Wendigo

The story of the wendigo comes from Algonquian Native American folklore, and the exact details vary depending on who you ask.
This creature may appear as a monster with some human characteristics or as a spirit who has possessed a human being and made them monstrous. It is historically associated with cannibalism, murder, insatiable greed, and the cultural taboos against such behaviors.
They go by several names, but each roughly translates to “the evil spirit that devours mankind.”
There have been few who managed to escape their grasp of wrath.

This story comes from Xen in Colorado, who had a close encounter with this dangerous creature.

When Xen was around six years old, she lived deep in the mountains of Colorado. Her family had no internet, and no cell phone coverage. They lived in isolation from the rest of the world, and liked it that way. Xen spent most of her days outside, playing in the forest that surrounded her house. Her only company up there was her two, huge St. Bernards.
One day, Xen was playing in the forest with her dogs.
She realized she wandered a little too far, when she looked behind her, and couldn't see her house anymore.
She found herself in a clearing, where there were piles of strange sticks strewn around. Little did Xen know at the time, that they weren't sticks at all.
She looked up, huge rain clouds had started to form, and the wind picked up speed. A storm was coming, and she needed to get back inside. Xen started to head in the direction that she thought was home.
With every step, the wind's power increased. The leaves from the trees were swirling around her, and little droplets of rain sprinkled on top of her. She walked for what seemed like forever, and then she heard it. Rustling in the trees.
It was coming from the trees in front of her. Xen became super uneasy. She felt like someone was watching her.
Then her dogs started to growl and bark. They stood in front of her, protecting her. The twigs snapped, and her dogs lost it.
She had never seen them act this way. Then, a voice called out from the trees, it was her mother's.
“Xenny”, the voice said.
Xen wanted to be comforted by this, she should've been comforted by this, but she couldn't.
That was her nickname, and that was her mother's voice, but it sounded off. It's like when you pull on a record, and the words are slow and mumbled.
“Come here.” The voice shouted again.
That was definitely not Xen's mother. She began to run, her dogs barking the entire way. But she stopped when she saw those familiar sticks. She had run the wrong way.
“Xenny, come here. Come here.”
The voice had followed her.
She took off in the other direction, not stopping for a second, until finally her house!
She ran inside, and after she caught her breath, told her mother what happened.
She assured her that it was probably just the wind howling in the trees, and nothing more.
It wasn't until years later, after Xen and her family had moved from that house, that Xen decided to ask her mother about that day.
“Mom, do you remember our old house, and that day when I heard your voice in the forest?”
“Oh, yeah.” Her brow furrowed as she contemplated her next words. “I guess you're old enough now to know the truth.”
“The truth about what?”
“When you told me about the voices in the trees, I didn't want to scare at the time, because you were so young.
That house was on Native American land. I called a medicine man to come and cleanse our house and property.
When I told him your story, he said that you were very lucky to be alive. You had narrowly escaped a wendigo.”
A wendigo is a demonic spirit that possesses humans, and turns them into cannibals.
They have an insatiable hunger for human flesh, and will stop at nothing to get it.
Wendigos are vicious, but also very cunning and tricky.
With their heightened sense of hearing, they can pick up the panicked heartbeat of a lost human from miles away.
Then, with their long legs and supernatural speed, they run over to their prey and begin their twisted game.
Sometimes, they taunt their victims with their deep growls.
Other times, they'll mimic the human voices of loved ones, to trick you into coming closer.
According to legend, a wendigo is nearly impossible to escape. Once it's made you its target, you're as good as dead.
To this day, Xen still can't believe that she is one of the lucky few to have escaped the clutches of a wendigo.