The chains were spicy.

It would have been nice to imagine Valeska, noble High Priestess of Elysium, wholly focused on the task at hand in freeing the captive within the Isle's depths. She had personally led the charge, hesitating for only a fraction of a second before swallowing her terror and clamping down on the nearest chain as she pulled and pulled with every ounce of strength at her command.

The fact of the matter is, in the absence of terror, her mind splintered and was forced to fill the gap with other things - and it grabbed them from every corner of her subconscious.

"Why is this tether so spicy? It is like a hot pepper! Ow! Ow! Such poor design!" she thought through burning gums.

As her mouth sizzled, she remembered the first time she'd ever tried ayahuasca root with Amaranth. That was when she knew her companion to be directly in communication with the gods; where they had always spoken to Amaranth with clarity and ease, Valeska was forced to interpret their strange visions as best she could like a child fumbling through the dark.
What an experience! It had almost made her nauseous at the time...

"What would I be doing now if we had not been taken to this strange land?" she continued to think. They still would have had their five children from before, but what of Aelia, of Amaris - of Amaya? Would they have been the same them as in this place? Or had this Mythris changed them into who they are now? It was an interesting thought, but she scoffed. "No, no. In spite of the cracks leading to Hell, and this raging mountain in the sea, and the sun's death, I still would not change anything."

As more and more wolves gathered around her, her mind continued its meandering path through various topics and scenarios, jaws locked tight as she never ceased pulling at the chain which still burned her lips.

Something flew at her - she barely had time to register - but there was a sudden flash of brown, and she caught the tail-end of Lylith dashing across her peripheral before the girl had already taken the hit. Sacred Wolf Mother! Did she just - Valeska turned to look, but the chain started to slip from her grasp, and she forced herself to hold fast.

Had Lylith just done that - for her?

The sound of Amaranth's cry, however, was her weakness. She abandoned her post long enough to rush to her mate's side, Glitch laying equally unconscious close by; tears filled her eyes as she frantically nudged them both with her muzzle, willing them to rise, but they gave no response.

The chained wolf roared, and the cavern shook.

If there was any hope to save them - it was to finish this.

Valeska shut her eyes as she wrapped her teeth around the searing metal and her flesh burned and burned...

---

And then it was over.

Valeska opened her eyes. She was on her side sprawled comfortably in the grass, and it took her a second to realize that most of the snow had already melted. She pushed herself up with some effort; her mouth ached, that much she knew, but it would heal in time.

The sun (oh, the sun!) was warm against her fur as she enjoyed it for a long, lingering moment before she remembered -

LYLITH! GLITCH! she screamed. Her heart then leapt into her throat as she suddenly recalled her mate's blood-speckled body lyng motionless, and the howl that tore from her throat nearly shredded it.

AMARANTH!

---

A cacophany of voices guided her path. Cruel irony that Valeska was almost entirely unharmed, and she sprinted through the grass on silver legs carried by the wind and approximately one metric ton of adrenaline mixed with fear.

She could see them.

AMARANTH! AMARANTH! AMARIS - GLITCH - Amaya? - LYLITH - AMARANTH!

And then she was there, standing over Amaranth with a face drenched in tears.

Amaranth! Is she going to - is there a healer?! she cried. FIORA! She must be close by -!