Editing Nature of the Beast (section)

===Legends of Moonrise Woods===

One of the oldest legends is the '''Guardian Wolves''' of Moonrise Woods. The early hunters and trappers adopted a tradition from the native people in the area. Never kill a wolf in the woods, for the spirit of the slain wolf would avenge its death. But if a hunter showed respect and prayed before and after killing an animal, a wolf would guide him back to the camp if he became lost or injured. The legend has persisted to the present day, with modern stories about a wolf scaring off careless campers, but also sighted when people have gotten in trouble but mysteriously survived.

Almost as old but less benign legend tells of the '''Ghost Lights''' in the forest. According to the legend the lights are spirits of people who got lost and died in the woods, and now seek to lure others to the same fate, and make the living join them.

Some people think that the legends were created to warn people from venturing deep in the woods. There are no trails in Moonrise Woods, and getting lost is easy. Dangerous animals can also be encountered there. Not just wolves but bears and mountain lions as well.

The Ghost Lights are not the only ghost story about the woods. The story of '''The Lady in Green''' tells about a local young woman who went for a ride in the forest and never game back. According to the story, she can still be seen at the edge of the forest at night, riding a horse and wearing a green dress. Another story, '''The Lost Prospectors''' tells how a group of gold prospectors made a camp by a stream deeper in the forest to look for gold chips. And then a local man bringing supplies to their camp found it empty. The prospectors had disappeared without a trace, leaving all their gear behind. Whatever happened to them, they supposedly still haunt their old campsite.

Some of the legends involve people from history. In the 1800s, '''Dead Jack the Outlaw''' was active in the region. He was said to suffer from leprosy that had turned his skin dark and deformed, making him wear thick clothes and always wear a red scarf over his face in public, and he got his nickname because what was visible of his skin looked like the skin of a dead man.

Dead Jack's legend paints him as a controversial figure. On one hand, he was a stone cold killer. Faster on the draw than eye could follow, he killed several men in duels. And one time, a federal marshal with his posse stopped in Firdale on his way to apprehend the outlaw. When they left town to look for Dead Jack was the last time anyone saw them. None of them ever came back.

On the other hand, Jack was said to never draw his gun unless he had to. He would saunter into a bank or stop a stagecoach, and unless someone went for his gun, he would just politely ask for people to hand over the money and valuables. And that was another thing about the outlaw. He did not intimidate people. He was always nice and polite. Even a bit of a trickster. There is a story about how he once turned himself in, only to mysteriously disappear from his cell during the night. Another story tells of the outlaw riding along Firdale's main street, throwing money around on his wake.

There are several different stories about Dead Jack's final fate. One says that he finally succumbed to his disease. In another, he finally met someone faster than him in a duel. Yet another story says that it was all a disguise, and he was secretly an upstanding Firdale citizen all along. And many stories mention Dead Jack's Treasure, that he supposedly hid somewhere in Moonrise Woods. In the ghost story version, he still guards it.

The famous outlaw features in local merchandise sold to tourists. And out of town, close to the nearest highway is an establishment named after him. Dead Jack's Roadhouse. It has a reputation of a rough and even dangerous place, mainly because it is the hangout of a biker gang, MC Highwaymen.

Perhaps the ghastliest story is of the '''Homicidal Hermit of Moonrise Woods'''. Oliver Roberts, a World War II veteran, came back from the war a changed man. He built himself a new house at the edge of the woods and lived there as a recluse for several years. Then he was connected to several disappearances elsewhere in the county, the state troopers raided his house, and found several bodies buried in the basement. Roberts admitted to kidnapping and murdering people and claimed that "The Serpent in the Woods" told him to do it. His house was later burned down. This day, you can still find the foundations if you know where to look.