Names: Mountainback Drake

Habitat: the heights of the Appalachian Mountain range

Size: 8 - 12 ft long; weighs up to 1,000 lbs

Diet: birds, fish, turtles, rodents, deer, foxes, and other wild game

Reproduction: oviparous; performs a courtship ritual

Society: 1 - 2; short period with young

Lifespan: 6 - 10 years

SURVEYING VIRGINIAN TERRITORY

February, 1774

Fifteen miles into the Cumberland Mountains, Ensign McDonald and his companion, Oliver, were sent to scout ahead of their infantry unit. Hesitant to enter blindly, the bulk of the militia waited near Cover Creek until safe passage was guaranteed by the men.

Reaching a riverbank midday, the pair took a break. They slipped out of uncomfortable boots and thin, sweaty socks, finding relief in the cool, quick-moving water. Irritable in each other’s company, the pair placed several feet between them.

Easily spooked, Oliver’s loud gasp brewed an insult in McDonald, but, once he looked over his shoulder, he choked on his words. A couple hundred paces downriver was a strange, reptilian creature; it opened and…