I do not own "Over the Garden Wall"

Home

"Goodbye Greg."

That was the last thing he had heard from Beatrice and his big brother. Greg gasped for air as he resurfaced from the water and made his way to land. His frog tucked safely in his grasp as he swam.

He had awakened to find himself and his companion underwater. Using all of the energy his little limbs could manifest, he swam for the surface and then towards land. Once he finally arrived, he was all but spent. Even his energetic hyperness had limits.

"C-C-Come on J-Jason F-Funderb-berker." Greg spoke through his chattering teeth as he griped the frog tightly.

"I see something!" A voice called out.

Greg looked up to see lights in the distance, flashlights.

"Greg?" A voice called. "Greg!"

He had made it home, that was his last thoughts before he collapsed.

Beatrice and the Woodsman stared at the silent Wirt. They had just sent his brother home, where ever that was, the man and bird didn't know, but Wirt couldn't go. He was bound to the Unknown.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah." Wirt stated with a smile. "I thank I am." He honestly believed that. He had finally done something good for his little brother. "So what now?" Wirt asked.

"I-I gotta go home to." She stated as she looked down. "Admit to my family it's my fault they're bluebirds." Wirt cleared his throat as he reached into his pocket and held out a pair of scissors. "What!?" Beatrice exclaimed in shock.

"The scissors." Wirt explained.

"You had them all along?" She demanded

"Well I-I used them to escape Adelaide and then-then, yeah. I was sort of mad at you." Wirt admitted, uncomfortable.

"Oh you wonderful mistake of nature you." Beatrice teared up as she hugged the boy with her wings.

Wirt knelt down as Beatrice spread her wings as wide as she possible could. With no hands, it was up to Wirt to do the main part to break the curse.

"Are you sure this is how this works?" Wirt asked nervously.

"P-Pretty sure." Beatrice answered.

"You don't sound sure." Wirt countered.

"You're about to cut off my wings with a stolen pair of magical scissors! What more do you want from me!?" She exclaimed as she through her wings up in frustration.

With shaky hands, Wirt grabbed the scissors and leveled them with Beatrice's wing. She closed her eyes, and so did Wirt. Even the Woodsman looked away from the two.

He made the first snip. Hard and quick, cutting through the entire wing in one go. It was different than cutting the wing off of the Thanksgiving turkey, but eerily similar. Wirt expected to hear a cry of pain, or feel warm blood over his hands, but it never came.

"Di-Did it work?" Beatrice asked.

Wirt opened one eye and peeked at her

"Wow!" Wirt exclaimed.

She then noticed that he was turning an interesting shade of red, yet he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"What?" Beatrice asked with a smirk. "Does my beauty astound you?"

"Your beauty is very...natural, right now." Wirt stated as he finally tore his eyes from her.

Not understanding what he meant, she turned to the Woodsman, who offered his jacket to her. Realizing that she was a little chilly, she looked down to see that she no longer had feathers...or her dress. As a bird, she had been completely bare. It was no less different as a human.

-Five minutes later

Wirt was nursing a sore cheek as he led the still red faced Beatrice through the woods. She held the jacket the Woodsman tight. The Woodsman trailed behind them silently, with a couple of large branches to use as crunches.

"I think they were around here." Wirt spoke as he looked around.

He continued to massage his sore cheek. It seemed that all that flapping had given Beatrice a strong right hook.

It was hard to tell if he was actually in the right area. Everything looked the same to him, he was a city boy. Plus, it had been in the middle of a freak snow storm. His sense of directions would have been next to useless on a sunny day.

But he couldn't give up on Beatrice.

"Hello!" Beatrice shouted. "Any talking blue birds out there!?"

One by one, blue birds began popping up out of random spots along the trees. No doubt curious as to who knew about them, or would even call to them. A few of the braver birds even fluttered close the girl and recognized her instantly.

"Beatrice!" The family of blue birds cried.

Wirt and the Woodsman kept a respectable distance as Beatrice ran to the large flock. Each of the birds latched onto her with their wings, and those that didn't were gathered in her arms as she hugged them.

"Oh!" One large bird exclaimed. "Wirt!" All eyes turned to the boy. "You brought our Beatrice back to us!"

Soon he was caught in the feathery hug as well. There was so many of them, he didn't want to move and accidentally hurt one of them. Had their been this many of them before?

"Hello ma'am." Wirt politely greeted. "Hello, Beatrice's family."

Wirt felt a sudden weight pressed against his mind, he suddenly felt very weak. He was so tired, exhausted. As if almost all the energy in him had stolen. And his chest, it was almost as if someone had put that fist back and squeezed. He just wanted to lay down and-

At the edge of his hearing, he could make out someone calling his name in a panic.

"Wirt...Wir...W..."

Then darkness.

Once Wirt regained his bearing, he took in his surroundings. He was in a room, it was pretty bare of the things Wirt would expected, but still seemed to fit in with the Unknown. It was very vintage in his opinion.

He was laying in a very comfortable bed. Sitting up, he stretched. He felt very good at the moment, rested and rejuvenated.

"Wirt!"

To his side, Beatrice sat with a relieved look on her face.

"What happened?" Wirt asked, causing her to shuffle in her seat before answering.

"The...Dark Lantern was low." Beatrice answered. "Almost empty."

Wirt looked to the left, where the Lantern sat on the windowsill, flames dancing gleefully and brighter than Wirt had seen. It was obvious that it had just been filled. He turned back to Beatrice who gave him a wicked smile.

"You...refilled it." He stated more than asked.

"Turns out the Beast was nothing but Edelwood." She chuckled. "Even with a broken leg, the Woodsman was all too happy to cut him down."

As if being summoned, the Woodsman appeared at the door frame. His leg was was bandaged nicely with a secure splint holding it in place. He balanced himself pretty well on his make-shift crutches. He looked as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. No doubt cutting down the remains of the Beast had been very cathartic.

"I thought it was time he gave something back." The Woodsman spoke from the door. "Time he paid for all he's done."

"Ironic." Beatrice stated. "He tried so hard to keep that fire lit, and now he'll burn for it. As part of it."

"How do you feel lad?" The Woodsman asked.

"Good, actually." Wirt answered.

That was an understatement, he felt as if better than good. He felt as if he had a full stomach and a good night's rest, on top of feeling like he could run a marathon. A strange mix, but that was how he felt.

"Then come on, it's time to meet the family." Beatrice urged as she pulled Wirt from the bed.

Beatrice pulled Wirt through the house and as they moved, he noticed that the place was familiar. It was the first house that he and Greg had encountered. It was where they had been attacked by the demonic dog. He could see that most of the damage was still there, but it was obvious someone had been working on it. No doubt the Woodsman.

"Wirt, this is my family." Beatrice introduced. "Family, this wonderful mistake of nature is the guy who helped us turn back from birds."

The entire family turned to look at him in awe. Wirt gave an awkward wave to the family. Then they swarmed him. Well, the kids did anyway. If he thought Greg was a handful to take care of, then he couldn't imagine how it felt to take care of...of...he couldn't count them while they were moving. More than six, he was sure of that.

"Hello there." The matron greeted kindly. "Come and eat your dirt."

"Mom, stop calling it dirt." Beatrice urged.

"What're you going to do about it?" The mother asked playfully. "Turn us into blue birds again?" This earned a snicker from a few of the family members.

"Mom."

"Now eat your dirt." The mother ordered.

Beatrice said nothing as she sat down and placed a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. Wirt took a seat next to her, though he didn't touch his plate. Wirt looked at the spread before him. An array of vegetables, potatoes and greens, no meat. Basically things that did come from the dirt.

"Wirt." Beatrice's mother began. "Beatrice has told us of your predicament. How you're here and alone..." At that, Beatrice gave a subtle cough. "Mostly alone." The mother corrected, with an amused smile. "Well..."

"You wanna stay with us?" Beatrice cut in.

Wirt was taken by surprise by the offer. He had thought that he'd have to keep wandering the woods of the Unknown for who knows how long.

"I...wouldn't want to impose." Wirt stated.

"Oh don't worry." Beatrice state with a wave of her hand. "You'll work it off."

"I-"

"Hey, your lantern's still on." One of Beatrice's little brothers spoke. "Want me to blow it out?"

Not waiting for a response, the boy took a deep breath. Before he could extinguish the fire, and Wirt along with it, Beatrice lunged and slapped her hand around her brother's mouth and yanked him away. Wirt had pulled the Lantern close to his chest protectively.

"T-That's okay." Wirt stated as he pulled the object closer for safety.

This strange action didn't go unnoticed by the family. Beatrice's mother gave them a questioning look, but said nothing.

"It's been a long day, being human and all again." The matriarch stated. "Why don't we all head to bed."

Wirt and Beatrice made up the couch for him, a blanket and pillow. It would be the first proper sleep he'd have since arriving.

"Sorry about the lack of beds." Beatrice stated. "But it was either this, or cram you into the room with my brothers."

"It's no problem, honest." Wirt stated.

"What?" Beatrice asked, noticing he was distracted.

"...Your family doesn't know about me, do they?" Wirt asked.

"Should they?"

Wirt didn't know how to answer that. It would be nice if he didn't have to worry about the kids trying to blow out his lantern, but he didn't want to let them know what they brought into their home.

Wirt sat up on the couch, staring at the Dark Lantern, at the flame inside.

My spark of life. He thought with a dry chuckle.

He watched the fire dance. Trying to comprehend it. It looked like any other fire, yet he'd actually die if it was snuffed out. He wandered how the Beast could deal with literally holding his own life out in the palm of his hand. Day in and day out, open to so many angers. It was maddening just to think about.

"Aren't you tired?"

Startled, Wirt looked up to see the Woodsman staring down at him. He had been so consumed with the Dark Lantern that he hadn't even noticed the man approach.

"No." Wirt answered. He felt just as rejuvenated as he had when he had first awakened.

It was then that he noticed that the Woodsman was wearing his jacket again, and his hat. He had his crutches held tightly under his arm. He was leaving.

"You have a lantern, would you help me to walk home?" The Woodman asked.

Wirt looked out the window into the night. It was nearly pitch black, but he could see some snow falling. Dangerous for a man with a busted knee to be walking around on his own.

The to walked for awhile in silence, a slow pace to accommodate his busted leg. Eventually the silence started getting to the teen, he was too used to his brothers endless energy and Beatrice's snark.

"What will you do now Woodsman?" Wirt asked.

The Woodsman lowered his head in silence, Wirt could feel the grief from him. The weariness.

"Return home." The man answered. "It's all I can do."

The rest of the walk was filled with silence, and not the comfortable kind.

Finally, after the painfully awkward walk, they arrived at the man's house. It was a log simple cabin, with a porch. An open yard with a tree stump where the Woodsman used to toil, and a stack of firewood, ready to be used.

"Home." The Woodsman whispered.

"It's nice." Wirt admitted.

It finally occurred to Wirt that they had walked a considerable distance, he wondered how long they had walked. The Woodsman looked over his shoulder, as if considering something . Deciding they were far enough, he turned fully to Wirt.

"I wanted to talk to you lad, away from the girl and her family." The Woodsman began, obviously uncomfortable. "I didn't want to...have you figured out what the Edelwood tree is?" The Woodsman asked. "They're lost souls. Trapped in the wood and what's used to keep the accursed lantern going."

"Lost souls!"

Wirt froze, he knew that the trees were alive, but he didn't know that! He had just thought they were evil! Like the Beast! Instead, they're more like how he and Greg were. Just lost kids in the woods of the Unknown. He held the lantern further from him. But he couldn't very well get rid of it.

"I just...thought you should know." The Woodsman stated. "The Beast contained a few jars worth of oil and a single jar can last awhile." He continued. "I just..." He didn't know what else to say. He unstrapped his ax and handed it to Wirt.

Wirt looked at the instrument he'd need to use if he wanted to continue living. At the cost of another's soul.

Wirt raised his hand, but he didn't know if he'd grab the ax, or push it away. He wanted to live, but was this life worth it?

To their shock, a light sparked inside of the house. It moved ominously, making it's way towards the door. The Woodsman readied his ax, assuming that someone had broken into his home.

The door creaked open and out popped a young, long haired brunet. The Woodsman inhaled at the sight of her and even dropped his ax.

"Father?"

Now Wirt gasped at the realization, the Woodsman was finally reunited with his daughter.

"D-Daughter?"

The Woodsman covered the distance faster than someone would have expected for a man of his size and age. He grabbed his daughter in an emotional hug. Holding tight, afraid that she'd be gone if he let go. When he finally released her, he continued to keep a light grasp on her. He examined her carefully, making sure that she was okay.

"How is this possible!?" The Woodsman questioned. "My Anna!"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." She answered with tears in her eyes. "I waited for you to return home, day after day. I thought the worst had happened to you!"

"Maybe The Beast was completely lying." Wirt guessed. "He never did have her soul, and when the lantern went out, she was...freed?"

It was just a guess, but it was all Wirt could come up with. Though there was a bit of possibility in his theory. After all, the Beast was gone and she said she was here all along. The Woodsman would get the story, it wasn't his business anyway.

The Woodsman's daughter, Anna, looked at Wirt for the first time, as if finally noticing him. Then her eyes widened as they trailed to the object in his hand.

"That Lantern." She whispered.

Wirt quickly hid the Dark Lantern in his cape. He couldn't let such a thing ruin the moment between father and daughter. Plus, though he didn't say it out loud, he didn't like the way she was eyeing it.

"It doesn't matter." The Woodsman muttered as he pulled his daughter into another hug. "None of that matters. We're together again."

Wirt looked at the two, so happy. He decided to slink away, so as not to ruin such a loving moment.

Wirt turned to the direction he and the Woodsman had just traveled. He made to go back down the path, but stopped.

He had been with Beatrice and her family for less than a day and they had been so kind to him. Giving him food and shelter. Even with the accident with almost blowing out the lantern, not that he could blame the kid for that.

But he didn't want to bring anything bad into their home.

Wirt looked at the endless expanse of trees. Everywhere he looked, a random tree. Some Edelwood, some not. Ax forgotten, he made his towards the forest.

"So this is my life now?" Wirt asked no one. "Wandering this forest forever and cutting down tree to feed an evil lantern. Or death."

It's...not so bad. He tried to reason with himself.

He looked up and saw more stars in the night sky than he had ever saw back home. He had never taken notice when he had first arrived, to concerned with getting Greg and himself home, but now...he could learn to appreciate it.

'You countless Lanterns that light the night sky,

Shining a path for all as you hang high,

By day you'll be out shined by the sun's might

But you'll continue to burn until the return of night.'

"I really hope all my poems won't be lantern based." He looked at the object in his hand suspiciously.

He had already grown pretty used to walking through the woods with Greg and Beatrice. It was...familiar to him. Already he could feel the pull of the forest. It felt familiar to him. Just as the Lantern in his hand did. Maybe he should-

"Boy!" A voice cried from the distance.

Wirt spun around and froze.

There in the distance was the Beast, only different. He was still obscured in the darkness, but he seemed to be hiding in the shadows. It was almost as if he were...less than he was. Smaller, and lacking that ominous aura he carried. His voice was different as well, lacking in his evil base, it was like someone trying to fake a deep voice. Even his eyes no longer glowed. But Wirt was sure it was him, the antlers were a dead give away.

"You've taken something from me!" The Beast-like figure declared. "Something more precious than you realize. For that, I shall make you suffer endlessly!"

"Y-You can't be here!" Wirt declared as he took a step back. "The Woodsman cut you down! Turned you into oil!"

"Sit the Lantern down and begone!" The Beast ordered. "And maybe I will spare you my wrath!"

"N-No!" Wirt declared as he tried to steel his resolve. "I'm never giving you this Lantern back! I won't let you hurt innocent souls!"

Wirt raised the Lantern high, to get a clear view of the Beast, only for it to shy away further into the shadows. Away from the light that it tried so hard to keep lit. He was hiding.

"Then how will you keep it lit?" The Beast asked.

Wirt said nothing, and his silence seemed to please the Beast. It stalked off into the darkness of the woods, laughing joyously at Wirt's misfortune.

Wirt looked at Dark Lantern, the thing he needed to keep burning to stay alive. But could he bring himself to actually cut down the trees, to cut down those innocent souls? They could have been anyone. A simple man lured to his demise by The Beast. A brother who sacrificed himself to save an ingrate of an older brother. Could he really cut down a potentially innocent person?

He was, thankfully, brought from his musing by the sound footsteps. Fast footsteps. Moving rapidly...towards him?

It was Beatrice. She was running at a very fast pace, she may as well have been flying at the speed she was going. Even from the distance he could see her face, red from the strain of moving so fast. And a strange mixed look of determination. And...anger?

Once she was in range to slow down, she picked up even more speed. To his utter surprise, she launched herself to him. Foot first.

Wirt was now the bearer of the Dark Lantern, but he was still a guy. A male. No matter the species, natural or unnatural, all males shared a weakness. A female's size six, flying kick to the nuts. He couldn't even bring himself to make a sound of pain as he grabbed his wounded parts and fell to his knees.

Beatrice stood over him, gasping for breath as she glared at his prone figure.

"My...acorns." Wirt whimpered.

"What was your plan, leave so that you could wander the woods day in and day out?" Beatrice asked coldly. Truthfully, he didn't have a plan. His silence seemed to convey that, because Beatrice's face began to match her hair, thanks to her anger. "Why did you run off!?" Beatrice demanded. "Do you hate me that much!?"

"What?" Wirt groaned, pain finally fading so that he could respond. If barely. "I...don't hate you." Wirt stated.

"Then why did you leave m-us?" Beatrice asked.

Wirt lowered his head, unable to answer. He had subconsciously looked towards the Lantern, an act which Beatrice caught.

"You helped break the curse on my family that turned them into bluebirds." Beatrice stated. "The least you can do is let us thank you by letting you live with us"

"O-Okay." Wirt stated in surrender.

Beatrice helped him up and led him back to the house. The mysterious Beast forgotten, if even for this moment, Wirt let Beatrice lead him home.

She had long since dropped the branches and ran. She had been using them to imitate the antlers that once adorned her masters head.

Her master, The Beast of the Unknown. She thought back to that night when they first met. She had thought that she had met her end, but not so. If he had wanted her dead, then she would be, fuel for his endlessly burning candle.

But he let her go. And her mind always returned to him. To his dark presence and the whispers in the night air. And their continued encounters.

This is why he chose me! Why he spared me! She thought in dark jubilation as she moved through the woods. To continue his work if anything ever happened to him!

That had to be it! The sensation she felt when she scared the pretender to the Lantern, it was euphoric! The Beast of the Unknown would stalk the woods again soon.

"Anna!" A voice cried in the distance. "Not again! My daughter, please! Where are you!"

She slowed to a stop before coming into view of her home. She could see her father frantically searching for her on his crutches. He looked prepared to rush off into the woods, despite his busted leg.

"Father." She spoke.

"Anna, my daughter!" He cried as he pulled her into another hug, which she returned. "I thought you were gone!"

"Do not worry father, you told me the Beast was gone." She stated with a fake smile. "The woods are safe once more."

For now. She thought darkly. But soon, the Beast of the Unknown would return. People would fear the woods. They would fear the setting sun. The night. They would fear her.

Review

I'd like to thank you all that have followed and reviewed this story. You've motivated me to continue. Please keep doing so with your reviews. I have ten followers at the moment of posting this, hope for at least ten reviews for this chapter. Please.

Also, if you read the comic, then SHHH! My story follows a similar but different route. Heheheh. This is going off of the idea that the Beast didn't have Anna's(Woodsman's daughter) soul. The Woodsman went searching for her, only to be tricked into doing the Beast's bidding. (Canon) Well, not in the Lantern at least. Heheheh.