The sound Ralph hears is not the beast, but the wind in the trees. It is a moment of fear and paranoia that grips him as he imagines the beast's presence.
Ralph is annoyed by Jack's promise to hunt the beast because he believes the priority should be focused on building shelters and keeping the signal fire going to attract potential rescuers. Ralph sees hunting the beast as a distraction from their main objective of getting rescued.
Jack's answer to questions about the beast is to say that, "if there is a beast we will hunt it and kill it." Ralph keeps insisting, "but there is no beast!"
It really depends on which part of the book your referring to, but i believe it is the beast that is up there or what they assume to be the beast.
Ralph suggests building a signal fire to attract passing ships for rescue and keep the beast at bay. He believes that maintaining a smoke signal will increase their chances of being rescued and dispel the fear of the beast among the other boys.
Yes, I have to agree with that about Samneric climbing the Mountain.
Ralph believes the beast is not real and only a figment of the boys' imaginations, while Piggy sees the beast as a symbol of the boys' inner fears and darkness. Simon, on the other hand, suggests that the beast might actually be the innate evil within each of them that grows stronger as they give in to their primal instincts.
By having all the boys against Ralph making him the outcast now. And since jack knows the boys are scared and want to feel protected and belonged and ralph doesn't provide any protection against the beast. Jack also makes Ralph look really bad like a beast making the boys go against Ralph.
Ralph believes that the beast is staying at the top of the mountain because it represents fear and the unknown. As fear escalates among the boys, they project their anxieties onto this imagined beast, which becomes a symbol of their inner darkness and savagery. The mountain, being a place of isolation and danger, heightens this sense of fear and mystery surrounding the beast.
Ralph is initially skeptical about the existence of the beast, believing it to be a figment of the littluns' imagination. However, as fear spreads among the boys, Ralph becomes increasingly concerned about the beast's potential threat to their safety.
Ralph states quite clearly, on several occasions, that "there is no beast." Jack, while appearing to agree with Ralph, then adds, "but if there were a beast my hunters would hunt it down and kill it." Later Jack leaves offerings from his kill to appease the beast.
Jack wants to kill. Jack loves the idea of hunting the beast. Ralph continuously says there is no beast. When Samneric report about what the beast looks like, Jack says he will hunt it and asks who wants to join him. Ralph, the more reasonable of the two, says they only have wooden spears. Ralph admits he is scared. He always thought the beast was fake, but now he think there might be a beast. In the end, Ralph and Jack both decide to hunt the beast.
They are getting nightmares from the beast.