False Hydra (animal)
The False Hydra is a mystery to the few that have heard of it, and lives in total obscurity to the vast majority across the world. It is usually thought to be a great worm of many heads, able to sing a song that could make a man forget everything and anything about it. Entire settlements are feasted on by this monster, and the people remain unable to know anything other than a deep and confusing grief for those they have lost and forgotten.
The signs of a False Hydra are clear throughout this near-abandoned settlement. Houses are barred to us as their inhabitants smile and cry at once. The boy that was sent to greet us at the edge of the village was terrified, and yet the same boy wanders around us now with a lopsided smile on his face. The blind song has clearly taken these people.
A toothy head breaks through the mud beside my foot, and then another appears behind me. The False Hydra slowly draws itself to the surface to feast on me, an unwelcome interloper in its hunting grounds. I must be wary, because if the creatures sings its song, I will forget my purpose. It may appear as little more than a many-headed worm, but it is a creature I dare not underestimate.
I must choose to fight this creature now, or forget it forever if I dare to turn my back.