Realizing that we were approaching a wood, I brought my mind back to the present.

“That’s where the beastie lives,” Jenny whispered, indicating the largest tree ahead of us. It was an oak of tremendous girth that must have been at least five hundred years old.

The sun had gone down, and the light was beginning to fail. I experienced no sudden chill that warned me that something from the dark was close, but once again that feeling of being watched came over me—just as it had when I’d awakened suddenly in the night, south of Kirkby Lonsdale.

Could the creature be watching me from its lair? I wondered.

I was dealing with an unknown entity, and anything was possible. I needed to be on my guard. Instinct made me take hold of my chain, but would that even help me here?

According to the girl, this was about the time when the creature usually left its tree. I just hoped we weren’t too late and it hadn’t gone already. I wanted to see it for myself.

I gestured to Jenny, indicating that we should crouch, and we both sank down onto our knees, peering through a thicket of young ash trees. For at least five minutes, nothing happened. Somewhere in the distance an owl hooted, and I tensed every time some nocturnal creature stirred or rustled.

Then, suddenly, there was silence—that absolute quiet that falls when some dangerous predator approaches. Soon afterward I heard a peculiar noise. It was a sort of slithering sound, as if a snake was coiling itself about a branch. Then there was a harsh rasp, and something was falling fast from one of the topmost branches.

It was almost dark and it was hard to make it out, but then I saw it silhouetted against the sky. The creature reminded me of a very large squirrel with a long tail.

It dropped a long way to the ground, but hardly made a sound when it landed. Then it scampered off, heading north—toward the village.

What now? Should I follow it? By doing so, I might just save someone’s life. But it had moved very fast, and I suspected that it would be hard to track.

“Wait here!” I hissed at Jenny. “If I’m not back within the hour, go home!”

Then, without waiting for a reply, I set off after the creature. It was risky. I might lose its trail; even worse, it might sense that it was being followed, and I’d lose the element of surprise. But I had no choice. My duty was to the people of the County, and I wanted to prevent it from killing again. Within ten minutes, as I feared, I’d lost its trail altogether. I spent another half hour trying in vain to pick it up again. Once more I drew on Mam’s gift to locate the creature, but once more it failed to work.

So, angry and frustrated, I returned to where Jenny was still waiting, and I quickly decided on my next move.