The Lantern-Bearers

So You've Come Across A Cabin in the Middle of the Woods...

Nevermind how you got this far away from your home; surely you must have been wandering for days, following deer path after deer path, begging the forest around you to give way to some kind of meadow, or maybe a stream. Something that would let you gain your bearings, either by star or flowing water - anything that would set you free from stumbling about in old-growth No Man's Land. But perhaps this is what you deserve; you're the one who left the safety of your campsite, after all.

The sun has nearly set, again. How many sunsets have you seen through the canopy of the trees? The only place to lay your head is against an old, gnarled oak. Walking on would be pointless; it would be too dark to see soon, and you'd never been any good at traveling by the light of the moon. So you settle in, stomach growling, shivering in the twilit chill of the coming night...

And then, you see it. A little bobbing light, somewhere deep within the stomach of the woods. A pinprick of firelight, orange and soft and bright, both familiar and comforting, but also strange and foreboding. Why was there a light? Why was it drawing nearer? Who... ar maybe what bore it along?

The light grows close, so close, but you never see the figure carrying it. It must be a lantern, you decide, by the way it swings so merrily just a few feet from the ground. And a lantern could mean help! You cry out, scrabbling to your feet, and the lantern stops - then switches course, bouncing away, further into the gloom of the night.

In desperation, you stumble after the light. Over roots and through thorns, down sharp hills and into sudden muddy glens - but you don't stop, you can't stop, as the light stays tantalizingly just in your field of view. How long you follow the light, you don't have even the foggiest clue. All you know is that the light... has led you to a cabin.

A cabin with the glow of a hearthfire beaming through its windows.

The door is open, held ajar by a small stone. And the night is cold, so cold. So you slip into the cabin, tripping your way through the flat darkness to the warmth of a merry little fire that crackles amongst freshly-gathered kindling and branches. Exhausted, you collapse on the flagstones and fall into a deep, soul-soothing sleep, aware only at the very last moment of a peculiar feeling creeping up the back of your neck.

Something watches from the loft.

The Wolves Who Tend the Hearth

The Lanternbearers are a pack of wolves who have made their home in an old, yet well-built, cabin, set deep in the heart of a National Park where very few humans ever wander. Their cabin home once belonged to a very old man... An old man who is, of course, no more. Lead wolf Anadel came across the old man, his cabin, and his lantern one autumn afternoon to find he had succumbed to a failure of the heart, though he'd left a fine fire crackling in the cabin's hearth. With winter coming and the promise of a warm, well-cared-for human den standing right before her, she decided to move in her ragtag collection of pack members in immediately.

The wolves were clever, and knew that the fire would only continue to warm their new home if they fed it. And so they did, taking shifts keeping it roaring year-long. And Anadel, against the wishes of her friends and family, took up the lantern and decided for herself, "Well, I should use this fantastic gift. I'll lead the lost here, to thank the humans for this beautiful home we now hove!"

It doesn't happen often that she leads a lostling back home, but when she does, most of the pack disperses and the pups are hidden deep within the attic. But Anadel always remains stationed on the second floor, watching her guest with a hungry curiosity. Though these wolves have never been seen by human eye, their presence cannot be ignored; and so, most who have stayed at the cabin have come to the conclusion that the place must be horribly haunted. Why else would they feel the ever-present pressure of being watched?

Each wolf is born of a certain concept or group of concepts - for example, lead wolf Anadel is born of the death of Spring, the resurgence of Autumn, and the promise of new life under fallen leaves once Winter has passed. They are still flesh-and-blood creatures, of course, but the concepts mark their appearances and personalities, and are usually determined when a wolf is in its adolescence. Concepts are not permanent, however, and may fluctuate as the wolf ages and experiences life. Some wolves may search their entire lives and never know their concepts.

Extended Lore and Pack Art

Please visit the pack at THE LANTERN-BEARERS

Pixel art by kurogitsune #14273!