Ballyraven Cryptid Wildlife Protection Agency
The Ballyraven Cryptid Wildlife Protection Agency is an organization dedicated to studying cryptids, paranormal and supernatural organisms, strange phenomena, history - and nature in general! From folklore, scary stories, and sighting reports, to interviews, scientific studies, field trips, and more–the BCWPA explores the myths and real lives of our world’s rarest creatures, visitors, places, and happenings.
DISCLOSED CASES: From the BCWPA's archives, discover real stories submitted from real witnesses. From the strange, to the magical, and downright spooky, the world is brimming with tales of things we don't yet know about or understand.
IN THE FIELD: Following Ballyraven's notes and journal entries, learn about new wildlife specimens and the secrets of their lives.
This public broadcast is made possible thanks to these BCWPA Agents: Brandon Ruch, Colten Williams, Daniel Berry, Donovan Scherer, Kimberly Nichols, Layla Leutwyler, Madelynn ODell, Matthew Schang, Pyper Wilson, Lenin Roman, Ronald Miller, PHouseGames, Anthony Ferries, Dandan, Fox & Brambles, Jim Walke, Claire, Hallesy, Heather, HELGA, Kris Mitchell, Kylie Reed, Rick Belcher, Cryptid Clyde, T. Carter Ross, Agus Mercado, Ead Daniels, Elizabeth Lukjanczuk, Shelby Fulton, Veronica Mulvaney, Zodiac Gaming Industry, Mr. Blue Sky
Ballyraven Cryptid Wildlife Protection Agency
Hoot of Death | Appalachian Death Owl #1
Many dangerous creatures lurk in the Appalachian Mountains. Transmogrified animals - those transformed by magic - are some of the most threatening. All that remains of these creatures are folk stories associated with them. How much of the tales are real? How many tragedies can be attributed to them today?
SOURCES
“OTHER IMPORTANT ECOSYSTEMS: Mature Forest.” islandtrust. Accessed 14 June 2018.
“Barred Owl.” Science Museum of Minnesota. Accessed 14 June 2018.
“Barred Owl Life History.” The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Accessed 15 June 2018.
CREDITS
This public broadcast is made possible thanks to these BCWPA Agents: Brandon Ruch, Colten Williams, Daniel Berry, Donovan Scherer, Kimberly Nichols, Layla Leutwyler, Madelynn ODell, Matthew Schang, Pyper Wilson, Lenin Roman, Ronald Miller, PHouseGames, Anthony Ferries, Dandan, Fox & Brambles, Jim Walke, Claire, Hallesy, Heather, HELGA, Kris Mitchell, Kylie Reed, Rick Belcher, Cryptid Clyde, T. Carter Ross, Agus Mercado, Ead Daniels, Elizabeth Lukjanczuk, Shelby Fulton, Veronica Mulvaney, Zodiac Gaming Industry, Mr. Blue Sky
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There are some animals that defy the normal laws of nature. They do not do so by chance or choice, nor is it a function of evolution. Their unnatural abilities are caused by magical influence. More often spawned from evil than goodness, transmogrified organisms are created for many reasons. The Appalachian Mountains host many of these rare, incredibly old, magical creatures; most of them were made for pure maliciousness. While their original names, histories, and natures have mostly been lost to time, the mountain folk keep caution of them alive through superstitions and folk stories.
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The day was still and a cloudy gray; large, fluffy snowflakes fell gently to the ground, painting the land in a shimmery white. Within the forest, only the sounds of branches creaking under their gathering weight and Lonnie’s boots crunching in the snow could be heard.
Pleased with the day’s hunt, Lonnie whistled on his way home, enjoying the serenity around him. He heard the snap of a branch and looked upwards; there sat a strange, mostly black bird. It turned to face him, scrutinizing from above with eerie, white eyes; it sang a familiar song, one that went, “who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all? ” The sound was off, sending shivers down his spine; it was then that Lonnie realized what the creature was: a death omen.
Though he did not think of himself as a superstitious person, Lonnie could not help feeling dread creep over him. He remembered stories his grandparents had told him—that if one heard a Day Hoot, they’d die within the week by beast, man, or natural causes; some said the curse drove men mad, others that it attracted misfortune.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lonnie began seeing a shadowy thing; every time he turned to look, it disappeared. Behind him, small noises echoed; each minute, they sounded closer, heavier. The shadow grew taller, darker and his heartbeat louder, faster. He turned suddenly, sweat upon his brow, and yelled incoherently. Silence answered; yet, he could feel it there, nearby. The trees began to grow closer without moving. Feeling suffocated and pursued, Lonnie dropped his pack and rifle and sprinted ahead, looking behind him intermittently. The shadow grew nearer on the edge of his vision, but turning, he never spotted it behind him. He ran farther into the forest, losing sense of direction; a loud snap caught his attention. When he turned his head back to look, he missed the steep, rocky drop off that lay before him, tumbling below. Now the only sound that filled the woodlands was that of snow plopping onto the ground and the distant, muffled call of an owl.
