The Adlet

The Adlet is wolflike creature from Inuit folklore and legend that is similar to a Werewolf, feeding on human flesh and especially enjoying the taste of human blood.

 

Habitat

The wild regions of Quebec, Labrador, Newfoundland, and all lands to the north.

Diet

The Adlet is purely carnivorous, feeding only on the flesh and blood of other animals. Capable of surviving on any kind of food (including roots, fungi, and various types of vegetation), the creature will only eat these things if its preferred food is not to be had. Above all, the Adlet prefers human flesh and blood to anything else. The bones of the creature’s victims are cracked open and the marrow sucked out.

Features

The Adlet very much resembles the classic Werewolf, although the Adlet is not a shapeshifter. The creature is covered in red fur, possessing sharp talons on its hands and feet, and has a mouthful of daggerlike teeth. They have other lupine features as well, including pronounced snouts, pointed ears, long tails, and eerie yellow eyes.

Behavior

The Adlet is a merciless killer, stalking its prey in packs through the wilderness of the northern-most regions of America and well into Canada. As mentioned earlier, the Adlet will feed on anything in desperation. However, the Adlet prefers to drink the warm blood of a newly-slain human (it also eats the flesh with an equal amount of relish). The Adlet may be feral, but it is also cunning. The creature itself is only slightly smarter than the average wolf, perhaps being closer in intelligence to some of the lower primates.

The Adlet hunts in large packs, attempting to overwhelm prey through sheer strength of numbers. The leader, an Alpha male that can be identified easily because it is larger and more ferocious than the others, leads the pack. The pack’s approach is marked by their piercing, mournful howls. This paralyzes the creature’s prey with fear, making them easier to subdue. The prey’s death is slow and extremely painful, the Adlet’s strong, bone-crushing jaws reducing the victim to an unrecognizable pulp. Then a bloody, gut-churning feast follows. The only thing that the Adlet truly fears is fire. The creature is deathly afraid of an open flame, and will only attack a torch-wielding Hunter when on the verge of starvation. Also, when the pack leader is killed, the rest of the pack will usually flee. However, this isn’t always the case…

Abilities

The Adlet possesses a supernatural degree of strength, agility, endurance, and speed. The creature’s senses (especially the senses of sight, smell, and hearing) are extremely acute. The Adlet is able to see clearly in the dark, can smell a fresh human corpse from a mile away, and can hear the approach of the stealthy hunter.

As well as the creature’s physical abilities, the Adlet is immune to conventional forms of injury. The creature heals any wounds that are not caused by silver or fire very quickly.

Weaknesses

Although powerful, the Adlet is susceptible to silver and fire (which the Adlet themselves find to be horrifying). The creature is not known to have any other weaknesses. It is likely that these creatures can be slain by decapitation, although engaging such a dangerous beast in a close-quarters fight is a highly dangerous undertaking and is not recommended.

Slaying the Adlet

As mentioned above, the only way to kill the Adlet is with fire or silver (preferably both). It is advisable, when hunting the Adlet, to travel in a small group, with each individual well-armed. The equipment carried should include multiple torches, large amounts of flint, lighter fluid, matches, food, water, sleeping bags, and other such equipment. It is also advised to dress as warmly as possible without hindering movement. Several rifles (loaded with silver bullets) and at least one silver dagger (per individual, an expensive undertaking) should be carried as self-defense (as the Canadian monster known as the Wendigo also dwells in this region). Be sure to bring plenty of ammunition, as well as a silvered knife or a sword (preferably the latter).

If one should be confronted by a pack, immediately light several torches and build a big fire. Wave the torches at any of the approaching Adlet (hit the creatures if necessary), while another individual readies his rifle and fires several rounds into the chest of the leader (again, the largest and most vicious of the creatures). If the leader dies, the others will usually flee. However, if this is not the case, prepare for a fight to the death.

History

The Adlet is a wolflike monster that prowls the cold northern reaches of this country. The creatures first appeared several centuries ago, when they began to hunt the Inuit (Eskimos). According to Inuit mythology, the Adlet were born when a beautiful Inuit woman, living on the shores of Hudson Bay, married a gigantic red dog with great supernatural powers. The odd couple made love passionately, and eventually the woman became pregnant. Nine months later, she gave birth to ten children. The first five were small, beautiful puppies in the image of their father. However, the other five were ferocious hybrids that were a combination of the worst traits of both parents.

The Adlet grew into adults within a matter of hours, and then proceeded to try to kill their mother. The monstrous father attacked and managed to route the Adlet, but not without being mortally wounded himself. After her husband’s death, the mourning widow fled to Hudson Bay’s shores, where she set her five puppies adrift on a large piece of wood. The pups sailed across the ocean, eventually landing on the coasts of what is now Europe. There, they too married humans and gave birth to a race of pale-skinned humans who would return to Hudson Bay centuries later. Meanwhile, the Adlet took to hiding in the wilderness, where the creatures mated and multiplied.

To this day, the Adlet still roam the cold wilderness, beginning in Quebec and Newfoundland, and extending well into the farthest northern reaches of Greenland. However, the chief habitat of the Adlet is on the shores of Hudson Bay, but there are a number of these monsters in Labrador. The Adlet are known to the Inuit tribes in the area, as well as those living in the surrounding regions west of Hudson Bay.

Sources
 

Blackman, W. Haden. The Field Guide to North American Monsters: Everything You Need To Know About Encountering Over 100 Terrifying Creatures In The Wild. New York: Three Rivers Press. Copyright ©1998 by W. Haden Blackman.

Monster of the Week: The Adlet