#dwayyo

a lil story i started writing ! 

defo a cringe fic but in the best possible way (writing should be fun) 

(Two person dialogue? In a prompt entry? Yep. So I knew that when this came up I had to do something with the strange rivalry between this guy and the Snallygaster. I mean what other cryptids literally have a rivalry like they're pokemon? I don't actually know where Umbra and Gloom came from, I think it was just a stroke of imagination. Either that or I need to stop staring into the dark parts of my room.)

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Corner! Your one stop shop for all things news and where we find all the best stories, right from the places you never think to check! This is Umbra and this is my partner Gloom. We’re here with the latest lead on an old story. Tell me Gloom, what can you tell me about the Dwayyo and the Snallygaster? Well Umbra, from my time in the shadows that they are some of the greatest rivals you’ll ever know. Bigger than Kennedy and Khrushchev, tougher than Grant and Lee, meaner than Hamilton and Burr. Lemme tell you folks, their fights are legendary. Not to mention they’ve never had a decisive winner!

No! Yes indeed Umbra! My time in the seams in between observing them has shown me that not once have either of them won a clean victory. They either beat themselves up too much to declare a victor or they spill onto someone else’s territory and they have to bail. But we’ve got something big for you folks tonight. Everyone knows how the fights go, but no one has ever had any idea how they began at all.

Everyone loves a good origin story. So we took it upon ourselves to do what we do best. Me and Gloom here managed to interview both of them during their rare moments of rest. I had to catch Mr. Dwayyo here from the twilight behind a tree. You’re saying that like you had a harder time! I had to get the Snallygaster from the shadow casted by a pebble by a fire! Do you know how hard it is to squeeze through such a tight place? We probably shouldn’t bicker, lest we get locked in eternal combat like our interviewees here. Now then, comparing our testimonies led to a very interesting story. Gloom, would you care to set the stage? Picture the scene: Rural Maryland, the 1740s. A cavalcade of German immigrants come to the wonderland that is the United States. All they’re looking for is a better life in the wild and untamed frontier. But it wasn’t nature that they needed to fear. For they brought their own monsters with them. Snallygaster actually came first. He said he was born out of the fears of those people, of the wilderness, of the natives, of just plain being far away from home. In fact, according to his testimony, he used to be a monster made up by the parents to get the kids to not wander into the forest. Soon enough however, their fear grew and grew and grew until it became the trees soon heard the howls of the mythical horror they had unleashed.

In comes in the Dwayyo. Unlike our friend Snallygaster, he had a more solid origin. He actually used to be a werewolf. Cursed since the days back in Germany, he escaped to the US to become less of a threat to people. But when the Snallygaster started picking off livestock, especially the human kind, that’s when he decided to do something. He made a deal with a devil to fully transform into a wolf monster so he would always be able to protect his people from the Snallygaster. Ever since then he’s been fighting the Snallygaster to make sure that no one else would be hurt or scared by the beast.

There you have it folks, the Dwayyo vs the Snallygaster. Almost a mythic tale of hero vs monster, although in this case the hero became a monster himself. They kinda remind me of us y’know? Doing the dirty work away from the eyes of the masses. 

Although I doubt shadow people like us would do well in a fight.

Aw come on Gloom, don’t be such a downer. Give me some gloves and a ring and I could knock anyone out.

Umbra, you do realize shadow boxing isn’t literal.

Well folks, I think that’s all the time we have today! Tune in next week for another scoop from the shadows. I’m Umbra.

And I’m Gloom.

Witnesses generally describe it as dark furred or brownish, and in one instance it was said to have stripes on its lower half like a thylacine, while another described it with sprawled back legs. Some accounts include fangs, muscular hind limbs, a long bushy tail, etc. This depiction is based upon some eyewitness descriptions as well as a sketch by News-Post sketch artist Ed Mull from the December 1, 1965 issue of The News.

An early report of the dwayyo came from Carroll county and the beast was described as calling out in “frightful screams" not unlike those of the dogman found in Michigan.  However, while that account dates back to 1944, it wasn’t until the holidays in 1965 near Gambrill State Park that the creature resurfaced, with enthusiasm, even attacking a man who defended his family from the beast!  In fact, it was seen so often that a hunt was planned, though it was unsuccessful.  It wasn’t seen again until the summer of the next year, where a gentleman encountered it and heard it scream as it backed into the woods again, where it remained unseen for a decade. Frederick county was next to be visited by the Dwayyo, where a couple of gentlemen were on the lookout for deer, and instead encountered a beast in the headlights!  It was a mere two years later that it was spotted in the same area again, where it ran in front of two onlookers and disappeared from history again until 2009.  The beast appeared by Hawbottom road, where it kept pace with a car estimated at 25 miles an hour. When the car slowed, the slobbering creature lunged at the vehicle!

Rumors abound about this mysterious creature, some claiming it’s a hoax, others saying that it’s a variety of cryptid, while others speculate that it’s a shapeshifter of some variety.  Regardless, the mystery continues, and perhaps you should tread with caution, should you find yourself alone in the forests of Maryland. 

Mysteries & Lore of Western Maryland -Snallygasters, Dogmen, and Other Mountain Tales

By Susan Fair 2013

The Michigan Dogman -Werewolves and Other Unknown Canines Across the U.S.A.

By Linda Godfrey 2010

Weird Maryland  -Your Travel Guide to Maryland's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets

By Matthew Lake, Mark Moran, Mark Sceurman  2006

The Werewolf Book: The Encyclopedia of Shape-Shifting Beings

By Brad Steiger 2011

For Folklore Thursday, I decided to make a collage of my favorite types of mythical monsters: the Fearsome Critters!  They're cryptids that were recorded by American lumberjacks during the 1930s. I also added Mothman, since he fits in with the rest of them.

I was an actual idiot when I made this post. I didn’t know what I was talking about. So here’s an updated November 2020 version of my Favorite Cryptid List from Least Favorite to Most