Gnawtusk is the squirrel you meet deep in Shadow Pines, on the way to rescuing your Aunty in Winter Burrow. Their memory for where they buried herbs is terrible, and your search for those stashes becomes a key part of the main story: you need Gnawtusk’s medicine to bring Aunty back on her feet.
The quest is compact but easy to get turned around in. Everything hinges on two things: crafting the right shovel and reading the landscape clues (the scarf, the shell, the “witchstone”).
Tool requirements before you start searching
Gnawtusk’s stashes are all buried in the snow. You cannot dig them up with your starting tools. Before you leave their camp and start wandering, you need to finish Bufo’s early quests and then craft the Granite Shovel from the blueprint Gnawtusk hands over.
| Tool or item | Why you need it | Key materials |
|---|---|---|
| Granite Shovel | Required to dig every buried herb stash in Shadow Pines. | 2 Oak Wood, 1 Pine Wood, 6 Granite, 1 Wool Yarn |
| Lantern / Lamp | Lights up the dark woods where the third stash and Witchstone are. | Given by Gnawtusk after you return the first two stashes. |
| Basic Axe | To deal with ants in the dark section near the third stash. | Standard early-game recipe, already in your progression. |
Granite sits on the ground as slightly larger, darker stones and also drops from specific boulders once you have a basic pickaxe from Bufo. You can also pull one rare stash later from Aunty’s backpack, but that is for Gnawtusk’s final request, not for the shovel.
How to reach Gnawtusk in Shadow Pines
Gnawtusk lives northwest of Bufo’s camp, in the pine forest region.
- From your burrow, follow the main path past Aunty’s house and cross the bridge to the Gnarled Oaks once the story cutscene has opened that route.
- Continue through the oaks to reach Bufo. Complete his early tasks until he clears the path north out of his area.
- From Bufo’s home, go north into the pines, then turn west at the open clearing with trees to reach Gnawtusk’s campfire.
Talking to Gnawtusk here gives you the Granite Shovel blueprint and starts the search for their buried herb stashes.
Gnawtusk’s first common herb stash (snail shell clearing)
The first stash sits under a snow-covered bump in front of a snail shell in a small clearing.
| Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Quest stage | “Find stash by shell” / first common stash after crafting Granite Shovel. |
| Area cue | Pine forest with a lone snail shell in the middle of the snow. |
| Navigation | From Gnawtusk’s camp, exit north, then go left (west) into the next screen and walk south. |
| Exact spot | Small mound of disturbed snow directly in front of the shell. |
| Action | Equip Granite Shovel and dig the bumpy patch to pull up the herb stash. |
Once you’ve collected the herbs, they sit in your inventory like other items. You do not need to process them; simply return to Gnawtusk to log the find when both of the first two stashes are done.
Gnawtusk’s second common herb stash (scarf tree)
The second common stash is buried in front of a pine tree that has a scarf tangled around its upper branches. You can approach this location either by navigating from Gnawtusk’s camp or by using Bufo’s house as a landmark; the latter is often easier if you are already familiar with that route.
| Route | Steps |
|---|---|
| From Bufo’s house |
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| From Gnawtusk’s camp |
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The stash is, again, in a small mound of rough snow at the base of the scarf tree. Dig with the Granite Shovel to collect it.
Once you’ve handed over these first two stashes to Gnawtusk, they reward you with a Lantern (sometimes referred to as a lamp). That item is essential for the third stash, which is hidden in a dark part of Shadow Pines.
Gnawtusk’s third common herb stash (Witchstone in the dark woods)
The last common stash is tied to Gnawtusk’s story about hiding herbs in a “spooky” place next to a “witchstone” — a standing stone with a hole in it. This section of the forest is unlit, so the Lantern is mandatory.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1. Prepare |
|
| 2. Enter the dark area | From Gnawtusk’s camp, take the bottom-left exit into the adjacent screen. |
| 3. Move through the shadows |
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| 4. Find the Witchstone | From the lit patch with the ant, go east into another dark zone. First you’ll see a scroll on the ground; a little further on sits the stone with a circular hole — the Witchstone. |
| 5. Dig up the stash | As with earlier spots, dig the bumpy snow at the base of the Witchstone to uncover the third herb stash. |
After you collect the herbs, return to Gnawtusk once more. Turning in this third stash completes the “common herbs” portion of their quest and advances the main story toward Aunty’s illness and recovery.
Gnawtusk’s rare herb stash (Aunty’s backpack)
Once the third stash is delivered, a cutscene plays. When control returns, you are back in your home burrow with Aunty, who is clearly unwell after her encounter with the Owl. Gnawtusk now needs one more, rarer batch of herbs — and this time, they are much closer than the previous three.
| Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Inside Aunty’s backpack on the floor of your burrow. |
| How to access | Interact with the backpack as you would with any container and open its inventory view. |
| What to take | The herb stash item stored inside. Move it into your personal inventory, not the burrow’s storage slots. |
| Next step | Leave home, travel back to Gnawtusk in Shadow Pines, and hand over the rare herbs. |
Gnawtusk then prepares medicine (or healing tea, depending on how your quest text phrases it) and gives it back to you. Your final task in this chain is straightforward: race home through the cold and interact with Aunty to administer the remedy.
This cures Aunty and unlocks the next layer of chores, including planter boxes and later questlines for characters like Moss and Willow. It also quietly ties up Gnawtusk’s story arc; once all four stashes are returned, their role shifts from client to supporting character as you continue through the forest.
How Gnawtusk’s quest fits into wider progression
Gnawtusk’s stashes are more than a side errand. They gate several important upgrades and story beats:
- They force you to craft the Granite Shovel, which is used for many other buried items and resources later in the game.
- The dark-forest leg gives you the Lantern, which you will rely on for spider webs, mole artefacts, and other deep-woods objectives.
- Completing the rare stash step and healing Aunty eventually feeds into the broader web of NPC quests, including Moss’s stew and Willow’s later tunnel tasks.
If you ever feel stuck around tool upgrades, recipe unlocks, or blocked paths after meeting Gnawtusk, check that all four stashes have been returned and that you have spoken to Aunty again after healing her. The game often hides the next progression step behind one extra conversation.
With Gnawtusk’s memories patched up and Aunty recovering, the mouse’s world opens up: you can push further into the birch forests, the spider-infested valleys, and the buried secrets tied to Pinesap without the cold or the dark standing quite so much in your way.
