The White Cat of Haverlea Caves

The rumors started about twenty years ago. Travelers began to report seeing a large cat with long hair. It seemed to be living near one of the caves on Haverlea Mountain. Accounts conflict on which part and which cave it was the cat was seen. Kind-hearted travelers that tried to coax the cat to them, or left food for it when it wouldn’t follow told how rain lessened or the sun would peek through the clouds. Another story tells how a merchant’s hunting dog chased it right before a storm swirled in from skies that had been clear. Their horses spooked and broke free of their harnesses. Later, when they camped, while the dog hid from the lightning, the cat reappeared and ate the dog’s supper. The merchant chased it away. In the middle of the night, lightning struck the camp and set the wagon ablaze. Already wet, it quickly extinguished itself. The merchant finished the trip and sold the scorched wagon in the first town they came to. They took up beekeeping and never went into the mountains again. Travelers began to pay more attention to the cat. If it appeared before a storm it would lead them to a cave for shelter. If treats were left for it storms would lessen to drizzle. Anyone who chased it or tried to hunt it would find themselves lost with fog creeping down from the summit of Haverlea. Even travelers that did not see the cat itself often see paw prints in their camps or long white hairs on their clothes. It was reported by one merchant that every night they camped the cat would appear as soon as they began to cook. A solitary traveler once followed the cat’s lead down the trail and it led to a small cave. In the back of the cave were the remains of an older man with a broken leg. One arm was crooked to the side around a well-worn depression in the ground. His tattered clothing was much coated with long white hairs. For a time after, the cat was not seen. If a traveler would make the trek to the cave and leave a treat at the cairn there, the cat would then visit them.