Growling in Lauderdale County, Mississippi

AS A TEENAGER IN YORK AL. WE WOULD DRIVE TO MERIDAIN MS. THE NEAREST LARGE TOWN, AND CRUISE FOR ENTERTAINMENT. ONE EVENING IN AUGUST MYSELF AND TWO FREINDS DECIDED TO DRIVE DOWN A HIGHWAY THAT WENT SOUTHWEST OUT OF MERIDIAN, I CANT RECALL HOW FAR DOWN THIS HIGHWAY WE WENT, BUT WE TURNED OFF ON A DIRT ROAD THAT WENT EAST. ON THIS ROAD WE STOPPED TO ANSWER THE CALL OF NATURE. ONE GOT OUT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE AND THE OTHER FRIEND AND I GOT OUT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. IN THE HIGH BEAMS AHEAD OF US WE COULD SEE A ONE LANE BRIDGE. THERE WAS A LARGE OAK TREE ACROSS THE DITCH FROM US ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR. WHILE WE WERE STANDING OUTSIDE OF THE CAR TALKING A LOUD NOISE STARTED COMING FROM UP IN THE TREE, IT SOUNDING LIKE A GRUNT AND GROWL COMBINED, THE NOISE WAS REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES AND ONE OF THE TREE LIMBS STARTED THRASHING UP AND DOWN. OUR EYES HAD NOT ADJUSTED TO THE DARKNESS AND WE COULD NOT SEE WHAT WAS MAKING THE NOISE. AS WE WERE LOOKING WE MADE OUT SOMETHING LARGE JUMP OUT OF THE TREE, LANDING IN THE DITCH AND START RUNNING DOWN THE DITCH, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE THIS HAD US PRETTY SHOOK UP ALREADY, BUT THAT WAS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE FEELING WE HAD WHEN THE ANIMAL RAN INTO THE AREA AHEAD OF THE CAR THAT WAS ILLUMINATED BY THE HEADLIGHTS ON BRIGHT. THE ANIMAL WAS RUNNING ON TWO LEGS, IT WAS COVERED IN GRAYISH BLACK HAIR, IT WAS EXTREMELY WELL MUSCLED, WE COULD SEE THE MUSCLES RIPPLING AS IT RAN, THE DITCH IT WAS RUNNING IN WAS TWO AND HALF TO THREE FEET DEEP AND MY EYES WERE LEVEL WITH THE BACK OF ITS HEAD. I AM SIX FEET TALL SO I ESTIMATE THE ANIMAL AT EIGHT AND HALF TO NINE FEET TALL. THE BACK OF ITS HEAD WAS SHAPED LIKE A TEAR DROP THAT IS FLAT ON TOP. WE COULD NOT TELL THE LENGTH OF ITS ARMS AS THE WERE BENT AT THE ELBOW AS IT RAN, BUT THE ELBOWS WERE PUMPING BACK AND FORTH AS IT RAN. WHEN IT REACHED THE BRIDGE IT JUMPED DOWN THE BANK IN ONE BOUND AND WAS OUT OF SIGHT BUT WE COULD HERE ITS FOOT STEPS GOING SOUTH FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. WE WERE SO SCARED WE JUMPED IN THE CAR, TURNED AROUND AND GOT OUT OF THERE AS FAST AS WE COULD GO. IT WAS MONTHS BEFORE I WORKED UP THE COURAGE TO GO BACK IN THE DAY LIGHT AND BY THEN ANY SIGN IT WOULD HAVE LEFT WAS LONG GONE. I HAVE BEEN AN AVID HUNTER AND OUTDOORSMAN SINCE THE AGE OF EIGHT AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN AN ANIMAL LIKE THAT BEFORE OR SINCE.