Allison stared ahead into the darkness at the [I]female[/I] coming toward her through the gate in the wall.  [I]No … not a gate … a gap![/I] she would quickly realize, seeing what appeared to be decades, maybe even centuries of decay in the stone wall.

As the [i]woman[/I] stepped into the moonlight, Allison realized it was no woman but a girl ... a youthful, fresh face … except … this [I]girl[/I] had the delicious curves of an adult … a woman.

And Allison suddenly felt guilty: instinctively -- clear back in the woods at the first howl by the unseen, unknown animal -- she'd ripped an arrow out of her quiver, notched it, and run through the woods to this place ready to put the missile through the heart of the first scary thing that moved.  The woman before her was unknown, but she wasn't scary.  Of course, most wouldn't think Allison as scary when first they laid eyes upon her, but … well, she could be downright dangerous and deadly if the need arose.
 
Another thing the woman before her wasn't was River Elf; even in the low light of the glowing moon, Allision could see that.  Still mostly obscured by a moon shadow, Allison contemplated altering her appearance to match the female's own Being, in the hopes of limiting any fear that might arise at Allison's appearance.

But once again Allison remembered that magic -- or at least the accidentally misuse of it -- had been behind her transport to this strange place.  She decided to leave her look as it was and … and see how the young woman reacted.   

[b]“Hello there. Are you ok?”[/b]

[i]Not[/i] the reaction Allison had expected but definitely the one she was happy to experience.  The woman was polite and friendly and unafraid … the latter of which Allison wouldn't really say she was herself.  The circumstances of her situation were … well, simply unexplainable, and while Allison had never been accused of being a coward, she'd never been in a situation where she didn't know exactly what was happening around her.

[i]The howling...[/i]

Allison pulled her eyes away from the gap in the wall to look about herself.  The creatures who had seemed to be chasing her down were suddenly no longer there; the woods behind her were silent … though, over the next minute or two, the insects and other less threatening night creatures would come back to life once again.

Turning back to the woman before her, Allison looked to the [i]canine[/i] in her arms.  She smiled with delight; it seemed as if a puppy -- so small, so seemingly fragile -- and yet something told Allison that that dog wasn't anymore what it appeared than anything else around her.  

Suddenly realizing that she still had an arrow notched and the string pulled back for release, Allison relaxed the bow until it and the arrow both unthreateningly by her side.  She studied the [i]presumably[/i] young Being before her for a moment before speaking.

"I am Alee'a'sawn A'ma'hee … of the Trumbow Forest."  She hesitated, wondering whether the woman was a Human or another Being with a similar appearance before saying, "I am called [i]Allison[/i] by many.  I…"

She never liked showing her vulnerabilities … yet Allison continued, "I do not know where I am … or how I got here."

Returning the arrow to its quiver and slinging the bow to the same in a way that made it appear harmless yet left it easily retrievable should she need it, Allison finished, "Can you help me understand?"