It was a typical day in the north woods. Fhera was making the morning rounds of the traps on her property. She already had a couple of rabbits in tow but was hoping one of the big traps would provide something better. Not that there was anything wrong with rabbit, she just thought it would be nice to have a little variety once in awhile. The rabbit population was higher than normal that year which made snaring them very convenient. In times of prosperity such as this she liked to share her spoils with her pets. One of her favourites was accompanying her that day, a fox she had nursed back to health several years before that had been mauled by hunting dogs. Fhera referred to the fox as Junior, a fitting name for an animal who's fur matched her blood-coloured hair. They even had a similar shade of green eyes. Junior spent most of his time outdoors and usually fended for himself but during inclement weather he would bunk in Fhera's cottage and indulge in leftover stew. He was great company during the long winters and pitched in around the house by keeping the rodents out of the food stores.

Fhera and Junior were nearly finished checking all the traps and were strolling along at a leisurely pace when they heard a loud crash coming from the ravine up ahead. The ravine was where Fhera had built a pitfall to catch large prey. She quickened her pace at the sound and Junior broke into a trot. They could hear a lot of grunting and huffing coming from the pit. Junior was the first to reach the edge of the trap.

"What is it boy? Deer? A bear maybe?" Fhera said excitedly. She was hoping it was a deer. It had been over a month since she ate venison and she could use the hide to make new boots for next winter.

Whatever it was, Junior didn't like it one bit. His hackles bristled the moment he caught a whiff of the animal. He looked back at Fhera, then hesitantly into the pit once more before letting out a whimper and running off into the woods. Fhera had never seen Junior react like that before. He was normally a very bold little fox. He had even taunted bears trapped in the pit on several previous occasions. This made Fhera wary of what was waiting down there in that hole. It must be one massive bear, she thought. She drew her bow as she cautiously walked up to the trap. She peered over the edge, arrow ready to launch at a moments notice. What she saw startled her so much she almost released the arrow accidentally.

The beast was as large as a bear and heavily muscled. It had short grayish fur and a stiff mane of white hair running from forehead to mid-back. The skin on it's long face was pale and tight leaving the teeth exposed in a permanent grin which gave the entire head a skull-like appearance. It also had long tapered ears, each ending in a tuft of white hair protruding from either side of it's head. Despite the animal's impressive physique it was having difficulty getting to it's feet. The fall into the deep pit had stunned it pretty badly. A twig snapped suddenly under Fhera's boot. She hadn't realized how far she was leaning over the pit. The sharp noise caught the beast's attention. It looked up at her with bright orange eyes that seemed to be glowing from within it's dark eye sockets. Fhera just stared into those burning embers. She didn't know what to do. She had never seen any creature like it before. There was intelligence in those strange eyes, but no sign of malice or fear that she could detect. She relaxed her stance and lowered her bow a little and continued to stare at the animal.

"Well, are you just going to stand there gawking all day long or are you going to help a guy out?" the creature asked after a long moment of eye contact.

"You can speak?" replied Fhera, unable to hide the tone of surprise from her voice. "What…what are you?"

The beast raised an eyebrow at the question. "You look like a competent hunter and woodswoman. I find it hard to believe that in all your experience you've never seen an Elf befo…" he stopped mid-word as he caught a glimpse of his large, clawed, and very un-elven hands. He stood up in a panic and took a good look at his surroundings and then down at his own body. His heart raced and the memories of the last few days came flooding back to him.

"Oh no! No! No! No! This can't be happening. This isn't real. I'm dreaming…I have to be dreaming!" He began pacing through the debris on the pit's floor. "How did I get back here? And...and why do I still look like this?" he shouted. He was beginning to hyperventilate and it was making him dizzy again. He walked in a few frantic circles before slumping back down into a seated position against the pit wall. "This can't be happening. This can't be happening…" he mumbled over and over again as he massaged his temples.

Fhera put the arrow back into the quiver and slung the bow over her shoulder. She leaned further over the pit's edge. "Look, I don't know what to make of you. You say you are an Elf?…huh, and they call me crazy."

The beast gazed up at her again with a tired look in his eyes. "My name is Rihinn and yes, I am an Elf…I mean, I was an Elf until yesterday that is." he sighed. He looked pitiful, and defeated sitting there amidst the dirt, branches and dead leaves.

Fhera paused for a moment before responding. "Well, if you are an Elf then stories and songs about Elven beauty are greatly exaggerated" she said this with a slight smile. Rihinn couldn't help but let out a short laugh at the statement, which calmed him down a little bit. He took a deep breath before looking back up at his captor.

"So, if you're not going to kill me and cook me for dinner just yet, can you spare some water? I have an un-be-liev-ably nasty headache." Fhera loosened the waterskin from her belt and tossed it down to Rihinn. "Thank you." he said before taking a long drink.

Was the Elf-beast named Rihinn dangerous? Fhera thought it over for a minute or two as she watched him drink the water. Neurotic and confused maybe, but he seems harmless enough, creepy-looking but harmless. "I'll be right back." she said.

"Where are you going?" asked Rihinn.
"To get some rope so you can climb out." she answered as she disappeared from view.
"Hey! What's your name?" he yelled, now that he couldn't see her anymore.
"My name is Fhera" she yelled back.