The Gator Den

Art by O_reowoof on Twitter.

MISSING HIKER SPARKS SEARCH NEAR EVERRODE FOREST
—Everrode County Gazette, July 3rd

Authorities are on alert after 27-year-old Elias Moren was reported missing late Monday afternoon. Moren, an avid solo hiker, was last seen entering the southern stretch of the Everrode Forest—a location already steeped in mystery after multiple disappearances over the past decade.

"We found his backpack torn open near a muddy clearing," said Officer Langley of Everrode's Search and Rescue. "No tracks. Just drag marks… and strange prints. Large ones."

Locals have taken to calling the deeper forest region "The Gator's Den", citing legends of massive beasts prowling the swamps. Authorities have yet to confirm any link between the disappearances and the folklore.

FIFTH DISAPPEARANCE THIS YEAR—EVERRODE RESIDENTS CALL FOR FOREST CLOSURE
—The Daily Swamplight, August 19th

Tensions rise in the Everrode township after 33-year-old Harold Brix went missing near the forest's edge last weekend. Witnesses recall seeing Brix walking alone into the treeline around dusk, despite numerous warnings.

"You hear the growling, then nothing," said local trapper Jonah Kells. "It ain't wolves. It ain't bears. It’s… something else."

Locals describe hearing deep, rumbling laughter echoing from the swamp after dark. Some claim to have seen hulking silhouettes lurking in the water—“like men, but too big… too broad.”

“I SAW THEM” — DRUNKARD’S ACCOUNT DISMISSED AFTER STRANGE CLAIMS
—Everrode Sentinel, September 2nd

An unnamed man was detained by authorities after causing a scene in a local diner, ranting about “giant gators standing like men.”

"They were flexin’, man—huge, muscular things," he shouted, trembling. "One had a belly the size of a damn barrel. Another one was built like a stone wall. They laughed at me! Toyed with me!"

While officials dismissed the man’s story as nonsense, some patrons claimed he was covered in swamp muck and had odd, finger-shaped bruises along his arms. The man later disappeared from his holding cell overnight.

TRAVEL ADVISORY ISSUED FOR EVERRODE FOREST
—State Gazette Tribune, October 10th

In light of recurring disappearances and unusual findings in the southern marsh