🥀 Arela Loststeps

She / They
A Forgotten Oath

The maze of forests is endless. You've been marking the moss-covered trees as you went, but yet you've been walking for what feels like ages with no change in scenery... The only thing you've seen so far is more of the wisps, the ones that make your head foggy...the ones you followed into this forest.

It doesn't seem like the position of the sun has changed at all but you know it has to have been hours at least... your paws are starting to chafe and crack. Just as you're about to give up you hear something begin to rustle nearby. Adrenaline courses through you and your fur stands on end. You whirl around and your wide eyes lock onto calm hazel ones.

The wolf seems to materialize out of nowhere from the surrounding greenery; vines cling to their fur and you swear you see moss growing on them.

"You are lost. I can show you the way." They come off a bit cold, not even giving you time to react aggressively before they brush along your side and continue on. You suppose you don't really have much of a choice either way....the strange wolf doesn't respond much to any chatter you attempt. Though you try to keep your guard up, after wandering for another hour your fur has relaxed.

To your surprise, you see the tree line breaking ahead. As you near the edge of the forest, you can see a clear plain of short grass just ahead! Your heart pounds as you rush ahead, only to realize Arela stands still behind you. They seem to know what you are going to ask as you turn back to them. "Go, I must stay here."

You're too excited to escape yourself to question it much...

The hermit, lost in the unknown, gains knowledge of that unknown that others will never be privy too. Of course, sharing that knowledge is pertinent but...all the hermit is equipped with is a singular lantern, that casts a dim light on the path before them. So you see, the path to sharing that knowledge is not as easy as it may seem.

Even those who know how to guide another out, may still be lost themselves.