The Tale of Imithe

Imithe is an elusive Volvehz. Their existence is surrounded in myth and mystery, most believe they don’t even exist. Young Volvehz are told the story of Imithe to teach them to not stray far from your parents, for you could get lost.

As the tale goes, Imithe was an ordinary pup living amongst their tribe. One day, Imithe felt drawn to the nearby woods. All the adults warned the pups “Do not enter the woods. Pups who wander in do not come out.”

But Imithe was curious. They’ve always been one to not accept things blindly. So one night, when all the adults were asleep, they snuck out to the woods to investigate. For hours and hours Imithe wandered around, trying to understand why the woods were forbidden. As the moon began to become hidden behind the nearby mountains and the sun started to peek out, Imithe gave up. But, when they turned to head home, they realized they didn’t know which way home was. All the trees looked the same. Yet the rivers and animals looked different. Imithe could swear that they had changed somehow, at some point... But now was not the time to think about that. They tried to keep calm as they began to search for anything that looked familiar. Hours went by and still nothing gave any hint to the direction of their home. More hours rolled by...and then days...then weeks...then nothing. Imithe never returned to their tribe. They never even escaped the forest. To this day, no Volvehz knows where Imithe died. Or, if they even died at all. Some twist the tale to say they found a hidden wonderland within the trees and ran away to it. Others say they died and now haunt the woods as an angry spirit. Most adults dismiss it as an old tale meant to scare pups. However, there are many stories that come from Volvehz who got lost in the woods but managed to return. They say they see a strange light from a lantern, held by what seems to be a young Volvehz. When they try to near the light, it moves further away. Further and further until the lost find themselves free of the forest. Perhaps it’s little Imithe, still alive and still lost. Or, maybe it’s the ghost of the poor pup, dead for years, trying to save others from the fate they suffered. No one knows the truth of the tale...and maybe no one ever will.