When Rowan Oakwood's grandfather journeyed to the mountains of Oaxaca seeking allies in cryptid protection, he encountered the Chaneque spirits who had protected the forests for millennia. Recognizing their shared purpose, he forged an ancient pact, bringing several Chaneque north to help guard Sasquatch territories from encroaching threats. The first Chaneque Shepherd was trained to communicate with these spirits, establishing a tradition that continues to this day as a vital component of the Guardians' protective strategy.

The Chaneque Shepherd possesses the rare ability to communicate with and direct the forest spirits, coordinating their efforts to create disorienting illusions that lead hunters astray from Sasquatch territories. They can induce temporal confusion in intruders, making minutes seem like hours and causing compasses to spin wildly when near protected areas. The Shepherd shares a symbiotic connection with the forest itself, sensing disturbances in the natural order and responding with precisely targeted misdirection that preserves both the safety and secrecy of Sasquatch populations.

The Chaneque Shepherd serves as the spiritual bridge between human guardians and forest entities, deploying an invisible network of protective illusions throughout Sasquatch territories that confound even the most sophisticated tracking technologies. They represent the Wildwood Guardians' commitment to non-violent protection methods, using confusion and misdirection rather than confrontation to safeguard the ancient secrets of the forest.