Sheperd, Caretaker- Thatunhealthy

Their eyes scanned the wreckage of the fog-veiled town. There was a reason they were called to this place and so they started their pursuit, movingly briskly without effort. All around them fires scattered like splashes of water, slowly cindering the broken roofs and wagons revealing the homes of those who have yet to join this side of the world. The destruction was structured, planned, there would most definitely be more here soon. Lamb calmly leaped onto a wagon and stood still, surveying the landscape as to find their mark. Wolf was combing through the nearby houses excitedly, sporadically sniffing the charring wood for a chance at prey. The sound met them before any apparition did, a faint sob from the far side of town. In unison they began their hunt, gliding through alleys of now smoldering houses no longer providing cover from their sight.

Once they reached their hunting grounds of rubble and broken beams, they saw their prey. A small figure meandering on small legs, crying and frantically looking around. The small child only saw homes of neighbors, friends, burned and empty. She was searching for someone, no one met her. Not even corpses. The fog of their realm provided them ample cover to move in and ready themselves. Wolf moved in front of the child without her noticing, while Lamb notched the bow and approached from behind.

"Do not run." said Lamb coldly, "We have come to relieve you."

The girl quickly spun towards the voice, met by Lamb's dark mask and deep glowing eyes. Fear froze her in place quickly, recognizing the bow, ethereal arrow notched and ready. The weapon brought fresh memories to light, of an arrow piercing her leg with burning intensity, of a figure drawing a second arrow, sending it to her neck. Her lungs could barely muster the courage to shake the words from her mouth.

"What...What happened? Please, don't shoot me again." Her voice began to falter, "It hurt so much..." as fresh tears welled in her eyes and sobbing clawed her throat. Her knees began to shake uncontrollably, beginning to bend to the weight of her situation. Her thoughts turned to her mother, back gashed open, reaching for her, telling her to find help. Not able to contain it any longer, she fell to her knees and began to bawl.

Wolf began to walk towards her, leaving the fog. Lamb stood straight and relaxed the grip on the arrow, stepping deliberately towards the confused child. They stopped a few steps from the child in either direction, looking down at her with soul-less eyes.

"Come now, child. It is time for us to leave this place." Lamb said plainly. "Everyone must walk this road, you must walk it sooner than others. We will guide you."

The girl couldn't shake her apprehension, but she slowly rose to her feet and looked around, finally meeting Wolf's gaze. The phantasmal visage startled her, but its seemingly large grin reassured her ever so slightly. She wiped fresh tears from her eyes and began to look at the whimsical lamb before her, simply staring. They never dropped their haunting gaze on her, quickly studying every move, searching for intent to escape. Lamb, arrow still notched, began to walk towards the child, then past her looking towards the woods. Wolf circled to the child's rear and playfully nudged her to follow Lamb. She slowly started walking in the wake of the creature, breaking fear's frosty hold on her limbs, but apprehension still clung to her with earnest.

"Who are you?" She said quietly, "Are you one of the bad people?"

Wolf began to glide on weightless limbs between the child and Lamb. "Yeah Lamb, I've wondered that too, are we one of the bad people?" Wolf said, grin growing to ridiculous proportions, continuing to spiral around.

Lamb proceeded onward while replying, "We are not the one who brought you here, who hurt you. We simply exist to take you onward to what lies ahead."

This didn't help the girl's confusion, Lamb's cryptic reply in that wistful soprano didn't provide any comfort. She longed for something to distract from their slow, despairing walk through the fog-ridden trees. Her mind wandered back to the long nights in the town, her mother telling a story with a happy ending. "Do you..." She paused, gaining the courage to continue "Know any stories?"

Wolf's wispy ears suddenly perked up, turning to look at the child. "We have a story! The lonely man who kills." It spoke in a grim, low voice that betrayed its excitement.

Lamb, still looking ahead said "That is not how the story goes. You tell one instead."

The girl was unprepared, but one always stood out to her as a favorite, her mother would tell it with such enthusiasm that it would draw her in with earnest. She collected her thoughts and began "Well, there was a grasshopper who was hopping along...And he fell in a brook. While he was trying to swim a HUGE frog jumped from the bushes!"

Wolf began to listen in earnest, excitingly joining in. "Did the frog eat it?"

She shook her head, "No, the grasshopper said 'Please don't eat me! I can be your friend!', to which the frog said 'HMMPH I DO NOT NEED FRIENDS, I HAVE 20 SONS AND DAUGHTERS'" changing her voice to a half-hearted low-pitch monster voice.

Wolf seemed to enjoy it, as they moved more erratically. "Haha! So it did eat it!"

The girl shook her head again "Stop interrupting! The grasshopper replied 'But there are no other frogs here! You must be lonely.', the frog looked around and said

'HM, YOU ARE RIGHT, THEY HAVE ALL LEFT FOR THEIR OWN BROOKS... OKAY GRASSHOPPER, I WILL HELP YOU THIS ONE TIME.' And so the frog dragged the grasshopper out of the water. Months later in winter the same grasshopper was hopping by the same brook and saw the same frog, but covered in ants!"

The phantom wolf, now crouching down in front of the girl obviously enthralled, allowed her to continue.

"The grasshopper then used its legs to kick off all the ants, saving the frog! Then, they continued to be friends to each other ever after! The end."

Wolf, slowly started to meander alongside the girl, visually confused. "I don't understand, the frog should have ate the ants and the grasshopper...Why didn't it? This story is strange."

The girl thought briefly. "Well, if the frog ate the grasshopper, there wouldn't be a happy ending."

Lamb spoke again after the long pause, continuing their pace "We do not...Deal in happy endings. Our stories are different." The girls face gave away her confusion, Lamb continued "Our stories deal in truth."

She looked at the ground, attempting to make sense of the ghost's words, but she couldn't understand the point of a story with no happy ending. As she was deep in thought, Lamb suddenly stopped, with Wolf ear's perked, searching. Lamb spoke again, now almost rushedly, but with precision. "Here. You shall wait."

The girl quickly looked around, fear rising again in her throat, looking for whatever the phantoms were searching for. She started to move towards a tree to hide from danger, but Lamb and Wolf both quickly turned to face her. Bow already notched and drawn, Lamb let loose an arrow straight towards the girl's feet. The ethereal arrow pierced through her foot while she screamed, but no pain met her. She tried to force her foot from the ground, clambering to escape the approaching Wolf with tears running down her face, but the arrow rooted her in place.

Lamb slowly rose again to a standing position. "You will wait, do not attempt to run again." Wolf, seeing the girl immobile, began to scan the woods again, ears and nose soaking information. That's when they heard it, a woman calling out towards the girl from far into the woods "Sandra!"

They began their descent upon their objective, Wolf dashing through trees and underbrush while Lamb deftly jumped through the low branches. They heard her moving clumsily through the underbrush pushing toward her child. Lamb stopped at the tree before the woman, bow drawn and aimed. "Be still. We have come to relieve you." They said with an air of commanding. The woman stopped suddenly, her hand alongside a tree. She quickly observed the creature before her, peculiar weapon aimed directly at her. Her rush to reach the screams of her Sandra overcame the fear grasping at her legs. With only a moments hesitation she bolted behind the tree she had been against, moving away from the creature's sight using the bushes scattered along the forest.

As she ran, an azure arrow phased through the brush directly in front of her, mere inches from her face. Keeping her head down, she shambled to cover while continuously moving toward her daughter.

Wolf had circled around her far side while Lamb was speaking, now happily closing in. Panting loudly, growls with each exhale, the woman heard it approaching with unnatural speed. She began an outright sprint towards the sounds of her daughter's cries and as they grew louder she pressed on faster. Bursting past the last tree between them, she now met her daughter's eyes, tears soiling her face, arrow bolting her to the ground. Her brief pause allowed Wolf all the chance they needed, as its maw wrapped around the back of her neck.

The small girl cried out as the black phantom steadied its grip around her mother's neck, pulsating purple saliva covering her now darkened features, standing straight on all fours with pride. The little one was broken. The fear, terror, and grief bled into every cry and sob. Lamb entered the small clearing, looking at Wolf holding their newest ward between their jaws. They both started to walk towards the girl, despite her visible terror towards them.

Lamb said coldly. "She is not harmed, neither are you, simply immobile. As soon as Wolf releases her, she may move unhindered. This is the price of disobedience."

The girl's sobs quieted for a moment, then slowly increased again as she got a closer inspection of her limp mother's body, mouth agape, eyes still darting rapidly and then meeting her own. Lamb patiently knelt by the girl and said softly. "Your fear is understandable, but irrelevant. We must not remain here, for you must continue on, with or without your consent." With one careful movement, they shattered the arrow pinning her in place. She remained on the ground, tears blinding her, terror crippling her... Until she heard the comforting sound of her mother's words.

"Come on, we should go honey. Together." The girl looked up to her mother's outstretched hand, purple energy slowly emanating away from her neck. Sandra slowly reached up and took her mother's shaking hand, pulling her onto her feet. She saw now that Wolf had released her, but still remained on guard, unnatural tail wagging, ready to lunge if need be. The mother stood up straight, attempting to instill confidence in her wavering words. "I just want to hold my daughter's hand as we go. I know...What happened to us. I won't run again."

Lamb's mask and voice gave no hint to its mood, "Attempt escape again and you will make your journey alone. Now, onward."

Wolf began looking between them, eyes darting impatiently at their hesitation before finally exclaiming with more excitement than malice "C'mon, let's go!" They quickly shot forward towards their destination, then stopped, inviting the mother and daughter to follow. Lamb stood in wait, then followed behind the pair as they began to follow Wolf. Their steps were cautious and slow at first, but slowly accelerated to keep up with the darting spirit. Sandra was held closely by her mother on her shoulder, keeping her close to her mother's side, as if she would drift away if her grip failed, but even her mother's tense embrace kept her in a state of somewhat ease. The fog started to grow thicker as they moved into the forest, away from their town, their home, and all things familiar. The fog would seem foreboding, but as it grew around them they felt more and more at ease. When the fog was thick enough to block their sight mere feet from them, Wolf suddenly stopped and whirled around them. Lamb, bow finally at ease and posture now somewhat relaxed, said somberly "We're here. Continue on, we will remain."

Sandra looked away from the spirits and back to the wall of fog before them, confusion and apprehension welling inside her. She gripped her mother's hand tighter, hoping to put her worries to rest "Mom...What's on the other side?"

Her mother looked down, gently lifted Sandra's face to meet her eyes "I don't know honey, but how about we find out? Together." She said, her voice clear despite her shaking hands.

Kindred watched as the woman stood, took her daughter's hand, and walked to meet their end.