A long time ago, they said a monster lived in the forests of Silverpine. No one had ever seen it, yet the stories spread from person to person. Children were warned, "If it catches you, you will never return!" But none of these stories spoke of a child who had looked into its eyes and seen the truth.
Until Noah found it.
Noah was a young boy with black hair and blue eyes. He was different from his peers. While other children never dared to step beyond Silverpine's borders, he always wondered what lay beyond. During recess, while the others played games, he would sit in a corner, lost in his superhero books. Sometimes he wanted to join them, but they would push him away, saying, "You live in a fantasy world!" Even his teachers thought he was odd. One time, a teacher asked, "Noah, why did you write about hero stories instead of real history for your assignment?" Noah didn't answer—he just looked down at his desk. His classmates called him "schizo" and laughed at him. He would try to smile, but it was a hollow, forced smile. As their laughter echoed in his ears, something inside him cracked.
To him, hero stories weren't just an escape. They were the world he wished to live in. But deep down, he knew—every word they said cut him like a knife.
That's why he loved the forest. The trees didn't cast judgmental glances. The wind didn't tell him he was foolish. He would stand at the edge of the woods, watching how the wind danced through the trees. Sometimes, he felt like something was watching him. But no one ever believed him.
That day was no different. As he played outside town, he took a wrong step, lost his balance, and tumbled down a slope. When he hit the hard ground, his vision darkened.
When he woke up, a massive shadow loomed over him. His heart pounded wildly. For a moment, he thought the stories were true. The monster of the forest was real!
Noah held his breath. His heart thundered in his chest. Should he run? He couldn't take his eyes off it. When the creature stepped forward, Noah instinctively pulled back. But then he saw its eyes…
There was no savage hunger in them. Just… loneliness.
The creature was covered in thick white and gray fur. Its large golden eyes shone as it gazed at Noah. There was no greed or cruelty in those eyes—only exhaustion. The kind of exhaustion that came from wandering alone for years. Its fur should have been thick and strong, yet in some places, it was almost gone. As if, long ago, someone had wounded it, burned it—and the scars had never truly healed.
In that moment, Noah realized that the entire town was wrong. This creature wasn't terrifying.
It was just alone.
According to legend, this was the Yeti. But it didn't harm Noah. It simply stared at him before turning away and slowly walking deeper into the forest. Noah, not knowing what else to do, followed. The Yeti didn't growl or chase him away. Instead, it almost seemed… as if it had found a friend.
As they ventured deeper into the woods, the Yeti climbed to the top of a tree, plucked a crimson-purple fruit, and swiftly descended. It broke the fruit open, revealing a liquid-filled core, and handed it to Noah. At first, Noah didn't understand. Since the Yeti couldn't speak, it made strange sounds and gestures to indicate that he should drink it. Without questioning, Noah took a sip.
It was delicious.
He eagerly drank every drop, savoring the taste. Seeing Noah enjoy it, the Yeti excitedly began to dance. Noah burst into laughter. It was so unexpected, so silly, that he couldn't help himself. His laughter rang through the forest—loud enough to reach his mother, who had been searching for him.
"Noah! Are you there, my son?" she called.
"Yes, Mom! I made a new friend!" Noah shouted back excitedly.
But the noise unsettled the Yeti. It had never been around humans before. Shame and fear flickered in its golden eyes. It had been pelted with stones, driven away before. It knew what would come next.
As Noah's mother's voice grew closer, the Yeti slowly backed away.
"Don't be scared! My mom is kind; she won't hurt you!" Noah reassured it with innocent enthusiasm.
But the Yeti knew better. It turned and fled into the woods.
As Noah watched it run, he noticed something—its shoulders trembled ever so slightly.
Was it fear? Disappointment?
Or had it simply known all along that it would be left alone once more?
Not long after, Noah's mother arrived.
"Ah, there you are! I've been looking for you all morning. You left school early again to come to the forest. How many times have we talked about this? You should be at school like the other kids. The forest isn't safe for a child like you!"
"But, Mom, they make fun of me at school. They say the books I read are nonsense. Here, I found a real friend—someone who is just as lonely as me!" Noah's eyes sparkled with excitement as he spoke.
"A friend? What friend could you possibly find in the forest?" His mother's voice carried concern.
"I fell while exploring, and when I got up, I met a Yeti! It was huge! It had white fur and golden eyes. It gave me a fruit from a tree—it was filled with water, and it tasted amazing!"
As he spoke, he saw it again—that familiar expression on his mother's face.
Doubt.
Disappointment.
When she didn't believe him, something inside him ached. He had known she wouldn't. But still, a part of him had hoped.
His small hands clenched into fists.
One day, he would prove it to her.
One day, he would prove it to everyone.
"Oh, Noah… did you hit your head when you fell? There's no such thing as a Yeti. That's just an old legend—something made up to stop children from wandering into the forest. There are wolves and bears, yes, but Yetis? They aren't real." She reached out, gently touching his forehead. "You have a big bump on your head. We need to see a doctor. Come on."
She didn't believe him.
And she forbade him from going into the forest ever again.
But Noah didn't care. He ignored her warnings. After that day, he returned to the forest whenever he could.
He tried to tell his friends about the Yeti, but before he could even finish a sentence, laughter erupted around him.
"You've lost it, Noah! First superheroes, now Yetis? You really are crazy! Hahaha!"
His family. His friends. They had all turned their backs on him.
Eventually, Noah stopped trying. He smiled, changed the subject. But deep down, he knew…
It didn't matter if they didn't believe him.
Because he knew the truth.
He had seen it with his own eyes.
And for the first time, he wasn't alone anymore.
Somewhere in the forest, a legend had found a friend.