THE PROBLEM WITH MOON-FROGS
Moon-frog: Class 3 Fae
(April 25, 2080)
Though moon-frogs are amphibian, they're not actually related to the frogs of Terra. Cryptozoologists speculate that they found a hole between worlds during the flood wars. Several mentions in texts to “puffer toads” or “peace toads” suggest that they may have arrived in our world as early as 1960.
A Lost Cephalopod
June 20, 2079
The saga of my rock troll and satyr encounter continues. I’m glad to update that the satyrs have been safely trapped and re-homed. They will no longer be able to bother the impressionable teens at the middle school.
Rock Troll Encounter
June 16, 2079
I promised a post about my encounter with the rock troll. To be honest, I’ve been putting it off because it really shook me up. I’m still recuperating at home, but all this laying around is making me antsy. And I’ve been having nightmares. Maybe writing about it will help. So here goes.
GARGOYLES
(June 14, 2079)
I want to thank everyone for their well-wishes. Yes, I am recovering nicely from my first encounter with a rock troll. If you missed that post, you can read all about it in the archives. Many of you asked for more information about the mysterious “Guardian” who faced the troll with me earlier this month. I did some digging and he is a gargoyle. For privacy reasons, I’ll leave out his name, but here’s what I’ve been able to dig up on this elusive race.
WHERE THERE ARE SATYRS
June 13, 2079
I had an eventful few days. Eventful and painful. I got into a brawl with a rock troll. Yes, you read that right. Not the smartest thing I’ve ever done. I’ll write a post about that in a few days, when I can wrap my head around it. For now, I am recovering at home, after three days in the hospital. Gita is acting like a fussy nanny.
NO COCO CRUNCHES FOR POOKAS!
April 20, 2079
It’s easy to underestimate pookas. They’re so stinking cute with their big eyes and twitching antenna ears. Don’t be fooled. Critter wrangler rule number ten: cute kills just as much as ugly.
Kitten
April 1, 2079
Madras
(August 12, 2078)
I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, but…well…life. A few days ago, I trapped 2 little beasts that look something like guinea pigs but with bigger faces and a strange split lip. It should have been an easy job. They were nesting in a seniors’ complex not far from me. The house manager called me, frantic to get the beasts out of the building. She said they were destroying it. I’m used to such exaggerations from clients, and I thought, “Really, how much damage can 2 little rodents do.”
ON THE ORIGIN OF DRYAD NYMPHS
April 22, 2078
***Edit (April 23, 2078): Nymph is not an abbreviation of nymphomaniac! It refers to a spirit (once believed to be mythical) that inhabits forests, streams and mountains. Comments have been closed.***
Over two millennia ago, the Greeks discovered the nymph communities and suggested there were thousands of them living unseen in the wilds. But they rarely made contact with humans because dryads and most of their nymph cousins were uncommonly shy.
Dervish Goes Nova
(April 14, 2078)
A fire dervish has been pestering people in Pointe-Claire lately. I chased him from the chimney of one of my clients again today. She thought she had raccoons. This is only the second dervish I’ve met in over ten years of critter wrangling. They’re that rare.
Critter Mystery: What’s in the Egg?
June 1, 2077
I found this little egg lying under a bush today. It’s probably a dud pushed out of a nest by its parents, but I brought it home just in case. I’m keeping it warm and hoping. We’ll give it a few weeks to see if it hatches. It’s robin’s egg blue, but nearly as big as a chicken egg with spotting in a rust color. Any guesses to what might be inside?
YGGIES: BIG HEART IN A SMALL SAPLING
May 4, 2077
In the forests around Asgard and Jotunheim you might find a small sentient tree being known as an yggie (pronounced iggy). In fact, if you see one yggie, you’ll probably see a whole bunch. They tend to move in packs. A group of yggies is called a thicket. Ha! That makes me laugh. I know it’s supposed to refer to a hedge but, let’s face it, yggies are a little thick.
GRIMALKINS: NOT YOUR AVERAGE HOUSE CAT?
May 11, 2077
Definition of Grimalkin from the dictionary:
a cat (archaic)
a spiteful old woman
A NEAR MISS WITH A NUCKELAVEE
April 29, 2077
Last week, I answered a Hub call about a creature lurking in Beaver Lake on Mount Royal. The hill in the middle of the city barely qualifies as a mountain, and the lake in its crater is no more than a glorified pond. But it’s a major attraction for Montrealers. Hikers, walkers, and bikers all use the green space. So when reports of hikers going missing and only body parts being found came into Hub, I got called in to wrangle whatever was lurking in the depths of the lake.
READ MORE...Link
Canines of Many Colors
November 22, 2076
I happened upon a pet adoption event at Abbott’s Agora today. A local animal shelter was showcasing its adoptees at the market. Since my apartment is tiny and already packed with cages and critters, I had to pass up the chance to adopt. But it was a close thing. So many cute puppies! Maybe one day, when circumstances allow, I’ll get myself a little dog—one of those fuzzy-slipper-with-eyes kind of dogs. For now, I have to be content to window shop at pet stores.
DRAUGS—LIKE VULTURES WITH TEETH
November 14, 2076
Since this is a fairly new blog (thank you to everyone who commented on my first posts!), I’m going to continue with my examination of creatures both mythical and real. This is not a definitive encyclopedia by any means. I think of it instead as a bestiary, like the ones that travels to the far reaches of the world used to catalogue the strange and wonderful creatures they found.
A KELPIE TALE
August 29, 2076
Here’s a story I heard around a campfire a long time ago.
There once was a shepherd named Daniel, who lived with his sheep on the moors of Scotland. Daniel thought sheep were boring. He dreamed of being a horse wrangler, like the cowboys he read about in America.
Banshees
(June 12, 2076)
Banshee: from the Celtic root Bean and Sídhe, meaning Woman of the Faeries.
Like the family gods of ancient Rome, banshees act as conduits between the living and the dead. They are generally retained by the well-to do family of Celtic or Gaelic descent.
BUCKLE IN FOR A WILD RIDE: GYRUSES
Let’s talk about the weather. I know, when I started this blog over a month ago, I promised fascinating insights into all creatures wild and woolly—not small talk about the weather. But hear me out.
What if weather can be sentient?
Rockskippers: Part fish, part slug, all slime
(June 28, 2070)
Recently, I was called to a village outside my ward to investigate an infestation of rockskippers. For those of you unfamiliar with this unique creature, they look like a flying fish mated with a slug. READ MORE...
The Good Ol’ Days
(June 15, 2070)
I’m going to post something controversial here. And you may not like it. Sometimes the old ways are not the best ways. There, I said it. I know we live in a time unlike any other. We have the technology to live in the modern world, but insight from a world war urges us to live simply. READ MORE...
Hello, blogosphere!
June 10, 2070
This is my first post in what I’m calling the Valkyrie Bestiary Blog. I feel like I’m sending my words out into a great void. Is anyone even listening? I guess only time will tell.
In my pest control business, I have run across a lot of unusual animals. Some defy logic and imagination. Did they arrive here with the fae from Underhill or other worlds when magic bombs broke our world? Or have they always been here, hiding in cracks until the magic was strong enough to come out into the light again? READ MORE...
