glanced down at the clock in the car to see what time it was I felt that I'd spent a long time staring at the thing that my parents would surely be upset that I'd not come home in the time frame that

it should have taken me to get home from the school parking lot but only a couple of minutes had passed surely it had been much longer I thought as I tried to remember what song had played on on the CD player in my car and what song was playing now none of it made much sense despite the air conditioner blasting through the vents on a chilly December night I was sweating and yet chills were running down my spine I made it to a three-way stop out between several Fields I took a moment to try and

collect myself sure every part of me was screaming to get home ASAP before it decided to try it Lu with me but my mind still went through the motions it knew so well this four-way stop has had several bad accidents in the past teens deciding the desolate Road made the perfect drag racing meat and also the occasional drunk driver who didn't believe in stop signs I took several calming breaths as I slowly traversed the turn nothing happened as I made my way safely home in the back of my mind however my imag ination came up

with all sorts of frightful images that awaited me when I stepped out of my vehicle these thoughts were unwarranted as I rushed from my car into the light of the carport I quickly glanced about the darkened Woods that surrounded the house as I fumbled for my keys it took me several calming breaths before I could finally get the key in the lock and allow myself inside my parents were asleep so I was lucky that I didn't have to explain why I seemed so frazzled they would never believe me anyway I never saw that creature again

I never wanted to but a part of me wanted to know more to see if anyone else had ever seen anything like it I never mentioned it to anyone though this happened during the time that a lot of people in the rural areas of the South didn't have internet we were lucky we had dial up but I didn't really know how to search the internet well back then and I only used the computer to play games like Solitaire or write papers for school it wasn't until I was a lot older that I finally looked into

my encounter and I found out that other people around the world had seen similar things back then I'd always suspected it was a werewolf but my rational mind would never accept a creature of folklore today I understand that every folklore has some basis of Truth so werewolf for dog man may we never meet [Music] again chattah huchi encounter from ailing dude I've been an avid hiker and camper for most of my life but there's one experience that still sends chills down my spine whenever I think about it this happened about 7 years back when I

was backpacking through the chattah huchi National Forest in Northern Georgia with my friend Craig we' planned a 4-day trek along some of the more remote Trails wanting to really immerse ourselves in nature and get away from civilization for a bit the first couple of days were absolutely beautiful crisp fall weather stunning foliage and that wonderful earthy smell of the forest there was tons of wildlife to see too deer a few wild turkeys even caught a glimpse of a black be in the distance one afternoon nothing out of the ordinary so far it was on the

third night that things took a turn for the bizarre and terrifying we'd set up camp in a small clearing about a half mile off the main trail it was a picturesque spot next to a babbling Creek surrounded by towering Pines and Oaks as the sun began descent we got a fire going and settled in for dinner Craig and I were sitting around the C campfire swapping stories enjoying the peaceful sounds of the forest at Twilight I remember feeling really cozy at that moment belly full of camp food good company and the simple pleasure of being

out in nature but then as full Darkness set in we both noticed how unnaturally quiet it got the typical nighttime sounds went completely silent a switch had been flipped muting the entire Forest around us it was really really creepy it wasn't some steady thing that you don't really notice over time it was sudden unnatural Craig and I exchanged uneasy glances you noticed that he whispered I nodded suddenly feeling on edge for reasons I couldn't quite explain even considering the silence we sat there for a few minutes straining our ears for any sound but there was

nothing except for the soft crackling of the campfire then we heard it a low guttural growl coming from the darkness beyond the campsite it didn't sound like any animal I was familiar with too deep for a coyote or wolf and with an almost humanlike quality that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up Craig and I both jumped to our feet frantically scanning the tree line with our flashlights but we couldn't see anything in the Inky Blackness beyond the small circle of Fire Light the growl came again closer than before it sounded

like it was coming from multiple directions at once as if we were surrounded what the heck is that Craig hissed his voice tight with fear I shook my head at a total loss my mind was racing trying to rationalize what we were hearing but deep down I knew this wasn't n normal we decided to douse the fire retreating to our tent hoping whatever was out there would lose interest and move on big mistake as soon as the Fire Light was gone leaving us in near total darkness the growling intensified it was all around us now

A Chorus of inhuman voices that seemed to be closing in before long we saw them right before diving into the tent glowing eyes reflecting our flashlight beams dozens of pairs of eyes at various Heights some close to the ground others 7 or 8 ft up they were moving through the underbrush circling our campsite and we didn't even know what they were inside the tent we zipped it up and cowered in sleeping bags like a couple of scared children not that the thin nylon walls would offer any real protection but at the very least we got

the illusion of safety Craig and I huddled there hardly daring to breathe as the growling and rustling Drew closer and closer I'll never forget the moment I saw a massive dark shape pass in front of our tent the creature and I use that term because I have no other way to describe it must have been at least 8 ft tall it moved in a fluid almost graceful way that was was decidedly not human as it passed I caught a whiff of a horrific stench it was like rotting meat and wet dog for hours we heard

these things outside the tent occasionally one of them would brush up against the side causing the entire tent to shake the growling was constant punctuated by what sounded like words but spoken in some guttural inhuman language I was certain that at any moment Claws and teeth would tear through the tent and that would be the end of us but somehow miraculously we made it through the night as the first light of dawn began to filter through the trees the sounds and movements around our tent gradually faded away Craig and I waited another hour before we

dared to unzip the tent and peer outside the campsite looked completely normal in the early morning light there was not a single track no sign of disturbance nothing to indicate the terror we experienced during that night if it wasn't for the fact that we both had witnessed it I might have been tempted to write the whole thing off as some kind of shared hallucination we packed up our gear in record time and we got the heck out of Dodge we practically ran all the way back to the main trail we didn't speak much on the

hike back to our car both of us were lost in our own thoughts trying to process everything over the years since then I've done a lot of research trying to find any similar encounters some sort of explanation I have come across some Bigfoot reports from that area of Georgia that have some similarities there are also Legends in Cherokee folklore about creatures called nuni spirit people who are said to live in the mountains and can appear as Shadows or animals however nothing really 100% matches up with what we saw those glowing eyes The Impossible size the

fluid movements of the shapes we glimpsed that bone chilling growl speech it seems to point to something Beyond conventional Cryptids and folklore I've been back to chattah huchi National Forest a few times since then it's it's a beautiful area and I didn't want one terrifying experience to ruin my love of hiking and camping but I've never ventured back to that particular section of trails I always make sure to camp in established campgrounds now never in isolated Backcountry spots Craig and I don't talk about that night much it's like an unspoken thing between us we both

know what happened but discussing it makes it feel too real if that makes sense sometimes I have nightmares where I'm back in that tent hearing the growls closing in but instead of staying put I unzip the tent and come face to face with something I always wake up in a cold sweat before I can make out any details maybe that's for the best these days when I'm out in nature and night begins to fall I find myself listening closely to the ambient sounds of the forest and if those sounds suddenly go quiet well let's just

say I don't stick around to find out why some Mysteries are better left unexplored life takes you places from Stellar gab never thought I'd be sharing this story but here goes it happened about 8 years back when I was going through a rough patch in my life I had just lost my job at a tech startup in Seattle my long-term girlfriend and I had broke up and I was feeling pretty lost and directionless then my buddy Terren suggested I join him on a backpacking trip in Olympic National Park to clear my head he'd been raving

about this remote Trail he' discovered that supposedly led to some pristine Alpine Lakes I wasn't much of an Outdoorsman but I figured what the heck I had to shake up my routine get out of this funk Terren ended up bailing at the last minute due to a family emergency but I decided to go anyway a solo backpacking trip in hindsight that was probably a big mistake I was woefully underprepared for solo Backcountry camping but I was too stubborn and desperate for a change of scenery to admit it I drove out to the Olympic Peninsula on

a crisp September morning feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension the drive was beautiful winding through Lush forests and a long Scenic Coastline by early afternoon I'd reached the trail head a small gravel parking area at the end of a bumpy forest service road the trail started off easy enough it was a well-maintained path which meandered through towering old growth forest these trees were massive they were Cedars and hemlocks and Douglas Furs that must have been hundreds of years old their branches formed a dense canopy overhead shafts of sunlight breaking through here and there as

I hiked deeper into the Wilderness the trail gradually became more rugged and overgrown by late afternoon I was starting to get concerned that I'd missed a turn somewhere the path was now little more than a faint game Trail choked with Ferns and Fallen logs I pulled pulled out a map and a compass trying to get my bearings but the dense forest made it hard to see any landmarks I knew I should have probably turned back but my stubborn Pride kept pushing me forward I was determined to find those Alpine Lakes Terren had mentioned as the

light began to fade I reluctantly decided to make camp for the night and I would try to get my bearings again in the morning I found a small clearing and set up my tent I gathered up some firewood before it got too dark as nighttime fell the forest came alive with sounds The Hoots of owls the rustling of small animals in the underbrush the wind sighing through the Treetops I got a small fire going and heated up some freeze-dried camping food trying to ignore the growing unease in the pit of my stomach the first night

passed by uneventfully though I didn't sleep too well I wasn't very accustomed to the sounds of wilderness I woke up at first light packing up my cap and setting off again I had two objectives either find the lakes or retrace my steps back to the trail head as the day wore on though I became increasingly certain that I was hopelessly lost the forest seemed to get denser and darker the terrain more rugged better yet I was starting to think I was catching glimpses of something out of the corner of my eye whenever I would turn

to look there would be nothing there by a late afternoon exhaustion and hunger were taking their toll I decided to make Camp early trying to come up with a plan I found a spot near a small stream and got to work setting up my tent and gathering firewood again it was then that I heard it a low rumbling growl immediately I froze my heart nearly exploding out of my chest I scanned the Forest around me straining my eyes in the fading light for a moment I thought I saw something move between two massive tree trunks

maybe 50 yard away a dark shape bigger than a man but moving with an unnatural fluidity when I blinked and looked again it was gone already thoroughly creeped out I quickly finished setting up camp hands shaking as I tried to get a fire going after Darkness fell it was much more quiet in the forest the nighttime sounds I had gotten used to Insects frogs owls were strangely absent I huddled close to my small fire jumping at every snapping twig or rustle of leaves several times I heard that same rumbling growl sometimes seeming to come from

right behind me other times at a far off distance eventually I spotted some something in the woods big eyes reflecting the Fire Light they were set high up off the ground taller than me and they seemed to be affixed to a very Shaggy fur covered form the thing's limbs were wrong arms were too long for its body as I looked at it I must have made some small Sound Of Terror because suddenly its eyes blinked out and I heard something large crashing away through the underbrush I spent the rest of the night huddled in my

tent far too scared to sleep when Dawn finally broke I wasted no time breaking camp and setting off and what I hoped was the proper direction of the trail head as I hiked I constantly felt like I was being watched I even began to smell whiffs of a Musky animal odor and then I found a massive footprint in some mud easily 18 in Long with these strange elongated toes I walked for hours Panic growing as I realized I had no idea where I was the forest seemed to be closing in around me the trees growing

closer together blocking out more and more sky that's when I heard it the sound of voices human voices I ran like a madman towards the sound my exhaustion forgotten I burst from the tree trees onto a well-maintained trail nearly colliding with a startled family of hikers I had to have looked like a madman dirty wild-eyed babbling about monsters in the woods the father of the family A kindf faced man named Richard managed to calm me down they shared some water and trail mix with me at Richard pulled out a map to show me where we

were somehow I'd wandered nearly 15 miles off my intended route ending up in a completely different part of the park Richard and his family walked with me back to the nearest Ranger Station where I was able to get a ride back to my car I've spent a lot of time since then trying to rationalize what happened maybe I was suffering from dehydration or exhaustion causing me to hallucinate maybe there was some kind of territorial animal that I misidentified in the dark believe it or not I enjoy hiking and camping now as long as I stick

to well-traveled Trails and I don't go alone it's something that I've learned to love oh and I always make sure I'm out of the woods well before nightfall I know firsthand that when Darkness Falls in the Deep Wilderness sometimes it brings visitors that are best left unseen something happened in Maine from Pete G about 6 years ago I was working as a land surveyor for a small company in rural Maine I just moved to the area from Boston looking for a change of pace and a chance to save up some money the job wasn't glamorous

but it did pay well and I was able to spend a lot of time Outdoors which I enjoyed one particular project had us mapping out a large track of privately owned Forest about 30 m outside of Bangor the owner an elderly woman named Mrs Caldwell was considering selling part of the land for development and needed an updated survey the forest itself was old and dense mostly Pine and Birch with some Maple mixed in it had been in Mrs Caldwell's family for generations and from what I understood it had never been logged or developed in any

significant way my partner for this job was a local guy named Pete Pete was in his 50s born and raised in the area and he knew these Woods like the back of his hand or so he claimed we'd been working on the survey for about a week methodically making our way through the property taking measurements and marking boundaries it was tedious work but I enjoyed the quiet and the fresh air one day we were working in a section of the forest that was especially dense and overgrown the underbrush was thick making it difficult for us

to move around the trees grew so close together there that they blocked out much of the sunlight as we worked Pete kept glancing around nervously which was unusual for him he was typically unflappable even when we encountered Bears or other Wildlife when I asked him what was wrong he just shook his head muttering something about the place giving him the creeps by midafternoon we had reached a small clearing in the center of it stood an enormous Old Pine Tree easily the largest i' had seen on the property its trunk was gnarled and twisted with bark

that seemed almost black in the dim light as we approached the tree to take some measurements I noticed something strange the ground around the base of the tree was completely bare no ground grass Moss or underbrush growing within about a 10t radius it was as if nothing could or wanted to grow near it Pete saw it too and he stopped in his tracks we shouldn't be here he said Voice Low I could tell he was creeped out I was about to ask him what he meant but then I saw it carved into the trunk of

the tree was a symbol it looked nearly as old as the tree tree itself the edges were worn Smooth by time but it was still clearly visible the symbol was unlike anything I'd ever seen before it seemed to shift and change as I looked at it never quite the same shape twice looking at it for too long made my head hurt and my vision swim it was then that we heard it a low rhythmic humming sound coming from all around us it started soft but quickly grow volume until it was all I could hear the

air around us seemed to vibrate and then things got really weird the clearing around us began to well shift it's hard to describe but it was like reality itself was bending and warping the trees seemed to move changing position when I wasn't looking directly at them the ground beneath our feet felt unstable like it was going to give way at any moment I looked over at Pete there was pure Terror on his face without a word we both turned and ran crashing through the underbrush desperate to get away from that clearing and that tree we

ran until our lungs burned and our legs felt like jelly when we finally stopped gasping for air we found ourselves on the edge of the property near where we' pared parked our truck Pete was white as a sheet and trembling between ragged breaths he told me there were stories about that part of the forest stories passed down through generations of the locals these Tales surrounded missing people strange lights and sounds about time acting strangely for those who ventured too deep we decided to call it a day we headed back into town that night I had

trouble sleeping every time I closed my eyes I saw that symbol carved into the tree and I swear I could still feel that strange humming in my bones the next morning Pete called in sick can't say I blamed him I felt pretty shaken up myself but we did have a job to finish so I headed back alone to the property determined to avoid that specific area as I worked I kept feeling like I was being watched all I could hear was the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind I tried to focus on the job

on the surveying but my mind kept drifting back to the strange symbol and the inexplicable events of the previous day it was nearing midday when I heard it a soft melodic whistling sound carried on the breeze the tune was hauntingly beautiful unlike anything I'd ever heard before I found myself all drawn towards the sound almost against my will as I moved deeper into the woods following the Ethereal music I suddenly realized I had no idea where I was the trees all looked the same and I could not remember the direction I'd come from Panic started

to set in as I spun around trying to get my bearings then I saw her she was about 50 yard away a woman with long black hair flowing in some non-existent wind she wore what looked to be traditional Native American clothing I'm not sure from which tribe the clothing was adorned with intricate bead work which seemed to Shimmer and shift as I watched her skin was an unnatural pale green and her eyes well they were completely black like pools of ink anybody would know right away this was no ordinary person obviously but I knew something

more my grandfather who had some Penobscot Heritage used to tell stories of forest spirits and supernatural beings from various Native American tribes folklore this creature before me matched one of his stories the tale of the forest wife though to be honest it was a story I'd never heard anywhere else maybe he had mistr translated it I don't know but the forest wife was said to be a malevolent spirit that could lure men to their Doom in the deepest parts of the woods the woman this Spirit smiled at me revealing teeth that were just a bit

too sharp to be human she then beckoned me with a finger still whistling that haunting Melody every Instinct I had screamed at me to run but I found myself taking a step towards her instead my body wouldn't listen I tried to speak to yell but no sound came out just as I was about to take another step a piercing Screech shattered the silence a massive owl swooped down from a nearby tree flying directly at the Spirit woman she hissed a sound so sharp it made me close my eyes when I opened them she and the

owl were gone I turned and ran I crashed through the underbrush not caring about the branches that whipped up my face and arms when I finally stopped gasping for air I found myself back at the edge of the property again I didn't hesitate I threw my belongings in the back of my truck and peeled out of there I didn't stop even a bit until I was back in town that entire Drive I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that I was a surveyor my job would take me back in the woods several more times I

grew steadily more and more paranoid about that fact so when I finally stopped my vehicle I called my boss and told him I couldn't go back in those woods he actually didn't seem surprised he told me it's not for everyone and sort of chuckled not too long afterward I would quit that job completely later on I did some more research into Native American folklore there are Tales of spirits that are said to guard places and forests some are described as benevolent protectors some are tricksters and others are evil to this day I don't know if

it was some sort of hallucination or if it really was this Forest wife thing maybe some sort of spirit what I do know is that Mrs Caldwell ended up donating the entire property to a local Native American tribe with the stipulation that it was never developed sometimes I wonder if she knew about the spirits in those woods I wonder if that's why she was so hesitant to sell it in the first place I've never gone back to Maine once I passed that border one more time I never looked back some experiences taint entire places for

you States Woods I'd rather just move on if I see another marking on a tree in the future I'm going to lose my mind childhood memory from the white Earth reservation from Anonymous oju this happened when I was 12 years old during a summer visit to my grandmother on the white Earth reservation in Northwestern Minnesota some background first my mom is oju enrolled in the white Earth Nation but my dad is white we lived in Minneapolis most of the Year where my dad worked as an engineer and my mom as a social worker every summer

though we would spend a few weeks up North with my grandmother my mom's mom I loved those summer visits the reservation was so different from the city vast forests countless lakes and a sense of connection to Nature and tradition that I never felt back home my grandmother who I'll call Margaret for this story lived in a small house on the edge of a dense forest she was in her 70s then a respected Elder in the community known for her knowledge of traditional medicine and stories that particular summer tensions were high in the reservation there had

been a series of unexplained disappearances over the past few months three people had vanished finished Without a Trace out in the woods the Tribal Police were investigating but they hadn't found any leads rumors swirled about what might be responsible everything from drug dealers to human traffickers to Bigfoot and more traditional explanations my parents were hesitant to let me out of their sight given those circumstances but my grandmother insisted I was safe with her the forest knows its own she would say cryptically I had no idea what she even meant but I did trust her completely

one afternoon about a week into our visit my grandmother asked me to help her gather some herbs in the woods she needed them for a healing ceremony she was prepping for my parents were in town running errands so it was just the two of us I imagine they would have had quite the complaints about that idea if they were there we set off into the forest behind her house my grandmother moved with surprising agility for her age the woods were thick and old with massive Pines and ancient Oaks creating a canopy that blocked out most

of the light the forest floor was carpeted with Ferns and Moss dotted here and there with colorful wild flowers as we walked my grandmother pointed out different plants and explained their uses she showed me how to to identify and gather the herbs she needed fragrant Sage Sweet Grass Cedar she told me stories too old oeu legends about the forest and its Spirits lowering her voice she began to tell me about something called the buaji wwag they're the wild men of the woods they're not Spirits exactly but they're not quite human either they live deep in

the forest away from our people people intrigued I asked what do they look like Grandma she paused then said they're said to be tall and hairy with long arms and legs some say they can make themselves invisible or even change their shape but few have seen them up close and lived to tell about it they shiver ran down my spine are they dangerous they can be she nodded solemnly they are Protectors of the forest they don't like trespassers but they're also known to help lost Travelers sometimes the key is respect child always show respect to

the forest and its inhabitants we continue deeper into the woods which got thicker and thicker as we gathered our herbs I couldn't shake the feeling we were being watched maybe it was the story grandma told me but every rustle of leaves every snapping twig was starting to make me jump Grandma I whispered do you think the disappearances could be the wild men the bugi wiin wug she stopped turning to face me with a serious look I don't know child but something's not right about these words we must be careful we walked in silence for a

time I swear the woods were getting darker suddenly I saw my grandmother freeze her hand then gripped onto me more tightly don't move she breathed I stood stock still I then heard something a low Rumble not quite a growl it seemed to be coming from somewhere nearby slowly carefully I turned my head to look at my grandma her eyes were wide scanning the forest around us she was now singing softly an old OG Bo protection song I think then I saw something it must have been maybe 20 to 25 yards away partially hidden behind a

large oak tree it was tall much taller than a man its body seemed to be covered in dark matted hair but its shape was strange almost shifting as I looked at it it was like its body couldn't decide whether it was man-shaped or animal-shaped for a moment it locked eyes with me its eyes glowed with an eerie yellowish light I felt a wave of Terror wash over me rooting me to the spot then as quickly as it had appeared it was gone one moment it was there and the next it simply vanished no sound of

retreating footsteps no rustling of underbrush just gone my grandmother's song Tred off then she sagged against me looking every bit her age suddenly and more we need to go she said her voice horar now we made our way back to her house in silence moving as quickly as we could through the forest by the time we got back the sun was setting and my parents had returned they were Furious my grandmother took me into the woods considering what had been going on but my grandmother assured them that I was safe that we were only late

because she had lost track of time while Gathering herbs that night after my parents went to bed my grandmother visited me in my room she sat on the edge of my bed and took my hand in hers what we saw today she said softly is something very few people ever encounter I do believe that was one of the buaji weini wag we were lucky it didn't approach us she made me promise not to speak of what had happened to anyone not even my parents there are some things she said that belong to the old way

days and must stay there she then stood up to leave but I grabbed her sleeve and asked is that why you brought them up grandma because you knew they were there before we saw it she smiled at me and nodded a single time good night she then left I kept that promise for a very long time even as the memory of that day haunted my dream the disappearances on the reservation stopped after that summer though no explanation was ever found my grandmother would pass away only a few years afterwards taking her knowledge of the old

ways with her I'm 32 now I've got a family of my own with my family I still visit the reservation every summer we even stay in my grandmother's old house I've never seen anything like what I saw that day again sometimes though when I'm in the woods there I do feel like I'm being watched on quiet nights I swear I can hear a faint distant sound carried on the wind that sort of low Rumble like what I heard all those years ago these days when I walk in those woods I find myself humming my grandmother's

protection song Under My Breath just in case I've even taught my own kids to respect the forest to leave small offerings when they can as my grandmother taught me if there's one thing I learned that day is that there are things in this world that defy easy explanation and sometimes the old ways are the best ways to deal with them hunted by something from gww I've been a hunter most my life but there's one experience that still sings chills down my spine whenever I think about it this happened a few years ago in the Gila

National Forest in Southwestern New Mexico I was in my early 30s working as a construction Foreman in Albuquerque hunting season was my escape from the stress of the job and city life I'd been planning this particular trip for months a solo elk Hunting Expedition I'd done it a lot before the Gila is known for its rugged terrain and abundant Wildlife making it a prime spot for hunting I'd hunted there several times in the past but this time I was venturing into a more remote area a place I hadn't explored before the week leading up to

the trip was hectic we were behind schedule on a big project at work and I was putting in 12-hour days trying to get everything back on track by the time Friday rolled around I was exhausted but still determined not to let it affect my hunting plans I drove the 4 hours to the woods arriving Just Before Sunset I set up camp in a small clearing about a mile off the main Forest Road the perfect spot secluded and close to a small stream I ate a dinner of canned chili heated over a campfire going over some

topographical maps I was planning my route for the next day the area I was aiming for was about 3 Mi deeper into the forest in a valley that was supposed to be good elk habitat I turned in early wanting to get a good night's sleep before my pre-dawn start the forest was quiet save for the occasional hoot of an owl or rustle of small animals I drifted off pretty quick I woke up well Before Sunrise had a quick breakfast of instant oatmeal and coffee and set out the hike was a challenge the terrain was Steep

and Rocky but as the sky began to lighten up I found myself enjoying the Solitude by mid morning I'd reached the valley I was aiming for such a beautiful spot there was a small Meadow surrounded by dense Pine Forest I found a good vantage point on a Rocky outcrop and I settled in Rifle ready I stayed there for hours with no sign of elk I saw the rest of the Beast diari though mule deer wild turkeys a black bear in the distance good Lord everything else was there but elk as the sun began to set

I decided to head back to Camp I was pretty bummed to be honest but not entirely discouraged that's just how hunting goes sometimes I was about halfway back to my campsite when things got weird now if you've spent a lot of time in the woods you know that when it suddenly goes silent it means one of two things you're too loud or something else is out there with you that's what happened then but honestly it wasn't the same this was like a different quiet it was like the sound had been sucked out of the world

I stopped walking then and I listened real close my hand gripping my rifle tighter then came the smell strong and musky it freaked me out because I couldn't get anything familiar off of it not quite a bear not a mountain lion the only thing I really knew was it was from an animal a big one I was afraid I turned slowly looking around the woods and when I saw them at first I thought it was something else but after a moment I was sure a pair of eyes but then I spotted another and another there

were dozens of pairs of eyes they were scattered among the trees some close to the ground others impossibly high up my heart was racing what kind of animal could this be they didn't really match anything I knew of that could be out here their eyes were too big and they looked to have intelligence in them they could climb trees or choose not to and whatever they were they had me surrounded I walked faster trying to keep my cool hoping they would let me just walk away but as I moved I heard them move I even

heard branches snapping and twisting with weight then I heard the howl it started low and I mean so low it was more felt than heard it Rose in Pitch becoming a sound that made my hair stand on end something so far removed from a wolf or coyote howl it was deep and guttural and I swear there was a sort of manlike quality to it that made it very eerie more howls joined in creating a chorus in the woods I broke into a run then I didn't care about Stealth or dignity by that point pure survival

Instinct took over I ran as fast as I could I could hear them behind me the whole way heavy footfalls that terrible howling I think I could even hear them jumping through branches whatever they were they were fast despite their size I don't think I'd ever run that hard in my life my lungs burned so bad I thought they were going to collapse and yet I kept going that's how scared I was I could feel those things getting closer I thought I could feel their hot breath on my neck but maybe that was my blood

pressure before I knew how close I was to my Camp I burst through the tree line into the clearing where ID set it up I didn't stop to grab a thing I made a beine from my truck fumbling the keys as I ran I threw myself into the driver's seat and started the engine my hands were shaking so bad I could barely get the key in as I slammed the truck into gear and peeled out I caught a glimpse of something in my rear view a shape darker than the surrounding light huge and wrong somehow

it was standing at the edge of the clearing I made myself look away as I fishtailed onto the Forest Road I drove like a madman not slowing down until I hit the highway it wasn't until I was halfway back to Albuquerque that I realized I'd left all my camping gear behind the following day after a sleepless night I called the forest ranger station I tried to explain what had happened without sounding like a lunatic the ranger listened patiently then told me something that made my blood run cold apparently over the years there had been other

reports not many but enough to form a pattern they were always from the same area of the forest always involving multiple creatures always describing that distinctive howl he didn't have any explanations to offer he simply advised me to be more careful if I ever decided to hunt in that area again Fat Chance of that thank you for tuning in to unexplained encounters if you're not already follow and listen to unexplained encounters on Spotify Apple podcasts or your favorite podcast app leave us a rating while you're at it get some cool creepy merch at Eerie cast.

store check out my other show where I narrate scary work stories it's called Tales from the breakroom for more terrifyingly entertaining shows from eercast go to Eerie cast.com and if you want to listen to unexplained encounters and all the other Eerie cast shows without p ads sign up for eercast Plus at east.com plusus you'll also get exclusive access to horror audiobooks only available to eercast Plus members and you'll get 20% off our Eerie cast. store merch through our members only monthly discount code finally if you have a scary story of The Unexplained send it to

me at dark stories.org I think that's about it thank you so much for joining us stay safe out there and stay creepy because this world is a strange one [Music]