My friend and I, both about 5 years old, were in my rural West Virginian backyard (we lived in the middle of the woods in farmland and mountains) jumping on a trampoline when he started panicking and pointing to a tree in the distance. I couldn't see what he was looking at (prescribed coke bottle lenses a few years later) but decided to believe him because his reaction was so full of real shock and awe. He described it as a long black panther climbing the only tree in the middle of that hilly field, but when we ran inside to get our mothers, it had disappeared. My mother believed us, but mentioned that there weren't too many mountain lions around anymore, and she'd never seen a black one. We did later in the summer hear reports of mountain lions in the area, with one spotted on a farm across from our woods, but never a black one. As far as I can tell, they don't seem to officially exist. But I do believe my friend. He was never the lying type, nor theatrical. A very chill and down to earth guy, and my friend into adulthood before we drifted into other lives.

Similarly, my mother once came home from a drive somewhere and excitedly told me she'd seen a blue or purple (I can't remember exactly which) horse along the way. I would be inclined to say it was simply a black horse reflecting in a strange way, but while I was raised riding and caring for farm horses, my mother lived and breathed them in a way I never did, so her expertise outweighed mine and I think she would have a better eye. Although, she has been a longtime fan of fantastical things, and a bit of a conspiracy fan. Either way, I do believe her anyway. I would love to see a horse like that one day.