(A/N) not exactly a 'Big Black dog' like in the show, but this is my baby Gizmo. I love him sooooooo much! X3 ❤️ Any-who on with the story!

*recap*

' "We're just 3 lost kids trying to get home!" Wirt said still petrified. "Well welcome to the Unknown kids! you're more lost than you realize!" The Woodsman says as I look off to the side and see a tree in the lamp light. The tree looked dead and as if it had a face with oil leaking out. It looks so sad,

'poor thing...' '

Now Back to the story you've all been waiting so long for!

(Y/N) POV:

The woodsman leads us to what looks like a old run-down wheat mill. "Come along kids" The woodsman says as he opens the door. "W-What is this place?" Wirt says, his voice trembling. "This-" the woodsman makes a sweeping motion with his arm gesturing to the room "-is my house for now" he said mumbling at the end, but i was still able to catch it. He walked to the fireplace and started to light it "What do you mean for now? Is your actual house somewhere else and you're just staying here?" He looked at me astonished then he turned back to the fireplace, "You shouldn't be asking such brash questions girl, it might just get you in deep trouble one of these days. Especially out here in the Unknown." he said finally getting the fire to light. 'Again with the 'Unknown' thing, is that where we are?'

Greg was in front of the door leaving a candy trail while singing about it. The Woodsman still on his knees on the ground spoke " I found this homestead abandoned. Repurposed its mill for my needs. You three, should be safe here, while I work." he said "What i-is your 'Work' exactly?" Wirt questioned the Woodsman cautiously.

"Everyone has a torch to burn and this here's mine." The Woodsman said patting his oil lantern while staring into the fire. "I grind the horrid edelwood trees into oil to keep this lantern lit." he said grabbing a stick off the pile in his back and snaps it in half just to throw it under the side table beside him.

"This is my lot in life, this is my burden" Wirt leaned over to me and Greg with me standing in the middle, his left hand covering his mouth so the Woodsman wouldn't see "This guy sounds crazy maybe we should make a break for it. I-i-if we can. Though he may know the woods very well so we should probably knock him out first" Wirt said rubbing his fist and Greg nodding his head in agreement.

"Except that may turn out very badly huh?" I elbow Wirt in the ribs, "you think?"I say sarcastically. "He's giving us shelter and you're just gonna turn on him?" I say angrily turning away and huffing.

"What are you kids whispering about?" the Woodsman says in a gruff voice turning his head to look over his shoulder at us "We're talking about running away out of here" Greg says and Wirt shushes him and they both start shushing back and forth I elbow them both in the sides as the Woodsman groans getting up off his knees.

"Leave if you wish. But remember the Beast haunts these woods" he lifts the lantern up to his face and starts walking forward "Every singing his mournful melody in search of lost souls such as yourselves" my eyes light up at melody "to help us?" Greg pipes up "No, not to help you." The Woodsman walks to the door and opens it, half way through he turns back to look at us "I have work to do in the mill when I am finished I will do what I can to guide you, if you are still here when I return" he turns back through the door and closes it behind him.

"Huh, I guess we could just leave" Wirt says putting his hand to his chin. "Yeah" I said "oooooor, we could wait for him to come back and he could, you know. Help us?" I say to him. Greg walks away and pick up a log off the log pile next to the fireplace "Greg!" Wirt shouts "What?" he says playing with the log. "Put it down we don't need to use the log and plus it's not ours" I say.

"Do you think there really is a Beast out there?" Wirt says scared. Greg walks over to a decorative bird sculpture, and swings the log "Or, is, is that guy just messing with us?" I walk over to Greg and grab the log before he breaks anything.

"I don't know" I say responding to Wirt "I think I remember my brother telling me about the Beast once" I say thinking back. "W-wait. Yo-you have a brother?!" Wirt says a little caught off guard "uh, yeah. Well... I did" I say almost whispering at the end while looking to the floor.

I feel Greg hugging my leg and I pat his head with a slight smile. I turn away and put the log back on the log pile "But that's all in the past now" I say turning to Wirt seeing that he looks sad, regretting asking about my brother. I walk over to him and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Hey it's okay, you didn't know. And it's sort of my fault for not telling you guys about him" I say with a slight smile trying to cheer him up.

"Well anyway-" I say trying to get off the topic " about the Woodsman, he's pretty nice letting us stay here until he's done" I say with a smile looking down to Wirt with a smile.

"I mean, he--could've done away with us by now, if that was his plan. And he lit that fire, that's...pretty nice" Wirt says a little convinced. "Yeah!" Greg chimes in. My smile grows wider.

"I guess it's possible there's a Beast, since there was a talking bird, but..." Wirt continues "Yeah!" Greg says again 'yeah-Wait'

"I dunno. Sometimes I feel like I'm just like...a boat, upon a winding river...twisting, towards an endless Black Sea..." Wirt says being poetic again, I deadpan 'Again? AGAIN!?' I groan internally.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Greg swing a-A BANJO!?!? I quickly run over to Greg and grab the banjo and put it down leaning it against the wall while giving him a stern talking to. " Further, and further, drifting away...from where I want to be--who!--I want to be..." Wirt says continuing on.

"Oh, I didn't know that. Did you know, that if you soak a raisin in grape juice, it turns into a grape? It's a rock fact!" Greg says taking a Little Rock with a painted face out of his satchel. I giggle "I, don't think that's entirely true" I say with a giggle. "I'm pretty sure you have to soak it in water, not grape juice" I say with a smile.

" Augh, you're not helping at all...why don't you, go play with your frog, or something?" I look to Wirt with a disapproving frown. As I look over at Wirt I notice a piece of candy stuck to his cape, I cove my mouth with a hand holding back a laugh. "Aw, beans! Where is that frog o' mine? Hold on there, second-brother o' mine! I'll be back soon for your plan." Greg says seemingly unaffected by what Wirt said. Greg walks out side and I look out the door to make sure he says safe.

"W-what are you doing" Wirt questions me. "Looking after your brother, something you should be doing" I say grunting the last part out as I look over at Wirt for a second. I hear Greg hum "Kitty!! Kitty?? Now where did that frog named 'Kitty' go? Whup--" Greg says then trips on his candy trail. "What happened to 'Damien'?" I say with slight disappointment lacing my words. "I tripped on my own candy trail!" Greg says surprisingly happy.

I start out the door "Now you stay here" I say turning my head back to Wirt. "No objections to that" He says raising his hands in front of his chest. "Good" I huff while continuing to sneak to Greg with out him noticing me. I hide behind a large pile of logs a few feet away from a empty barrel. 'This seems close enough' I think as I suddenly hear a low animalistic growl. My eyes grow wide.

"Hm?" Greg hums questionably and walks towards the noise 'No! Don't!' I think in a panic ready to run. "Ribbit" I look toward the barrel in front of me 'really? He was in the barrel the whole time?' I groan slightly under my breath.

Greg walked over to the barrel a few feet away from me and looked in and tipped forward too far only to fall in, "There you are Kitty!" Greg reached shouted when all of a sudden I see a Huge black dog run up to the barrel after Greg and look in. I jolt up and start to run to Greg, grabbing a log in the process. "You have beautiful eyes" I hear Greg say, 'Now's not the time Greg!' I think as I hit the dog on the back with the log getting ready to run. It ignores me.

"Hey mutt!" I yell hitting in on the head this time. I turns around with a growl and starts to lower itself to the ground ready to pounce. I run and yell to greg "Go get Wirt!" Greg noods and runs inside. The dog stopped running after me and started to sniff the air again and then ran to the mill after Greg.

'No!' I think in a panic running to the mill 'why does he keep on following Greg?!' I think running to the mill. Then i see it, well rather I don't see it ' The candy trail... It's gone!' I look ahead of me 'The dog must be after the candy!' I think running through the already open door to see Wirt and Greg on the second floor of the mill and the beast trying to climb up after them. Then I notice the Woodsman knocked out cold on the floor with a bump growing on his head 'oh Greg' I mentally groan to myself and roll my eyes.

"It's After The Candy!" I yell up to them "Wirt the candy on your cape! It sees it and wants it!" I dodge a flying board that the beast hit backwards still trying to scramble up "What!?" Wirt yells back pushing Greg through a open window. "Your cape!" I yell "Greg stuck a piece of candy to it! Throw it at the beast!" Greg grabs the candy off Wirt's cape and throws it out the window onto the waterwheel and into the stream. The beast breaks through the roof to go after it. I drag/carry the woodsman out of the mill with me, while Greg and Wirt already far away from the mill and are stopped for breath.

I run up to them and place the Woodsman down "Don't stop!" I yell "It's right behind us!" right as I finished the beast broke the rest of the way through the roof of the mill where Greg and Wirt escaped and it fell into the river.

Then, there was silence.

I slowly walked towards the water. "Are you crazy!?" Wirt whisper yelled. "Shhh" I shush him not looking away from the spot the beast fell in the water. All of a sudden a black dog jumped out of the water and so did a little black turtle. I walk over to the dog "I think this little guy ate your candy trail Greg" I said while petting the dogs' head "this must've been the turtle that you put a piece of candy on earlier and the dog ate it by mistake"

Greg and Wirt where now standing next to me. I walk over to the turtle and pick it up. "I wonder if these turtles have magical abilities or something" I say turning the turtle about in my hand inspecting it. "T-thats crazy! Magic doesn't exist!" I look over to Wirt with 'really?' face and put the turtle down.

"You say magic doesn't exist, yet how do you explain the dog turning into a beast like that. Or the talking bird from earlier huh?" I say gesturing my hand over to the dog which Greg was petting at the moment.

The dog then ambles off "Ain't that just the way..." Greg says a little sad with his hands on his hips. I hear a groaning noice and look over to the Woodsman, he was waking up.

He got up and looked over to the mill "The mill is destroyed...the oil! All gone!!!" The Woodsman practically screeched, "But, b-but look! We, w-we got the Beast problem solved." He points to the dog, who now was laying asleep on the grass.

"That dog?! That is NOT the Beast!!!" He yells furiously as he takes his axe from Wirts hands "The Beast cannot be mollified like some farmer's pet!!! He stalks, like the night--" He swings his axe through a nearby rock, "-he sings like the Four Winds--" The wind starts howling and swooping around us, my cape getting caught up in the breeze "-he is the Death of Hope!! He steals their children, and, he'll...ruuuiiin..." He started to mumble towards the end but I could still sort of understand what he was saying.

Wirt knocks on Greg's teapot "You're always messing up, Greg." Wirt says in a hushed tone. "Boy!!! You, have it backwards! You are the elder child! You are responsible for you, and your brother's actions!!!" Wirt looks down guiltily and starts to twiddle with his fingers "Ah, Ahm, I-I'm sorry. Maybe I can...fix it?" Then he speaks in a almost whisper mainly to himself "I...I can't fix it."

"You must go. Take your brother north. Look for a town." The Woodsman pipes up and points down a path to the right of the mill "Yeah thanks" Wirt says not looking at the Woodsman, I look up towards and and bow slightly "I'm so sorry" I say to him "and thank you so much for still helping us even though what we put you through, thank you" I say as I turn around and follow after the two boys walking down the dirt and gravel trail.

"One last thing!-" The Woodsman shouts to us, we turn back to face him "Beware, the Unknown! Fear the Beast! And leave these woods!!! If you can." The last part was quite but, since I was closer than the other two I could He what he said, and the thought sent chills down my spine.

"It is your burden to bear!" The Woodsman speaks up again "And you, little one. You look after that frog; give it a proper name." He says to Greg "Okay" Greg says and the frog ribbits, the two turn again to leave and I turn to follow them as a hand grips my shoulder, I turn to see the Woodsman holding my shoulder and looking down to me with sorrowful eyes "And you young one, be weary of the voices in the woods, they may promise you all that you wish, and some might even be familiar but, don't trust them. They are just the tricks of the Beast! He will try to lure you into your doom, and especially you." His grip tightens slightly just to relax again, 'especially me? Why-' "Why me?" The words leave my lips without a second thought and I mentally scold myself.

"My dear, The Beast wanders these forests to trap lost souls and trick people to their doom, no-one knows why but, he seems to prey more on women than men. People have their theories that maybe he is looking for his lost love but, they're all ridiculous, no beast like that could love. Not with a heart that black" he let go of my shoulder and looked me straight in the eyes "Just be wary my dear, those boys need you, way more than you may know" he patted my shoulder one last time "you should get going- they're waiting for you" he said with a smile and I responded with a smile of my own and a quick nod, "Thank you" I said for what seemed like the final time to him and waved goodbye as I walked ahead.

I ran up the trail to see Greg and Wirt waiting for me, "What took you so long?" Greg asked, I smiled "just saying my goodbyes, that's all" Wirt smiles back "Right!" I say clasping my hands together "We should be on our way then! Off to find a town!" I say pointing ahead of me once more with a grin as we venture deeper into The Unknown.

"Wirt, I think I thought of a new name for our frog. I'm gonna call him, 'Wirt.'" Greg says "That's, gonna be really confusing."

"No, I'm gonna call you 'Kitty.'"

"What?? Maybe I'll start calling you 'Candy Pants.'"

"Woah, yeah!!" Greg shouts, Wirt ribbits"Good one, Wirt."

"Thanks."

"I'm not talkin' to you. I'm talkin' to Wirt!" I start to giggle at their ramblings back and forth,

'This is gonna be one heck of an adventure'

End Of Episode 1