A long time ago, there was an old hermit who lived alone with his three hound dogs in a dilapidated log cabin in a clearing surrounded by an hour-long stretch of forest. The hermit lived off the meat of animals that he hunts with the assistance of his dogs and trusty rifle. He hunted deer and rabbits and any other sort of game that scampers around on all fours in the woods outside his home. During his occasional trip to the storehouse, he realized that his supply of sustenance in meat was diminishing fast and he and his dogs were growing hungry. That night after the sun went down, the hermit armed himself with his rifle and flashlight to hunt for some game to eat for an evening meal.

But there were no animals out at this hour. He was about to give up and head back to his cabin when a tiny rabbit popped out of a bush and on instinct, the hermit readied his gun and fired. The rabbit stopped dead in its tracks once the bullet hit and collapsed dead onto the ground. He took the rabbit's corpse back and cooked it, sharing it with his dogs. However, it unsurprisingly wasn't enough to satisfy his hunger so he went out once again with his dogs. After an hour in a half of searching the woods with his gun, he caught a glimpse of the black shape of a creature in the bushes just a meter from where he stood with a pair of glowing white eyes that looked like nightlights in the darkness.

The hermit aimed his gun and fired upon the unknown creature. It let out a loud shriek before it darted off into the distance out of sight. The hermit rushed to the scene to find only a long, black severed tail with fresh blood on it. Confused as to what specific animal this odd tail came from, but still undeniably starving, the hermit took the tail with him back to the cabin where he skinned it and made it into a stew. It was a delicious meal that filled his belly up good. He even shared some of it with his dogs who all munched on it greedily as they have been dying of hunger just as the old man was.

Tired, the hermit decided to turn in for the night as he put on his nightcap and laid down in bed. After a while, however, there came an unfamiliar sound coming from outside in the forest like the whisper of a soft breeze.

"Tailypo. Tailypo. Who has my tailypo?"

The hermit sprang up in the bed instantly upon hearing it and his eyes were wide with confusion. Was there somebody out there? There couldn't be. There wasn't any civilization around for miles. Surely, he must be hearing things or it must've just been the wind. The old hunter laid back down and was about to go back to sleep when he heard it again, but it sounded closer.

"Tailypo. Tailypo. Who has my tailypo?"

He heard it loud and clear this time and there was no denying that someone or something was outside. It had to be someone trying to rob him. Frightened, the hermit called for his dogs and sent them out into the darkness to attack whoever it was out there. The dogs charged out into the trees, barking wildly. The hermit listened to sound of his dogs' excessive mad barking until suddenly, there was a loud whimper of pain. Everything was dead silent after that. Two of the dogs came galloping back to the cabin, but one of them didn't and never returned. Believing it was final over, the old man returned to bed with relief. But then…

"Tailypo. Tailypo. Who has my tailypo?"

There came that sound again and it sounded almost human, but was an unnatural low growl emitting during the utterance of the words. The noise was a bit more closer now. The hermit called for his dogs, sicing them on the stranger outside. A minute later, like before, only one of them came back, but the other never returned. The old hermit slept restlessly in his bed the continuing hours of the night, but found himself being promptly woken up again by…

"Tailypo. Tailypo. Who has my tailypo?"

The sound was so much closer now, that it was practically coming from right outside his cabin. Frantic and panicked since he had only one dog left and a minimum amount of protection left, he armed himself with his rifle as he heard the sound of scratching and clawing on his front door before the door slowly opened and he trembled under the covers as the voice eerily came closer to his bedroom door.

"Tailypo. Tailypo. Who has my tailypo?"

The hermit cried fearfully for his remaining dog, but there was not even a bark in response. Now the old hunter was so visibly shaken, he aimed his gun at the bedroom door, waiting for the right moment to strike. Black claws reached out from under the door before slipping back under and as the door slowly creaked open, a claw reached in and the hermit felt a spitball in his throat as the creature made its presence known. A large, cat-like creature with black fur and red eyes.

"You've got my tailypo." The creature hissed with an inhuman, demonic voice.

"I don't have your tailypo!" screamed the hermit with desperation and shock.

But then he noticed the bleeding stub where the creature's tail used to be and it clicked in his mind that the tail he had eaten must belong to it. The tail was inside of his stomach. Quickly, the hermit aimed at the creature and pulled the trigger, but there was only a slight click. It was no longer loaded.

"I WANT MY TAILYPO!"

With a loud roar, the creature leapt at the hunter, pouncing right on him. The old hermit screamed in helpless terror as the creature cut him open by the abdomen with its claws, spilling a mess of scarlet liquid everywhere until it finally found what it was looking for.

"Now I have my tailypo."