Darla Thennis

Ms. Thennis, better known at Darla, is an antagonist in the Wildwood Chronicles trilogy. She's a kitsune who was sent to kill Prue McKeel in *Under Wildwood*.

## History

### Before the Wildwood Chroncicles

Prior to Under Wildwood, Darla claims that she*s been performing assassinations for a while, enough to become confident in her craft and to catch the attention of her masters. She caused Prue's old 7th grade life science teacher, Ms. Estevez, to resign, though it's implied that she killed Estevez in order to take her position as Prue's teacher.*

### Under Wildwood

Darla Thennis feigns concern about Prue's increasingly apathetic behavior in school and meets with her parents. Later, she shifts into her true form, a black fox, and tries to kill Prue on the Bluff, but is stopped by the surrounding plants. Afterwards, she helps Prue and they visit a coffee shop on Lombard Street. Prue tells Darla about her time in the Impassable Wilderness.

The two part ways, and don't meet again until Darla tries to kill Prue a second time as she's walking to get dinner for her family. This time, however, Prue is rescued by Brendan and Curtis, who arrive on herons to take her back to the Impassable Wilderness, specifically the Bandit Camp, where she'll be hidden and kept safe. Darla follows them back into Wildwood and turns her attention to Iphigenia in Northwood. She's joined by two more unnamed male kistunes, who are slain. Darla, however, manages to kill Iphigenia.

After Iphigenia is slain, Darla goes to a cave near the border of North and South Wood to report her success. Her master and another woman commend her for her efforts. They then turn their attention to Coporal Donalbain, and ask him for the location of the Bandit Camp in return for poppy beer. Donalbain tells them the locaiton of the hideout in the Long Gap, and Darla, along with the female kistune, Calista, go to the hideout to kill Prue and Curtis.

At the already-abandoned hideout, Darla and Calista ambush Prue and Curtis in the midst of their argument. Calista falls to her death, but Darla escapes and reports back her to masters at their pagoda in South Wood. She admits that while she did kill Iphigenia, she cannot say for sure whether Prue and Curtis are dead. Her associate tells her to remain vigilant, but for the time being, she is discharged. Ever vigilant, Darla continues searching for Prue.

Darla ambushes Prue in the junk yard towards the end of the book for a final showdown. Even with Prue's plant magic, Darla quickly gets the upper hand. Just as she's about to kill Prue, Esben approaches from behind and impales her using both of his golden hooks, killing her instantly. Her body, in human form, is flung across the yard and lands on a pile of discarded toaster ovens.

### Post-Mortem

The identities of Darla's masters are never revealed, nor what their ultimate intentions are. Her attempts on Prue's life serve as a reminder that there are individuals in Wildwood that have less than savory intentions for Prue McKeel. She does not seem to be a part of the Synod, as none of its members mention her, nor did she seem to be aware of the spongiform spread within the Bandits, who had all abandoned the Long Gap before Darla got there. Darla's associates and masters are never seen again after Under Wildwood. They likely left the Impassable Wilderness all together after Darla was killed.

## Appearance

In her human form, Darla takes the appearance of a hip life science teacher with olive skin and crow black hair. She wears a floral dashiki and smelled of patchouli.

In her true kistune form, Darla becomes a black fox with dark eyes. In her final battle with Prue, she appeared as a smoky, abstract form with both animal and human features, suggesting that she can remain in a half-transformed state when needed.

## Personality

As "Ms. Thennis," Darla was charismatic, down-to-eath, and tried to act youthful and fun in order to gain favor with her new middle-school students. She asked Prue's classmates to call her "Darla" and was kind enough to buy Prue a steamed milk at the coffee shop and walk her home. She was also sympathetic and feigned understanding of Prue's anxiousness and restlessness in school.

In actuality, Darla is a cold-hearted, cunning, and resourceful individual. She's ruthless in pursuing her targets, as evidenced by her continued search for Prue even after she was discharged by her master. While seen working with other kitsunes throughout Under Wildwood, Darla appeared independent and more than able to complete contracts without the assistance of others. It's implied that she has been an assassin for many years and has taken the lives of people from all walks of life, including children, who she especially takes pleasure in killing.

## Skills and Abilites

**\*Shape Shifting:**As a kistune, Darla is able to shift from her human form to her black fox form at will. However, unlike in traditional Japanese folklore, Darla is able to shift into a half human, half fox form, as she did in her final battle with Prue McKeel at the end of Under Wildwood. Additionally, aside from her shape-shifting abilities, Darla lacks any other supernatual powers commonly associated with kitsunes.

**\*Resourcefulness:**Before her final battle with Prue, Darla explains that she has intel sources everywhere, both inside and outside the Impassable Wilderness. She also was able to evade capture or detection from any of Prue's allies after her intial detection by Coporal Donalbain. However, it's possible that Coporal Donalbain only knew of Darla because she sought him out for the location of the Bandit Camp, and their association with each other preceeds their meeting in the cave after Darla kills Iphigenia.

**\*Defense and Fighting Abilities**: Darla is able to move with proficient agility and defend herself well in a fight, as evidence by her final confrontation with Prue in the junkyard. She's only significantly hindered by the plants Prue commands, and an unexpected attack from behind by Esben.

## Quotes

> "*Please . . . call me Darla.*"
> ― Darla to Prue McKeel before attempting to kill her, from Under Wildwood, chapter 5, "Enter the Assassin"
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## Trivia

* It's never explained why a Japanese pagoda and kitsunes are to be found in Wildwood. The kistunes present in Under Wildwood are the only foreign creatures present in the series.

* The part of South Wood where the kistunes' pagoda is located, the Shrine Grove, is never referenced by any of the other characters, meaning it must be well hidden or relatively new.