Look in my eyes, You're killing me, killing me Here it was, lurking hundreds of feet below in the churning dark waters, the proof of her insanity. Pyralis hauled herself onto the sharp dark rocks that formed a nearby ledge. She wasn't sure why she'd had to go see this island. Curiosity, probably. It rose out of the ocean like a jagged black scar and she just couldn't help herself. Besides, Lydia had once mentioned the place in her stories to the children. Stories full of poisonous plants, dangerous terrain and very rare herbs. The mortal woman had been to scared to investigate but that was typical of mortals. Pyralis was of stronger stock and she feared nothing on the earth. Craning her head, her golden eyes peered down at the crashing dark waves, bustling with uncharitable riptides. She was lucky to have made it to shore, let alone climb up so high across the shadowy crags. Stretching as a rumble echoed across ocean she eyed a growing storm in the distance.  Dark clouds churned, devouring light as the storm brewed and twisted and writhed.

Maple had made a grave mistake.

Swimming out here had been difficult, but not impossible when the weather had held back a few days ago. Unfortunately, shortly after her arrival, the storm came in and the wildly thrashing waves prevented the tiny pale woman from swimming away from this place. It was dark, full of jagged peaks and bad weather unlike any other place she'd visited before. What a way to spend her time after turning two. Drenched from rain that poured off and on, cold, and hungry. What a miserable creature she looked like, too. Dirt and debris clung to her untameable woolly pelt, leaving her more off-white than truly white in color.

It wasn't really raining now, but the ocean still looked as angry as the dark, twisting clouds that rolled across the sky above. Maple was still a bit damp, though, thanks to her overly thick fur. She was carefully padding along a path that trailed upwards towards one of the higher peaks, looking for shelter in case the sky opened up. The little wolf tried peering into one small alcove in the rocks, only to shriek loudly when a particularly irritable looking raccoon came flying out at her. Maple scrambled away, racing up the trail only to have part of it crumble away as she was making her escape. Her front end started to fall with the rocks, but she caught herself and pulled her body back to safety. Breathing in shallow gasps, she stared with wide brown eyes down at the fall she saved herself from. Yeah, that would have been bad. Better be more careful before something bad happened.

Come, break me down Break me down Thunder crashed over her as lighting danced in the distance. Pyralis was content to enjoy the light show until a shift in the wind brought a curious sent to her. What was this? She stood before a shriek echoed out across the crags. Pyralis grinned nastily. Sounded like someone was having some fun and she wanted in. Deftly picking her way down from her perch she spied a little woman on the path below, with her back pressed sharply back against the rocks. Part of the path had clearly crumbled away into a violent, raging ocean. The woman looked more like a prey animal than a wolf. She had a thick, wooly coat full of dirt, debris and who knew what else. Pyralis wouldn't have been surprised if a possum had been living unnoticed in the woman's coat. Pyralis slithered down along the path as lighting cut across the sky. "Ohhhhh wee lamb, that was a close one. What is a little morsel like you doing on an island like this?" She continued to walk forward, in a calm and lackadaisical manner while the elements crashed around her, begging for blood.

She was beginning to shiver, her tiny body just wasn't made for sitting out in bad weather for so long. What a nightmare. Earthy brown eyes glanced over at the ledge she nearly toppled off of once more, but were soon torn away to stare nervously at the dark woman who seemed to have spontaneously been crafted out of smoke and shadows. When'd she get here? Her words sent a sudden chill down Maple's spine for some reason. The woman was freaking massive too! Forget being taller, she dwarfed Maple oh so easily.

"O-oh, I, uhm, well, I was just e-exploring and I g-got stuck here. I can't swim b-back, the water's too rough for me." she stuttered, voice cracking from the combination of lingering cold and the nerves the appearance of the stranger had brought on.

After a second Maple began to slowly tip-toe back away from the woman. She didn't mean to be unfriendly, but new wolves made her uneasy most of the time. Maybe it was just the atmosphere, but the little wolf was sensing trouble brewing and she didn't like it one bit.

What if I wanted to Break? What are you waiting for? She could feel the energy of the storm beating through her blood, humming sweet-nothings of violence into her ears. It was like feeling possessed. Reason was slowly leaving her and she could feel the need to sacrifice welling up in her veins. Images of a bloody prayer were twisting in her head and all the negative emotions she'd been hiding under foolhardy grins and carefree swagger were bubbling up her throat. Pyralis peered down at the woman. "Ohhhhh poooor thing… trapped on a cursed island filled with monsters. I don't envy you one bit." She slipped between the woman and the rocky back of the mountain. "I have a task for you, something very important." She began to move forward again, seeking to herd the woman toward the cliff edge. "You see I need divine answers regarding the futures of my children and my own. I can feel it… eating at me." She snarled, a pained expression flickering across her face for a moment before it emerged in a dark grin dripping with cruelty. "So, fly my little pretty, FLY!" Pyralis exploded forward seeking to slam her chest into the smaller woman, her fangs seeking the woman's scruff with the goal of gaining a hold and flinging the poor thing off the cliff and into the sea.

The alarm bell in her head were going absolutely wild the longer she looked up at the massive woman. Shit. Shit shit shit! Maple's fur was all on end, ears flattened and eyes so wide with fear they might've popped out if they went even a hair wider. What she saw in this woman's face, her eyes, her very way of moving as the smoke wrapped lady came creeping closer, sending Maple closer to the edge of the cliff with each movement... Maple saw death in that woman's features. Her own death.

The words this woman spoke, they had started out almost normal but took on an edge that made her skin crawl. It wasn't often one saw the face of evil, and to see it now Maple could not have mistaken it for anything else. The mention of a task had the tiny woman's brows knitting together even more tightly. The more the other woman spoke the more Maple realized in a panic that she was trapped. Even if she ran, she'd never be able to hide on this horrid island.

"Please no," she whispered as it dawned on her that her time was running short. Even in such a position, it was impossible for the tiny white wolf to speak up like someone braver might have done. How pathetic.

That mad grin, that wild-eyed face was the last face she'd ever see. It was so odd how she knew that even before she was sent flying. "Wait no-" the cotton-white girl would scream, the sound ripping from her throat but was cut off as the larger wolf slammed into her hard, knocking her off balance so Maple would teeter on the edge of safety. Stunned, the girl was helpless as fangs found her nape, hurling her over the edge of the great cliff so she would fall, weightless, plummeting down to the angry waters that thrashed below. They seemed to reach up to grab her, spraying foam like a frothy-mouthed beast hungry for prey.

Splash! Hitting the water hurt beyond words as she landed hard on her side, effectively shattering several of her ribs on impact. The pain made it impossible to fight the churning, dark sea as it's waves moved with reckless abandon and the water below the surface would swirl and churn just as violently, sending the helpless wolf careening below the surface. She was powerless, in pain, and out of air. Water filled her lungs, choking, gagging her. Her vision was blurry, it grew darker as her pain increased and increased and then- it stopped. She felt numb as the dark around her vision grew, consumed the image of the dark water around her. And then, just like that, she was gone.

-exit Maple via death-