In the shadowed hills of western Maryland, a terrifying beast once soared—part bird, part reptile, with a single blazing eye that haunted dreams and shattered nights. From chilling eyewitness accounts to wild newspaper hoaxes that gripped a community in fear, this legend has clawed its way through centuries of folklore and fear. Was it a monstrous guardian, a fabricated myth spun for power and profit, or something far more sinister hiding just beyond the treetops? Join us as we unravel a story of blood, feathers, and forgotten histories—a tale that refuses to be grounded, no matter how hard we try to bury it.