The Kushtaka is a shapeshifting creature from Tlingit and Tsimshian mythology of the Pacific Northwest. Kushtaka (also spelled Kooshdakhaa, Koosh-taka, or Kushtahkah) roughly means “land otter man” in the Tlingit language. These creatures are shape-shifters—part human, part otter—who inhabit the coastal regions and inland waters of Alaska. Sometimes referred to as Alaska’s “Skinwalker” or “Wendigo”, though these comparisons oversimplify its rich cultural context.
A Tlingit hunter, mourning the loss of his brother, hears his name called from the mist by the riverbank. He follows, heart racing, into the fog. There, standing by the edge, is his brother—smiling, arms outstretched. But when he steps close, he sees the smile split too wide, the eyes too dark.
It was not his brother.
He throws down a copper charm, and the figure shrieks, dissolving into spray and whiskers. The Kushtaka retreats, its call echoing long into the cold night.