mecthology:

The Tailypo from North American folklore.

The main events occur in a dilapidated log cabin deep in the woods where a hermit and his three dogs live.

The man is out at night, looking for the evening meal and manages to shoot a small hare, which he shares with his dogs.

Understandably still hungry, the man presses on and discovers a bizarre shape with bright eyes and a long tail. The hermit quickly shoots at the creature, severing its tail. Screaming, the creature runs off into the darkness and its tail is then taken back and made into a stew or simply eaten by the man.

On the brink of sleep, a rustling and clawing wakes the man. Sitting up, the hermit is able to see the gleaming eyes of the Tailypo leering at him from the foot of his bed. In an otherworldly voice, the creature demands the return of its “tailypo.” Terrified, the man calls for his hounds, which immediately come to his aid, chasing the beast off into the night.
With the creature chased back into the woods, two of the hermit’s dogs return, but one is missing.

The man tries to sleep, but the Tailypo soon returns, beckoning even more forcefully for the return of its tail. Again the man sics his hounds on the Tailypo, and again one is missing upon the return of the survivor.

Unable to sleep, the man clutches his gun and waits for dawn, his remaining dog nearby and it too goes missing when the Tailypo appears again.

The man, now left with no real protection, having exhausted his three hounds, cowers under his bedsheets, praying for dawn. Hours before daybreak the man hears the familiar rustling sound, hoping it is one of his dogs. Unfortunately the man is leapt upon by the Tailypo and is disarmed in terror.

Most commonly, the man is described as being flayed beyong recognition. In less violent versions, the beast is simply said to attack the man with such force that when the sun rises, all that remains of the cabin is the chimney. Either way, it is understood that the Tailypo has exacted revenge for the loss of its tail. Supposedly, during the darkest of nights, the creature can be heard whispering for its “tailypo.”

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