Tailed

Anthology cover

**Tailed** is a non-canon InCryptid short story co-written with paranormal romance author Kelley Armstrong. It features Verity Price. It also features Elena Michaels from Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series.

## Synopsis

Verity and Sarah are investigating an exotic animal show in search of cryptid poachers when they encounter a different kind of werewolf....

Elena Michaels is not pleased to discover poachers in the woods while chaperoning her children's camping trip. That displeasure turns to confusion when they encounter a creature that should only belong in folklore, and a tiny blonde woman who keeps crossing their path...

## Plot

Verity and Sarah are exhausted after days of searching for cryptid poachers among the New York Pet Expo. Verity leaves Sarah in the hotel to look for tailypo in the woods.

The school bus delivers Elena, Logan, and Kate into the wilderness along the rest of the kid's class and chaperones. The class launches a scavenger hunt, and the werewolf family sets off on their own. They encounter a tailypo, which Kate identifies as a creature from American folklore.

Verity, beset by mosquitoes, is disconcerted by the lack of frickens in the woods. She pokes around and even checks on the local bloodworm population, and then falls into a hidden pit trap.

The Michaels family continues to make progress on their scavenger hunt, then hear the crash of a woman falling into a trap. Their noses pick up on a man as well, and presume him to be the trap-setter and poacher.

Verity climbs out of the trap and disables several more as she makes her way through the woods. She finds an isolated cabin with hutches out back, where tailypo and jackalopes are being held captive. She also finds a hutch with a number of dead frickens.

Elena finds the cabin and watches the strange woman, who has miraculously escaped the pit trap, set several of the strange creatures free. Her werewolf ears hear a man's footsteps coming near, and sends the kids to find cover while she makes a plan.

Verity is in the process of releasing the captive creatures when she hears a man screaming in pain. She follows the sound to find a gorgeous blonde woman punching out the formerly armed poacher. Verity greets the woman.

Elena sees the woman from the pit, and the two exchange pleasantries about the strange "raccoons" being kept at the cabin. They part ways, Elena reunites with the kids, and Logan wheedles her into returning tomorrow to learn more about the tailypo and other creatures.

Verity stuffs the poacher into one of his own hutches before returning to the hotel. She muses that the she must have encountered a particularly athletic dragon princess. Sarah is just glad to hear the poacher was found and they are done visiting the Pet Expo.

## Characters

* Verity Price
* Sarah Zellaby
* Elena Michaels
* Logan Michaels
* Kate Michaels
* Poacher
* MaryAnne, a chaperone
* Charlene, a chaperone

**Mentioned**

* Alex Price
* Antimony Price
* Arthur Harrington
* Clayton Danvers

## Field Guide

* Tailypo
* Fricken
* Bloodworm
* Jackalope
* Cuckoo

**Mentioned**

* Peryton
* Bigfoot
* Sasquatch
* Incubus
* Dragon princess

## Locations

* Wilderness just outside of Albany, New York

## Continuity

**Women of the Otherworld:** This story takes place while Elena's children are eight years old, which sets it c. 2012-2013.

**InCryptid:** Story is set in March 2012, placing it roughly at the same time as Discount Armageddon.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.tumblr.com/seananmcguire/148084074100/just-finished-reading-your-story-in-urban-allies