Ghent trusted Elayra. He didn't know why, but he did, and her promise made his daunting task a little easier.  
	After a wait that threatened to feel agonizingly long, Ghent reconsidered his decision to wing it. Wonderland's version of a fox may have been different. If Elayra described what a tichari looked like, perhaps he could better imagine the creature. It was worth a try, at any rate. The image he conjured obviously wasn't working.
	At least, that's what he thought. 
	Before Ghent got a chance to ask for a description, he was hit by something. It wasn't an object or a thought, it was a smell. A horrible smell, reminiscent of some road-kill he had the misfortune of coming across back in the city.
	Resisting against the urge to gag, Ghent's eyes shot open to find the culprit. 
	Aside from the curious looking tendrils, there wasn't much to see. Either everything around him had changed, or the ghostly wisps were blocking his vision to what was really there.
	Holding his breath, Ghent continued to wait, but with the hope that the tendrils would magically gather to form a tichari.
	 No such luck. Instead, the tendrils hung around, unnerving him with their too-close presence.
	[i]This isn't working.[/i] Exhaling, Ghent's skin prickled with goosebumps. He wanted to turn to see if Elayra was still with him, but he was unable. To his horror, he lost the ability to move.  
	"Hey, Elayra?" Ghent's heart flip-flopped. Desperate to prove his body wrong, he struggled to stand, his fears multiplying when the reality of the situation sank in. For reasons unknown, he was paralyzed, and Elayra was gone.
	"Elayra?!" Ghent's panic melded into a sensation of rage, then back to fear again. The feelings he unwillingly harbored were overwhelming, clashing and fighting for dominance. Through emotion alone, he experienced what the victims before him felt, and it was more than he could take. 
	With no other options immediately available to him, Ghent strained to move, his breaths panicked and uneven. No matter how much he tried to focus on moving, he couldn’t budge, and he couldn't remember a single focus word.
	Finally, Ghent gave up. 
	The tendrils seemed to take pleasure in the defeat of their victim. They sped up, colliding like the emotions tearing him apart. Ghent didn't know whether to scream out in anger or break down crying. It wouldn’t make a difference in the end. No one was there to hear.
	But someone [i]was[/i] there. Someone who offered a single word to put an end to his nightmare.
	Everything seemed to go quiet. A blanket of calm fell over Ghent. He looked to see who he had to thank for the assist, and was rendered speechless at the sight of the approaching figure. The mysterious woman had an unearthly beauty about her, to the point where she didn't seem real. 
	Ghent wasn't sure if the woman was an illusion or a ghost. He stammered out the beginnings of a request, but he didn't have to finish. With a wave of her hand, the woman granted him mobility again.   
	"Don't get me wrong...I-I appreciate the help, but..." Ghent began to stand, struck by sadness in the woman's green eyes. It was a haunting kind of sorrow, one that carried over into her voice. His heart sank with the realization that she have been a victim of Hollow Forest. 
	Remembering himself, he took a breath and straightened. His legs felt wobbly, but he couldn’t have been more grateful to be on his feet. "Who are you?"