On a foggy winter afternoon, a creature sat against a tree, holding a glowing teapot in one hand, and an axe in the other. The creature had a sad look of misery in it's empty eyes.
'Everything you do and say, I will see and hear, you are now a part of my forest'.
Wirt remebered that statement. He knew he couldn't refuse the Beast. He was now its slave, cursed to harvest lost souls to maintain his brother had been a couple of days since his transformation, and damnation to continue the Beast's burden. And Wirt had not moved from that just sat there, looking at the clearing where everything happened.
Wirt knew that if he wanted to keep his brother's flame lit, he'd have to use Edelwood oil from souls he'd have to harvest in the Unknown. However, there was a certain loop hole he found he could do, at a certain price. Rather than hunt and harvest the souls for the lantern, he decided to use his own oil-blood to keep the flame in the teapot lit. Although he was no longer human, Wirt refused to give the Beast the satisfaction of harvesting souls in the form of Edelwood trees.
The Beast was slightly annoyed by this little act of defiance, but as long as the flame stood lit, it could've cared less. Regardless, it approached Wirt about it, and appeared in front of him from behind a tree.
"You do know that the more you use up you're own oil-blood, the more oil you'll need to keep yourself and your brother alive." It spoke in a convincing tone.
"I don't care. I am not hunting down others." Wirt said.
"You say that like I can't make you." The Beast pointed out, raising his hand to prove a point. Wirt didn't react, he just kept staring off in the distance.
"Then what would be the point of having me if you're gonna control me yourself?" Wirt said, with an emotionless point. The Beast thought about it, and figured it was a good point.
"True. But the more you use your own blood, the more souls you'll have to collect to keep you and your brother alive." It said as it vanished into the dark of the woods.
Wirt looked from the distance, to Greg's teapot.
"What should I do Greg? I know you wouldn't want me to hurt others." Wirt spoke to the teapot. Part of him knew that the flame couldn't talk, another hoped it did speak to him in Greg's innocent voice, and a third part of him wished he could've brought him home. Wirt coughed. "It doesn't matter." He told himself. "What's done is done, and eventually I'll have to hunt." He said. He used the blade of the axe to cut his root like skin and poured his oil-blood into the teapot lantern. "But for now, let's enjoy what's left of my humanity."

In a farther side of the woods, there was a girl and a man, traversing through the woods to find a small cottage, said to be home to beings that held the Tome of the Unknown.
"So the cottage is somewhere around here right?" Beatrice asked.
"That's what the tavernkeeper said." The Woodsman answered. "So what do you plan on doing when we find the Tome?" He asked her.
"Well..." She paused. What if it didn't exist? Would she give up? Find another way? "If it exists, then I guess I'll find answers on what the Beast is and does." She kept walking. Fortunately for her, the tavernkeeper let her borrow a set of mud boots for traveling the damp ground of the forest. As for her dress, she just ripped it from the bottom so it wouldn't get dragged and stuck against other things. "So how did you know Wirt, are you two related?" She asked him, trying to make small talk.
"To be fairly, honest, I didn't even know his name. I just wanted to make sure he and his brother didn't end up in the Beasts clutches." He explained. "Truth be told, I too was given the same offer." He admitted. It suddenly dawned on Beatrice that he had the lantern back then.
"Is that why you're helping me? To get him back?" She asked.
"Yes, I did not want anyone to do that monster's bidding, especially against their will." He said. Beatrice nodded in agreement.
A few ways down, they found what seemed to be an old broken down cottage in a clearing.
"Do you think its where the people eater and beastly woman are?" Beatrice asked. They quickly hid behind a stone garden wall.
"It seems like it, the tavernkeeper said they would be in a cottage in the woods." The Woodsman said. "But now that I see it it's more of a shack than anything." He pointed out. Beatrice checked around it to see if anyone was outside.
"No one is out here. Do you think they're inside eating people?" She asked morbidly, much to the Woodsman's dislike.
"I would rather they didn't..." He said.
"What are you trespassers doing here?" They jumped up in fright as a ghastly looking, rather large, woman appeared behind them.
"It's her!" Beatrice pointed out in fright.
"Run!" The Woodsman said as he took Beatrice by the hand and ran her to the shack. As soon as they reached the door they opened it, entered the shack, and locked it from the inside.
"We should be safe in here." The Woodsman said as he and Beatrice walked away from the door facing it.
"Who are you?"
They heard from behind them. They turned around and saw a girl in puritan attire. "Why are you here?" She asked nervously.
"There's a scary lady outside!" Beatrice said frantically.
"Scary...lady?" Lorna asked. There was a knock at the door.
"Lorna? Please open up the door." Said the woman.
"Yes Auntie Whispers." Lorna said nicely and obediently as she made her way to the door.
"Stop, that lady is still out there!" Beatrice warned.
"You mean Auntie whispers?" She asked as she opened the door for her. Beatrice and the Woodsman were now officially terrified.

"Oh Lorna. Sweet child, thank you for opening the door for me." She said a she patted Lorna on the head. "And who might these strangers be?" She asked open mindedly.
"I thought they were your guests, Auntie." Lorna stated. Both Beatrice and the Woodsman were astonished at Tue casual conversation the two in front of them were having.
"What the-" The Woodsman began.
"What are you doing in my home?" Auntie Whispers asked.
"We..." Beatrice began.
"We're here to get the Tome of the Unknown. We've heard that you might possibly have it..." The Woodsman Whispers looked hesitant.
"Lorna. Make us some tea, please?" She asked.
"Yes Auntie." She said with a smile as she went to do as she was told. Auntie Whispers sat down at a table and gestured Beatrice and the Woodsman to sit.
"Now what is all this commotion about the Tome?" She asked. Beatrice looked down in sadness.
"I was hoping you'd have it because..." Beatrice bit her lip. "A friend of mine gave himself up to the Beast. And I feel as if the Tomb will be the only thing that can help me bring him back..." She said. The Woodsman tried to stay level headed as he tried to explain it too.
"A boy gave up his life in order to save his brother from the Beast. And now they are both an extension of it." He said. A gasp could be heard from behind all of them. They turned to Lorna.
"Has Wirt...fallen victim to the Beast?" Lorna asked in worry. Beatrice was surprised to hear his name coming from someone else. Beatrice stood up.
"You know him?!" She asked. Lorna nodded.
"Him and Gregory and their frog." Lorna laughed softly at the memory of them.
"Yeah. That's them." Beatrice rubbed her eyes as she felt relieved that at least they knew the brothers. "I was hoping you'd have the Tome of the Unknown. So that I could find out about how I can help Wirt in anyway." Beatrice explained.
"Of course I'll help." Lorna said as she lead Beatrice to the book.
"Your daughter/niece seems nice." Auntie Whispers and the Woodsman said at the same time.
"Oh! She's not my daughter/niece." They said at the same time again.
"So how are you connected to the boys?" She asked him.
"Oh, I tried to lead them away from the Beast. I did the bidding of the Beast before the boy." He said with regret.
"Oh I know what it is like to have to be tied to someone you hate. I have a sister myself who frankly I don't approve of." She said.
"Is that right?" He asked sarcastically.
Beatrice and Lorna came back in a bit with the Tome of the Whispers looked at Beatrice.
"Child. I must warn you. That book contains hidden knowledge of the Unknown. When Lorna read it, she was possessed by a sort of spirit. Are you prepared to find out what lies within it?" She asked with a look that challenged how much she would be willing to work to help Wirt. Without hesitation Beatrice nodded. "Then you may read it at your own risk."
"Beatrice opened the book to reveal several kinds of symbols, drawings, and explanations of certain things residing within the Unknown.
"Who wrote this book?" Beatrice asked.
"Nobody knows. But whoever it was, certainly knew what they were talking about. It is filled to the brim with information on all kinds of creatures and figures of the Unknown." Auntie Whispers said.
"Do you see anything in there that might help get Wirt back?" Lorna asked in worry as Beatrice read entire pages of it simply by skimming, determined to find something that could help her. She suddenly paused on a page and raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Yes."

I apologize for the long wait, I have no excuse to say why I didn't continue this immediately. But I do have an ending in mind and am working on another story too. I will try to focus on this one as well. Do not worry.