Dong's office felt like stepping into another world, a sanctuary untouched by the modern resort that surrounded it. Native American artifacts lined the rich wooden shelves, each piece carefully placed and preserved–intricate dream catchers with weathered feathers that swayed in the warm air, ceremonial masks with expressions frozen in time, and colorful woven blankets whose patterns told stories of ancient wisdom. The fire crackled in the massive stone fireplace, its dancing flames casting moving shadows that seemed to bring the tribal artifacts to life.

  The teens huddled together on a well-worn leather couch; the leather creaking beneath them with every nervous shift. Jessica could smell the hints of sage and sweetgrass in the air, mingling with the wood smoke. Her enhanced senses picked up the rapid heartbeats of her friends, a testament to the night's terrifying events. Dong settled behind his ancient desk, a behemoth of oak that bore the scars and stories of generations. Deep grooves marked its surface, some looking suspiciously like claw marks, while others were the gentle wear of countless winters in these mountains.

  He studied them long, his weathered fingers steepled beneath his chin. The firelight deepened the lines around his eyes, eyes that had seen far more than his position as a resort manager would suggest. "Now tell me how you freed the beast from his prison." His voice carried the weight of centuries, though his words were gentle.

  Jessica held up her hands, her palms still red from the biting cold of the cave. "Hold on! It was an accident!" The guilt in her voice was palpable, matching the knot in her stomach. She could still feel the bone-deep chill of that moment when everything went wrong.

  "I challenged Jessica to a snowboard race on the mountain without supervision," Frankie explained, her usual bravado dampened by the night's events. She twisted the end of her bright blue scarf between her fingers. "She vanished before I reached the end of the line. I should have known better than to race in that area."

  "I fell into a crack and found the thing inside a frozen cave," Jessica added, her voice dropping to almost a whisper. The memory was still vivid–the glinting ice, the strange symbols she now realized must have been wards, the feeling of ancient power. "Somehow it broke free and attacked me. Then it escaped into the wild toward the resort." She didn't mention how its eyes had locked with hers, or the flash of recognition she'd seen there, something that spoke to the wolf inside her.

  Dong ran his hand down his face, the gesture speaking volumes about the burden he carried. "I should have hired more security here..." His accent thickened with stress as he took a deep breath and released a slow sigh that seemed to carry the weight of generations. "Alright, I will explain. What I'm about to tell you has been passed down through generations of my people. A story of love, betrayal, and a curse that still haunts these mountains." The fire popped and crackled as if emphasizing his words.

  Ted, finally sobered by the night's events, leaned forward. His usually perfectly styled hair was disheveled and snow-dusted his designer ski jacket from their escape. "Like a real curse? Not just some tourist bogus story?" The skepticism in his voice couldn't quite hide his underlying fear.

  "As real as the creature you just saw." Dong reached for an old leather-bound book with a single eagle feather pressed between its pages. The leather was cracked with age, and the yellow papers gave off a musty scent that spoke of centuries. Jessica's enhanced smell picked up traces of herbs and something else–something wild and ancient. "It happened three hundred years ago when two tribes shared these mountains–my ancestors, and the Red Hawks. Among them was a warrior named Mahkah, whose name means 'earth.'"

  Jessica felt a strange stirring in her chest at the name, an inexplicable resonance that made the wolf inside her pace restlessly. She pressed a hand to her sternum, trying to quiet the sensation.

  "Mahkah was strong, brave," Dong continued, his fingers trailing reverently over the book's worn pages. "He was known for his skill in hunting and his wisdom in council. But he made one fatal mistake. He fell in love with Aponi, the daughter of our tribe's shaman chief. Their love was forbidden–she was promised to another, meant to unite our tribes through marriage. The alliance would have brought peace to generations of conflict."

  "But they couldn't stay apart," Salina whispered, almost to herself on the couch. Her silver pendant–a protection charm Jessica knew she never took off–caught the firelight and winked. The young witch's voice held understanding; she knew better than most how the heart could defy logic.

  Dong nodded, his expression softening. "They met in secret, deep in the forest, in caves like the one where he was imprisoned. When the shaman discovered their betrayal, his rage knew no bounds. He called upon ancient spirits, powers that should have remained untouched." He paused, his dark eyes distant with memory, as if seeing events from centuries past. "The curse transformed Mahkah into a creature of ice and snow, twisted by magic and pain. The shaman's power, fueled by his anger and sense of betrayal, was too strong to control."

  Frankie shifted uncomfortably, her snowboard boots scraping against the wooden floor. "The Abominable Snowman." The words hung in the air, giving name to the terror they'd faced.

  "Yes. But the curse had unexpected consequences. Mahkah's love for Aponi remained, but it became corrupted, and turned to rage and despair. The magic twisted not just his body but his soul, warping his love into an obsession that drove him mad." Dong's voice grew heavy with the weight of history. "He rampaged through both tribes' villages, destroying everything in his path. His strength was immense, his fury unstoppable. It took the combined power of both tribes' shamans to trap him in the ice cave."

  Jessica's hand went to her throat, remembering her accident. The phantom sensation of cold still lingered on her skin. "The cave where I fell." Her voice cracked slightly.

  "The same. For centuries, we've protected this mountain, keeping the secret, maintaining the wards that held him prisoner." Dong's gaze fixed on Jessica, not accusing but heavy with concern. "Until your accident weakened those wards. The magic had already begun to fade with time, and your presence–your disruption of the cave's sanctuary–was enough to finally break them."

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  "I'm sorry," she whispered, the words feeling inadequate. "It was a total accident, and I didn't see any wards. I was just trying to win a stupid race." The guilt threatened to overwhelm her.

  "No one could see them. The cave was supposed to be hidden, protected by magic that kept people away. But now he's free, and his pain–his longing for what he lost–makes him more dangerous than ever. Three centuries of imprisonment have only strengthened his rage."

  Dee Dee hugged herself, shivering despite the fire's warmth. Her cheerleader's uniform, still worn under her hastily borrowed ski jacket, seemed especially out of place in this ancient setting. "But why hasn't he killed anyone? He had the chance tonight at the lodge. He could have..." She trailed off, remembering how the creature had thrown tables aside like toys, but had stopped short of harming the screaming guests.

  "Because part of Mahkah still remains," Dong said softly, his voice taking on an almost reverent tone. "The man he was fighting against what he's become. His humanity battles the curse, even now. But that humanity might fade away. Each hour he spends in this form strengthens the curse's hold. He will soon return to his true monster self and destroy everything in his path tonight."

  The fire popped loudly, sending a shower of sparks up the chimney. Outside, the wind howled through the mountains–or perhaps it was something else making that mournful sound. Jessica's enhanced hearing picked up the subtle difference–there was too much pain in that cry to be mere wind.

  Jessica stared into the flames, feeling the weight of another secret pressing against her chest. Her monthly transformations, her struggle with the wolf inside her, suddenly seemed to pale compared to Mahkah's eternal curse. She wasn't the only one carrying a curse on this mountain. Somehow, that made her next decision both easier and infinitely more complicated.

  She rubbed her chin, her mind racing with possibilities. The flames cast her shadow long against the wall, and for a moment, it seemed to take on a lupine shape, reminiscent of her other form. "So if he still has some of his humanity left... I think I got it," she said, stopping at the window. Below, emergency vehicles' lights still flashed in the parking lot, red and blue strobes cutting through the falling snow. "The attack at the lodge–he wasn't trying to hurt anyone. He was looking for her. Aponi."

  "Really? He's looking for someone who doesn't exist anymore?" Frankie asked, her voice gentle with unexpected understanding. Her usual competitive edge had softened. "Must be hell, being trapped in that form, remembering what you used to be." She glanced quickly at Jessica, and Jessica knew her friend was thinking of her transformations.

  Salina stood from the couch, her silver pendant gleaming in the firelight. The young witch's practical nature asserted itself. "We can't let him continue like this. Even if he doesn't mean to hurt anyone, he's getting more unstable. You saw how he demolished that lounge. Next time, someone could get seriously hurt."

  "The girl's right," Dong said, spreading a topographical map across his desk. The paper was modern, but Jessica noticed ancient symbols drawn in the margins, marking places that wouldn't appear on any official map. "The longer he remains cursed, the more his humanity slips away. The next time, we might not be so lucky. The beast will overcome the man."

  Ted examined the map, tracing the mountain's ridges with his finger. His snowboarding gloves left tiny wet marks on the paper. "Dude's got a whole mountain range to hide in. How are we supposed to track him in all this?"

  Jessica's enhanced senses tingled with the memory of that musky scent–ice and rage and something else, something human that still lingered. She could track him while keeping her secret hidden from those who don’t know her curse.

  "I might be able to find him," she said carefully. The others turned to look at her. "I have... certain skills that could help."

  Salina's eyes widened with understanding. "Jessica, are you sure? You don't have to—" She knew what it cost her friend to reveal her nature to others.

  "Yes, I do." Jessica squared her shoulders, feeling the wolf inside her stir with anticipation. "We need to find him before he hurts someone, or before someone hurts him. I know what it's like to be..." she paused, choosing her words carefully, "... different." The last word carried the weight of countless full moons and secret transformations.

  Dong smiled at her. “We all have secrets, young lady. Sometimes it can help us survive in this world full of secrets.”

  "So what's the plan?" Frankie asked, moving to stand beside Jessica. Nobody lost their gesture of support in the room. Despite their earlier competition, their friendship remained solid.

  "We track him tonight," Jessica decided, drawing on her experience with her nocturnal adventures. "The fresh snow will make it easier to follow his trail, and there will be fewer people around to see..." She left the sentence unfinished, but her meaning was clear. Fewer witnesses to either Mahkah's rampage or her transformation.

  Dee Dee hugged herself tighter, her cheerleader's optimism wavering. "What if he's violent? What if he's too far gone?" The question hung heavy in the air, speaking to all their fears.

  Jessica felt the wolf stirring inside her, responding to her anxiety and the approaching night. "Then we'll do what we have to do. But first, we try to help him. Maybe there's a way to break the curse." She understood too well the battle between human and beast.

  "There might be," Salina said thoughtfully, her witch's training coming to the fore. "If it's a curse of transformation, rooted in love..." She pulled a small spell book from her bag, its cover decorated with protective runes. "I could research while you track him. Love curses often have built-in weaknesses."

  "You kids should evacuate with the others," Dong suggested, though his tone suggested he already knew it was futile. "This isn't a game–Mahkah has the strength of ten men and the fury of three centuries of imprisonment."

  Jessica glared at him, letting a hint of the wolf show in her eyes. "Trust us, we've dealt with monsters before. A Yeti or whatever doesn't scare us." Her voice carried the confidence of someone who had faced her own demons and emerged stronger.

  The manager scratched his head, clearly confused by their composure in the face of supernatural danger. "Who are you kids?"

  Dee Dee smiled at him, some of her cheerful nature returning. "Just your typical surfers and cheerleaders."

  "Supernatural mystery detectives, sort of," Salina added with a slight smirk, her fingers playing with her pendant.

  Dong shrugged as if he had enough problems to deal with without questioning their expertise. The gesture seemed to say he'd seen stranger things in his time on the mountain.

  "We'll need supplies," Frankie said practically, already thinking ahead. "Weapons, warm clothes, communication devices. We can't go after a cursed warrior empty-handed."

  "I can provide those," Dong offered, moving to a cabinet behind his desk. "But be warned–Mahkah knows these mountains intimately. Although he was frozen for centuries, his human memories are still fresh. He knows every cave, every ridge, every hidden valley."

  Salina crossed her arms as she raised her left eyebrow, her witch's intuition picking up something in Dong's tone. "You sure know him pretty well."

  Dong chuckled, though the sound held little humor. "My father and grandfather taught me well before I inherited this resort. Our family has been the guardians of this secret for generations. We hoped that bringing people to the mountain might help protect it–make it harder for anyone to discover the truth."

  "We'd better get started now." Jessica turned from the window, already feeling the pull of the mountain and the creature that roamed it.

  Outside, the wind carried the distant sound of a roar that was equal parts rage and sorrow. The sound resonated with something deep inside Jessica, calling to her own inner beast. Somewhere in these mountains, a man trapped in a monster's body was searching for a love he could never reclaim. Jessica knew all too well how that felt–the struggle between the human heart and animal instinct.

  She just hoped they could reach what remained of his humanity before it disappeared forever into the endless white of the mountain night.