I do not own "Over the Garden Wall"
Lantern Bearer
"Are you ready to see true darkness!?" The Beast asked.
"A-Are-" Wirt cleared his throat in an attempt to rid his voice of his fear. He opened the lantern, exposing the flame. "Are you?" He took in a breath.
"Don't!" The Beast cried out as the darkness around him fled. "Don't!
Wirt didn't listen to the Beast, he didn't want to have to listen to his temptations. He released his breath and blew out the candle.
The Beast gave a cry of despair as his very life was snuffed out like the candle it was. The perpetual shadow than cloaked him fell away and revealed his true form for all to see. His body was made out of what looked like Edelwood, with twisted faces and holes covering him entirety. His antlers were nothing but tree branches, extending from the side of his head. His face is also revealed to have a mouth and a nose, but no ears. He has two arms with long-fingered hands.
The Woodsman stood up and shuffled towards the remains of the one he hated most. He stared at it, trying to hope that it was truly over. This was The Beast that they all feared. Now nothing more than a hunk of his own precious Edelwood in his forest.
"You...You've done it." The Woodsman stated in disbelief. "You've done it!"
Wirt grabbed the Woodsman's ax and carefully began to cut his brother free. Using a tugging method, he was able to pull the branches until...until...they wouldn't snap. Wirt pulled on the branch with everything until he was red in the face, but they wouldn't break. He couldn't free Greg.
To his horror, the branches seemed to move like a snake around Greg and hold him. Wirt began to pull against the branches even more frantically in an attempt to save Greg.
"W-Woodsman! Beatrice!" Wirt shouted in horror.
The two rushed to his side and gasped at the sight. The branched coiled around the child like a snake around a helpless mouse.
The Woodsman grabbed the ax and swung it at the branch. Wirt and Beatrice instinctively closed their eyes, fearing that the man would hit the child. Luckily, the Woodsman was skilled and cut the branch without touching Greg. He reared his arm back for a second strike, when it happened.
The branch stretched out like a whip and struck the Woodsman, knocking him back. Wirt and Beatrice could only look on in shock at how the man was tossed aside by the shrubbery. Most of all, Wirt was uneasy with how...still Greg was.
The bush began moan, like it was in pain. The trees around them began to join in, though theirs was more mournful than painful.
"What's happening Woodsman!?" Wirt screamed.
The Woodsman could only shake his head. For all his years toiling away for the Beast in the woods, he had never seen anything like this.
"Ours...ours...he's ours..."
"What is that!?" Wirt cried out.
"It's coming from the trees!" Beatrice shouted.
The trio turned around to see the trees were swaying inwards, almost as if they were trying to reach out. To reach them. The thought of what they'd do if they got them terrified the group.
A subtle shimmer seemed to move across the bark of the trees, like a ripple in a surface. The tree were distorting, moaning almost painfully as they did so.
The group looked at the faces that seemed so barren. They had no eyes, ears, noses or even a mouth other than crudely formed holes in the surface of the trees. Even these attempts at a face seemed to be dulled and desperate, like the faded memories of a memory. The faces made no movement as the words floated around in the air. Trapped with their look of anguish. They couldn't truly put themselves back together again.
If it was possible, the trees seemed to turn their attention to the Woodsman, and they were angry. The vine like branches seemed to target him now.
"Cutter! Grinder!"
"Oil maker!"
Something in The Woodsman's mind clicked, he finally knew what was happening.
"It's the souls!" The Woodsman stated, filled with shock and horror. "The lost souls!"
"How do we stop them!?" Wirt asked aloud.
"Beast gone...our woods now!"
"Our woods now!"
"Our woods now!"
Over an over again, they chanted those words with a fanatical glee.
"They know he's gone." The Woodsman spoke.
"So what, they want to own the forest!?" Beatrice asked.
"No one to grind them into oil!" The Woodsman stated. "No one to fear."
"Join us...join the forest...join us..."
The trees repeatedly urged them, on and on.
"No thanks!" Beatrice stated as she nervously flapped her wings. "I don't need to join another inhuman group."
The trees began shrieking in frustration. The branches began to further grow out towards them unnaturally and seemed to be moving to fluidly to be made of wood.
"Back away from these children, you unholy things!" The Woodsman shouted as he swung his ax.
The vine like branches flinched away before striking at the man like an angry snake. The group huddled closer together.
"Cutter! Grinder!"
"Oil maker!"
The Woodsman flinched at the words, but held his ground.
"I...I didn't know!" He stated, almost pleadingly as he tightened his grip on the ax. "But I can't let you have them. They're but children!"
"How do we stop them!?" Wirt asked aloud.
Out of the corner of his eye, the Woodsman could see the Beast standing there lifelessly. If there was even a spark of life in the husk, the Woodsman was sure that it would feel amusement in their struggles.
"The Beast must exist."
"What!?" Wirt and Beatrice asked in horror.
"He kept them at bay, grinding them away! And now he's gone!" The Woodsman muttered before he gave a sigh of resignation. It seemed that he'd never be free of the nightmare. "I've been grinding these souls for so long for my daughter. I may as well continue with this burden."
Endless toiling, day in and day out, for the sake of keeping the lantern lit. He had thought he was finally free of The Beast, but it seemed that it reached deeper into him than ever. It was still better than going to that empty house.
The Woodsman made a mad dash towards the Dark Lantern. He pulled out one of the matches he kept with him, just in case he needed to camp out and needed a fire to keep warm.
As if sensing his intentions, and not liking them, the very woods themselves acted. A branch reached out and grabbed the Woodsman by the leg, tripping the man over. It coiled around his limb and jerked at an odd angle. The Woodsman let out a painful cry as the noise of his leg being broken echoed.
"Woodsman!" The two cried out.
They made their way towards him
"The Lantern!" The Woodsman moaned.
Beatrice nodded before flying towards the object. She grabbed them in her feet and flapped as hard as she could, but didn't get to far! The Dark lantern was heavy for her bluebird body to move, it was all she could do to drag it across the dirt. But she continued too flap, slowing inching it towards them.
The trees shrieked again as they turned their attention to the bird girl, striking at her. Beatrice let go of the Lantern to avoid the branch attacking. Doing so allowed the vine to grab onto the Lantern and slowly drag it back. Beatrice panicked and grabbed onto the handle and began pulling again, though all she managed to do was slow the vines.
Wirt, understanding the plan acted. He snatched the matches and ax from the Woodsman and ran to the lantern. Falling to his knees, he brought the ax down, freeing the Lantern and Beatrice. He struck all of the matches and the flare sent an ominous glow around the lantern.
Now, Wirt hesitated. He feared how the Beast would be when he returned. What would the Beast do to him, to Greg. Would it be grateful that they revived him, or angry at their attempt to kill him.
"Wirt!" Beatrice desperately cried out.
Wirt realized he had no time to contemplate anymore. He'd have to light the lantern and deal with whatever came next.
To save Greg! He thought, trying to still his fear. Wirt lit the Dark Lantern.
Wirt silently screamed as pain filled him. He fell onto his back and convulsed in agony, clutching his chest. It was as if someone had reached into him and grabbed his heart in a powerful grip before ripping it out. And now, in that empty spot, he felt cold.
A ripple seemed to pass through the dark woods, a change that could only be felt. It seemed that the lost souls could feel the change, and that Wirt was a part of it. And they didn't like it one bit.
"Wirt!" Beatrice shouted. "Do something!"
Wirt looked up, the Beast was still there, frozen in his last moment of fear. It didn't work.
The trees began to bend towards him as the lost souls reached out, trying to claim Wirt. The boy tried to back away, but only made it a single step before stopping. Where was he going to go, there was nothing but Edelwood trees around him. And even if he left, he'd be abandoning the rest. He had to do something.
"S-Stop!" Wirt begged.
This did nothing to deter the specters.
"What was that!?" Beatrice demanded. She had been very disappointed at her friend's attempt to command them. "Do something, or Greg's a goner!"
Wirt's eyes cut to his brother, in all the commotion he had almost forgotten about him. There was Greg, still laying helplessly in the Edelwood tree. Though now it's grasp on his brother seemed tighter, almost as if the tree was becoming one with him. And Wirt realized, to his ever growing horror, it was. It would make Greg into an Edelwood, another lost soul in these horrid woods. He couldn't let that happen.
"Stop!" Wirt shouted.
This time his fear was gone, replaced with something else. He couldn't truly describe it. Anger...desperation...passion? All of these seemed like And the lantern. It seemed to burn in reflection to his feelings. He held it over his head and let the light wash over the woods.
"Whoa." Beatrice gasped while the Woodsman stood there with his mouth agape.
Wirt stood up and continued to hold the lantern up high. He stood before his brother, Greg still slept through the entire ordeal, but Wirt knew it wasn't a natural sleep. He needed to get his brother out of here as soon possible.
The souls shied away from the light, as if it burned them.
"Let him go." Wirt ordered forcefully.
The branches around Greg receded rather hastily, just as afraid of it's new master as it was the old. Once free, Wirt placed his brother securely onto his back.
"Time to get you home." Wirt spoke softly to his little brother.
Wirt turned and saw the Woodsman an Beatrice perched on his shoulder. They were just standing there, staring at him.
"What?" He asked curiously.
"It's just...you're the bearer of The Lantern lad." The Woodsman answered. "You're The Beast."
Wirt looked down at The Lantern, he could feel it. Like one would feel their own arm, or their leg. But this was far more...precious. It was his life. He had to keep it lit, or he'd die. And the lost souls would overtake the Unknown.
Had they not been so enthralled with the horrible realization, they may have noticed the black turtles that scuttled around. Or the dark figure in the woods, shuffling away.
Review
Been promising this fic for awhile. Hope you all liked it, trying for something other than a Beast Wirt one-shot. Most seem like poems or too strong an attempt at angst. I plan on making this an actual fic.
Tell me what you all think. Already have an idea of how it'll go and end. If you like this, five to ten positive reviews and I'll update. Chapter 2 is ready and waiting.