The Beast Beneath the Skin

Keaton Moon, a towering black-jaguar tabaxi and disciplined hunter, travels the Republic of Tal’Dorei with Lily Montenegro, his adopted seventeen-year-old daughter and a talented thief. They take monster-hunting bounties on the road, but villages often fear Keaton, accuse him of terrible crimes, and treat Lily’s bond with him as something sinister. In Briar Glen, a welcoming farming town, they accept jobs involving missing livestock, attacked merchants, and an unknown forest creature. Lily sees a chance for good food and easy pockets, while Keaton cautiously hopes they can finally be treated like ordinary travelers. But his instincts warn him that not every smiling face belongs to a friend. The story opens as they approach Briar Glen’s gates after several exhausting days on the road.