Snallygaster

Names: "Snallygaster"; some regional variances (Coalsparry); some names for specific individuals (Bovalopus)

Size: up to 250 ft long and 400 lbs

Diet: most species are carnivorous; generally preys on deer, bears, livestock, and other medium to large organisms

Reproduction: oviparous; promiscuous

Society: solitary

Lifespan: 20 - 25 years

February - March 1909

Scrabble, WV

A woman was heading inside after hanging her laundry to dry. Without warning, she felt something grab her by the head and lift her in the air. Struggling against a rough, clawed hand, she wrested free, only to be grabbed by two more taloned paws. The creature briefly took her 3 ft off the ground, but lost strength, faltering and dropping her. The flying reptile released an angry shriek before vanishing behind the trees — its sinewy, green body twisting as it bolted out of sight. Stunned, she watched the juvenile and feared its return, later writing to the local paper about her encounter with a giant snake with bird wings.

A few nights afterward, a similar creature prowled Shepherdstown railroad bridges. It was not green, though, but black with an even longer, sharper beak. Smooth, leathery wings glinting in the moonlight, this beast fled onlookers, soundlessly taking flight with unimaginable speed.

Several weeks later, the same green monster documented in Scrabble was spotted flying over the Potomac River and Shepherdstown; this one, however, was three times as large. That day, it sat perched on a craggy cliff-side a half-mile above town.

The next day, near Sharpsburg, a yellow egg the size of a wooden barrel was discovered in a man’s barn. Alex Crow and a few friends tried to incubate it, but the egg was stolen before it hatched.

Found throughout the Appalachian region, the Snallygaster is an elusive, highly adaptive amphithere (bird-like dragon) whose history on North America far exceeds that of humans. Several species live in OH, WV, NJ, and MD. Those in WV are vampiric cave-dwellers or predatory, woodland creatures.

Shared Traits Between Species

All in the class Snallygaster are scaled, winged animals with beaked faces topped by one, large eye; they wield sharp, hooked claws, end in a long tail, have an elastic, serpentine neck, create whistle-like sounds, and reproduce via eggs. Every kind can be warded away by images of seven-pointed stars—a fear passed down from the first Snallygaster, the Bovalopus.

Snallygasters are separated into three types: Sallygaves (feathered), Smallygamtals (furred), and Sparrygastiles (only scaled). On top of these differences, some species may also have tentacles and/or pointed teeth to aid in feeding, horns, two or four limbs, a sulfuric scent, the ability to speak, and/or color-changing scales; Snallygasters are either carnivorous or subsist entirely on blood—bloodsuckers denoted by their forked tongues. These creatures can grow up to 250 ft long—most of which is tail—and 400 lbs. Their scales display different hues of white, black, and green. They are heterothermic creatures, displaying homeothermy when hunting and poikilothermy at all other times.

Coalsparry and Mallyfence

Coalsparries are black Sparrygastiles found in Ohio, New Jersey, and West Virginia. The largest of their order, Coalsparries live, breed, and nest in caves. Nocturnal, all activity takes place after sunset.

These Snallygasters prey on deer, bears, livestock, and other medium to large organisms. Able to maneuver with little sound, Coalsparries quickly catch and grapple prey, wrapping their serpentine body around a victim; constricted, prey is immobile, but usually aware during feeding. A forked tail and sharp claws tear flesh, allowing the beast to lap up blood. Unlike victims of Pipisanguisuges, Coalsparries do not completely drain their prisoners of blood, drinking far less. Feeding can last up to several hours, some victims passing out from lack of oxygen or blood loss; many die from their injuries. They are not known to attack humans, seemingly fearful of their activity. Coalsparries may, however, feed upon children if given the opportunity.

Mallyfences are green and brown striped Smallygamtals found in Southern Ohio and West Virginia. While Mallyfences may be found in caves, they are more likely encountered on cliff edges, in thick foliage, or dense, hilly woodlands. Most of their days are spent sunning on rocks or in the treetops, while the rest is spent hunting. Diurnal creatures, Mallyfences rest in thickets or in large trees after sunset. After large meals, they may linger in these locations for a couple of weeks, snatching easy prey that passes by. Unlike Coalsparries, these Snallygasters will consume anything smaller than them.

Noisier than Sparrygastiles, these Snallygasters hunt large prey from lofty precipices or while flying. When a target is spotted, they swoop and carry them into the air, gripping with all four limbs and dropping them from tall heights. After stilling their prey, the beasts eat their fill, leaving the rest for other predators or scavengers. Mallyfences are known to prefer human children, cows, and pigs.

Life Cycle & Development

Snallygasters live on average to be 20 - 25 years old—the gastling stage lasting from hatching to 6 weeks, the gaster stage to 1 year, juvenile to 3 years, puberty reached at 6 years, and full maturity reached at 8 years. Females develop one egg every 3 years, only needing to mate every 7 years for fertilization to occur. Egg size ranges from oblong spheres 8 in in diameter to round orbs the size of a horse; shells can display hues of purple (Coalsparry), yellow (Mallyfence), and brown.

Most species of Snallygaster do not protect nests or nurture their young, gastlings hatching alone and fully capable of providing for themselves. The youths subsist on insects until the gaster stage, graduating to eating or drinking the blood of mice, small birds, and fish. Most juveniles can successfully hunt deer and other game.

Solitary and not territorial, Snallygasters are not social or excessively aggressive creatures. Meetings between others of their kind are uneventful—those of opposing sex only interacting to breed. Sparrygastiles are the only order believed to feed on others of their class in times of desperation. Species within the same order have also been recorded to interbreed, creating Snallygasters with mixed traits, behaviors, and hide coloration.