Gruff, like Ariana Fate, is originally from Wyoming. He was found nestled at 8,200 feet against granite outcrops. Gruff made his home in Vedauwoo and he spent his days braiding sage brush into his beard and scaling cliffs better than any mountain goat. He encouraged butterflies to rest on his nose and he helped topsy turvy bugs out of puddles.

Gruff is a beast and most commonly, beasts are solitary creatures. Summer brings climbers and outdoor enthusiasts to Vedauwoo and soon there were sightings of Gruff. These sightings lead to gossip and spooky campfire retellings. Then without much input from Gruff, he became a cryptid, a monster, folklore. Exaggerated witness testimonies describing eerie encounters in the wilderness, encounters marked by the stench of death, cold whispers in the wind, and ominous claw marks etched into trees. What people don’t often see, they fear. Soon people were flooding to the Wyoming mountains to catch a glimpse of the beast. Hikers named him Wendigo and Gruff was in danger. Ariana Fate scooped him up. The beast and the girl had formed a fast friendship. She often encountered Gruff during her time wild harvesting medicinal plants as an apprentice at Elk Mountain Herbs. Ariana Fate snuck him away in her backpack and never looked back. Gruff now spends his time in a slightly more humid climate, but he is free to be a beast.
The Wendigo is believed to be a malevolent spirit or a monstrous creature that preys upon humans in times of desperation and famine. Though the existence of the Wendigo remains a matter of debate, numerous chilling accounts and reports persist.
At Fate Greenhouses & Beast Menagerie, we harbor a deep respect for the natural world, including the legends and lore that surround it. While we house an exquisite array of unique plant life and creatures, we do not, at this time, house any wendigo.
Gruff here, is just a friendly beast.