Beast of Gévadan

The Beast (or maybe beasts) plagued Gévaudan, a former province of central France which corresponds to the present-day Lauzère department in the mountains of the Massif Central. It is infamous for its size, its ferocity, its daring, and the fact that it escaped considerable manpower (ranging from peasant mobs to hundreds of soldiers, to the best hunters around with their hounds) for years, even resurfacing a short while after being reportedly killed. Eyewitnesses described it as a reddish canine-like animal the size of a young bull, with strong jaws, short ears, a black stripe on its back, a long and bushy tail, exuding an awful stench. Some testimonies mention hooves instead of paws, while others mention a smaller female accompanying the monster without taking part in the attacks. Yet, the exactness of the testimonies can be debated due to oral tradition, with attacks being retold and most likely magnified (and sometimes downright made up) from one person to another, not to mention outright mass hysteria. The most reliable information being found in investigation reports written by the local clerics, and later the minutes of the hunt by the king's soldiers and huntsmen. It has been established that the Beast specifically targeted humans, sometimes even in villages by daytime, even with easier prey like cattle and small game around, though it sometime attacked domestic animals. Such behaviour was ruled impossible for wolves who normally avoid contact with humans. It was described as an exceptionally fast and powerful animal able dodge blows and jump over walls, not to mention a relentless and intelligent hunter.