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The Maiden: Beached — Description

She lay unmoving, the surf caressing her body in its steady waves, each pushing her forwards against the smooth rocks she lay upon, only to try and pull her back into its deep embrace. Salt and brine filled her nose, the stench overwhelming all her other senses. The sharp sting burned into her mind, driving away the darkness that had enveloped her.

Drawing in a rasping breath she choked, gaging as the surf washed over her again, the foam and flotsam washing over her cheeks and burning her eyes. As the wave crashed over her, a mute calm deafened her ears as the cold sept into and over her body. Water filled her nose, her mouth, poured down her throat threatening to fill her lungs. Gaging she struggled, fear knotting in her stomach as she fought to move.

Her body was leaden, every action seemed to take an eternity while the suffocating waters lingered wrapping themselves around her in a smothering embrace. Lungs burning, she fought, she could feel the trail of bubbles trickling from her nose, tickling her senses as they fled to the surface.

Screaming, she struggled to rise, to push herself upwards to blindly follow those bubbles, only to have the tide dig its fingers into her, drawing her back, ever deeper into its hungry abyss. Frantic, she opened her mouth to scream and was choked as the gray waters forced their way in as her muffled screams escaped.

Body sliding over the slick rocks, she clawed, digging in for any hold with numb fingers against the unrelenting force. She was sliding, slipping over the rocks, she was going to be swallowed up, she –

Her hand slipped skipped over a loose rock and instinct wrapped her fingers around it, holding on with a will born of desperation.

Slowly, painfully slowly, the wave receded, leaving her in its wake.

Coughing, spitting up mouthfuls of water, the vixen cracked her salt crusted eyes.

The world was black, black and gray. Black rocks filled half her world, stretching out as far as her vision allowed, the rest, the sky was a stormy gray of rolling clouds, churning above her in dizzying patterns.

A sickening feeling lurched in her stomach, and clenching her eyes closed she retched. Filth and saltwater erupting from her mouth and spraying over the rocks her head rested on. The burning fire that had crept into her gut now searing her throat. Whimpering she tried to pull herself up, away from the blight, her body slow to respond. Each motion, every effort left her gasping for breath. Her lungs ached, burning as tears filled her eyes.

What hell was this that she had awoken into?

Twisting her head, she focused all her efforts and let the details fall away, focusing only on moving the arm that still grasped the rock, and pulled drawing her limp body up the rocks surface a few inches.

Survive.

Live.

That is what she needed to do now.

Her waterlogged fur hung around her like a lead blanked, slowing her every move. Slowly, slowly, she pulled herself from the surf, and onto the shore of the island.

Above, birds circled calling to each other, as they looked down at the strange creature that had washed up upon their shore.