A/N: Hey everyone. I know, it's been a while. My mojo is still in hiding, and every time I sit and try to write, I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall. I know this probably isn't the best chapter, in fact, I'm pretty sure it's horrendous, and so I apologise now.

The icy chill was blowing all around Kari, and no matter how much she hugged her coat around herself, she was shivering. She was really beginning to hate the planet that she was stuck on. It was too cold, it was too wet, and it was too white. "I should have just gone back to the TARDIS." Kari muttered to herself, rubbing her arms with her hands, trying to warm herself up. "And now I'm lost."

Since deciding to go for a little wander she had tripped on the root of a tree, hidden by the snow, as well as misjudging the depth of the snow and sinking down to her knees in the soft white powder. A low hanging branch, one that was void of all its leaves, swept across her face and grazed it. Kari wanted to head back, to make her way to the TARDIS and sink into a nice hot bath, but she was lost. The snow was still falling, and her tracks were quickly covered.

Kari pulled her phone out from her pocket and gazed at it. She was tempted to call the Doctor, to tell him that she was a little lost and had no idea where the TARDIS was from her position. Then she thought again, if she called him he would just moan at her, he would know that she hadn't gone back to their ship in the first place. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of coming to find her, not yet at least.

"First things first," she said to herself, "I need to get out of this stupid forest." Kari really was sick of seeing all those trees now. Most of them were bare, only a few evergreens scatter around, no amber leaves on any of them, just the dark bark. "That's part one of this non-existent plan, get out of the forest." With a heavy sigh she carried on her walk, trying her best not to let the cold get to her, even when it was gnawing at her skin.

After making her way through some trees, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and she froze in place. Kari was getting a very bad feeling, and a very bad feeling for her was never good. She stood there and waited, but nothing happened. Her phone was still in her hand, and she was gripping it tightly. All those thoughts about not wanting to let the Doctor to feel smug vanished in an instant, she knew that she had to call him now.

Except she never had the chance to hit the call button. Something growled behind her, causing her to whip her head around. Kari's wide eyes settled on a gigantic beast, fur as white as the snow, and barrelling through the trees towards her. Her instincts and sense kicked in, and she ran as quickly as she could.

Behind her she could hear the snapping of the twigs and branches. It was clear that whatever she had seen had seen her as well because it was definitely chasing after her now. "Great, just great, absolutely fantastic actually." Kari ended up grumbling to herself as she pushed herself to run even faster. "There just had to be some monster, didn't there? The Doctor just had to be right, didn't he." She really wasn't happy with the way things were turning out.

Breathing heavily, she picked up her pace and done her best to outrun the monster. Her legs were starting to burn a little, but with her blood now rushing through her body, she was starting to warm up. At least she could not longer complain about being cold, instead Kari would moan about whatever it was that was chasing her.

Suddenly, something caught her eye up ahead of her, something gleaming and glinting in the light. Kari squinted her eyes a little, as a bright flash of light swept over her eye. She was curious as to what that strong light had been, but she had wasted time by pondering over it already, and the beast was almost right upon her.

"Come on, Kari, move it!" She growled at herself, wondering if she was actually going to make it out of the whole mess.

Just as more thoughts of not getting out of the forest alive flashed through her mind, a group of men instantly appeared before her. They were all dressed in leather and metal, some holding great big spears, and others with their bows and arrows primed and ready to fire. "Get down!" One of the men, who was pointing a bow her way, cried out.

Kari didn't need telling twice, and she quickly threw herself to the ground. As she did, a whistling sound rushed past her ears, followed by another, and another. She considered the men, and what they were wearing, the weapons that they possessed, and deduced that they must have been guards, or soldiers. That gave her some relief, to know that they would be able to lead her to civilisation and she could hopefully get back to the Doctor.

"Keep firing!" A voice shouted, while Kari kept her eyes tightly scrunched closed. There was no way she wanted to open them, not yet at least, not when there was a battle going on and she was helplessly lying on the muddy ground, her face now smothered with dirt. "Keep firing!"

With her eyes closed, her hearing seemed to be heightened, and Kari could hear the twanging of the bow as the arrow was released, as well as the whooshing as the arrow past by her head. But what she also heard was the big white beast that had been chasing after her. Whatever it was, it sounded like it was grunting, but not in any pain. It made her wonder how thick that coat of fur really was, and if any of the arrows were actually hitting it.

Before she could dare to look, there was an earth rattling growl, and the sound of trees being snapped like a twig. The sound wasn't getting any louder, in fact, Kari was certain that it was getting quieter. Had the beast finally retreated? "Miss, are you alright?" One of the men asked her.

Finally daring to look up, Kari noticed that all of the men were now surrounding her, their weapons still primed, but a lot more relaxed then they had been a few minutes ago. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She managed to mumble, looking up at the man who had spoken to her. He was one of the archers and clothed in leather, his hair almost as black as a ravens feather.

She didn't even comment when he glanced her over for any injuries. "Are you sure you are alright, Miss?" He asked her once more, having noticed the way she seemed to have just spaced out. He was holding out his hand, ready and waiting to help her stand.

That was when she was brought back to her senses, and she looked at the man once more. "Yes, I am, thank you." She replied, quickly taking his hand and allowing him to help her.

"What are you doing out here, Miss? It's very dangerous, and the emperor has ordered that no one wander the forest, least not a young woman on her own." From that one sentence, Kari had managed to gather enough information to talk her way into getting help, a skill she had learnt from the Doctor, and her best friend.

"I… I'm lost. I was with some friends, and we were heading to the city, but we had an argument." So far, she was managing to tell them all the truth. "I was upset, I wasn't thinking, I ended up wandering into the forest in a daze." And now the time to start spinning the convincing lies. "I… I was so scared." Kari had completely forgotten to lie and was back to telling the truth. She had been utterly petrified when that monster had chased after her. What made it even worse was the fact that she knew nothing about it all.

The group of men looked at each other. There was nine of them in total, a rather large group, and most likely a patrol to protect the people from the wild beast that they had just encountered. After a few mumbled words between the men, they seemed to have made a decision. "You will stay with us, Miss, and we will escort you to the city when our patrol is complete."

Kari just nodded at them, and dusted herself off some more. "Thank you. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't come along when you did." In all honesty, she was grateful for them showing up. She knew she could have kept on running if she needed to, she was used to the running and the exercise and being out of breath thanks to the Doctor and his antics. The only problem was, how long would it have been until the beast finally caught her?

"You'll be safe with us, but if one of us orders you to run, then you must run. Anything we say, you listen to, is that understood, Miss?" Kari couldn't help but notice the authority in his voice, and she knew there was no way that she could protest.

"Of course. Thank you." That was all that she could manage to say to the man. Her head kept replaying what had happened, what that creature looked like. Kari could see the white fur clearly, but all of its other features were a bit of a blur. Another feature that she could remember was the size of it, it was absolutely huge. It had to be at least twelve feet tall, and more than three feet wide. "What… what was that thing?" She hadn't meant to say it outloud, but there was no chance she could take it back now.

All of the men stopped and looked at her as if she was a little crazy. "Everyone from the city knows what that thing is, so why don't you?" One of them asked her suspiciously. "The people have known about it for decades, so how can you not know about it?" There was definitely distrust in his eyes as he gazed at Kari, waiting for her response.

"Because everyone always keeps me in the dark." Kari managed to tell him, knowing that it was a pretty lame excuse and that it was going to get her nowhere at all.

Just as that other man was about to speak, the one who had helped her up stepped in. "You're from one of the outlying villages, aren't you?" He asked her, his eyes seemingly pleading with her, wanting her to agree with him, to say that she was.

"Yes, I am, how did you…"

"I thought I recognised your face, aren't you Miranda's daugher?" There was a twinkle in his eyes now, and Kari could see exactly what he was doing, and so she nodded in response. "Well, no wonder you know nothing about the beast then. I swear, one day, that woman is going to get herself into some serious trouble by not listening to all those warnings."

The other men had absolutely no idea what was going on. "Adrian, what are you going on about?" One of them called, the one with some slightly ginger hair.

The man, Adrian, the one who had saved Kari, couldn't help but smile at the rest of the men. "This is mad Mirinda's daughter. The one that she usually keeps locked up in the house." All of a sudden, everyone seemed to recognise Kari as this Mirinda's mysterious daughter. "Anyway, we need to keep moving, it's going to be back soon, and we need to be gone."

Kari kept her head down as she walked with the group. There were many questions running through her head, but she didn't really know how to ask them while the rest of the group were silent. She had a feeling that if she were to ask Adrian she would get an answer, but what would the others think of that? It was clear that they were a little concerned with her lack of knowledge of the area and monsters.

After walking for a while, possibly a few hours, they finally made their way to a clearing. "We should be back at the city in another hour or two." Adrian inform Kari, while the rest of the group gathered some wood together and started a fire. "But for now, we rest and we can finally have a little chat about where you're from and what you're doing here." There seemed to be a smile on his face as he said that to her quietly, and a slight twinkle in his eyes still.

"Why did you cover for me back there? You know I'm not from one of the villages, I'm not Mirinda's daughter who is kept locked away." Kari was obviously curious as to why he had helped her and didn't just demand to know the truth straight away.

Adrian shrugged his shoulders at her as the pair sat down on a large log that was partially covered with moss. "You really did look lost. Most of what you said was true, you were genuinely lost and scared. Besides, it's not uncommon for us to have visitors from outside who know nothing about what is going on. What's your name?"

"Kari. So, you want to explain to an outsider what is really going on?" Kari wasn't keeping her hopes up of actually getting an answer, or any kind of explanation really.

But it appeared that she was wrong as Adrian looked at her with a very solemn face. "Well, you saw what we have to deal with. It's called a Snow Warper. No one really knows what it looks like, every time someone gets close enough, its features warp into something different. I'm Adrian, by the way. Tell me, what did you see when you looked at it?"

"Uh, well… it was big, and white… and, uh, covered with fur." Kari told him, now actually wondering if she really had seen that or if it had all been an illusion. "I couldn't make out any of it's other features, you know, the eyes, a mouth, hands, feet, nothing." Something just didn't sit right with her, the whole big white beastly creature didn't feel right.

"Wow, that's a new one." Adrian told her, looking a little surprised at her answer.

Kari was just sitting there completely confused. Her head was spinning a little, and she honestly just wanted to get out of that stupid forest and back to civilisation. "What do you mean, that's a new one?" The least she could do was trying to gather some more information about what was really going on.

"Brandon over there, he claims that the thing is as dark as the night, and twice the size of a bear. According to him it has razor like claws and burning red eyes." Adrian explained to her, nodding over to the man that he was referring to, Brandon. "Melvin, what he sees is something like a wolf, only about twenty times bigger."

There was one question that was burning at the back of Kari's throat, desperate to get out. "What about you, what do you see?" It appeared that they all claimed to see something different, which only made the situation more difficult.

"Me? Uh, yeah… um." Kari really didn't like the way that he was tripping all over his words, that he found it so difficult to answer her simple question. "I… I see…"

"You know what, I don't even trust what I saw." Kari said, surprising the man that was sitting beside her. "I've learnt that not everything is as it seems, and that sometimes it's better not to just to conclusions. So everyone sees something different, that means that whatever that thing is, it doesn't want us to see what it really looks like." She had gone into full on deduction mode now, trying to make sense of certain things. "Could be using a perception filter, small chance, but still. Could also be a shapeshifter."

Suddenly Adrian's eyes widened. "Oh no, you're a sci-tech, aren't you?" Kari just looked at him blankly, having absolutely no idea what he was saying. "You're one of those sci-tech nuts, aren't you."

"Wait, what? A sci-tech? I don't even know what that is." She protested, having a feeling that it was more of an insult than anything else.

"Someone who explains everything with science and technology. You're one of those lot, aren't you?" It was clear from his tone that he had a small dislike for those kind of people, but Kari couldn't understand why.

Instead, she quickly shook her head at him. "No, I'm not. I know for a fact that not everything in the universe can be explained by science, no matter how much people try to prove otherwise. Trust me, if anyone knows anything about something not making sense and having no way to explain it with science, then it's me." She had first hand experience of things that no one could explain, her whole life was now like that.

She could see the man beside her relax a little at her words. "So… where are you really from then?" He realised that he still didn't know anything about the woman that they had just found in the forest, being chased by a monster.

It was one of the questions that Kari really hadn't wanted him to asked, and she didn't really feel like lying to him after he saved her life. "See, that's the thing, I'm not entirely sure anymore. I'm… I'm kind of homeless." After what had happened with the Doctor, the way that they had just argued, her head was just in such a mess. "It's a really long story, and one I'd rather not go into."

Adrian just nodded at her, an understanding look on his face. "Well, when we reach the city, I'll take you to the emperor and introduce you to him. He's a pretty nice guy, I'm sure he'll grant you residency in the city."

After that there was a little more small talk before the group were back on track and heading towards the city. Kari wondered if the Doctor had made it there already, and if he had found anything out about that creature that she had encountered. All her thoughts about him were currently logical, she was refusing to let herself wonder if he was alright, if anything had happened to him and Clara. For a start, she knew that if she did, she would instantly start freaking out, plus she was still slightly annoyed with him and the things he had said.

That argument, the way things had turned out, she wasn't going to get over it that easy. Even speaking to her Converse wearing Doctor, after listening to everything he had to say to her, she still couldn't bring herself to try and get past it. Of course, Kari knew that the Doctor was going to need her help and support, but after what he had said to her, she was less inclined. His words had hurt, and she knew he would never apologise for them, and that hurt even more.

The moment the high stone walls were in front of them, the group stopped. Adrian turned to Kari, a very serious look on his face. "We are going to walk in surrounding you." He told her, causing her to feel a hint of fear. "Not to harm you, but more to protect you. The people are very cautious of strangers, with us, they'll realise you're not a threat and the guards at the gate will just wave us through."

There was something nagging at Kari, and she couldn't help but let it out. "Why would they think I was a threat? What would they do if they thought I was a threat?" That just didn't seem to make sense to her, why would the people be ready to attack a newcomer? What else were they afraid of?

"That is a discussion for later. Just stick with us and we'll be at the palace in no time." Adrian informed her, nodding to the other men.

They really did surround her, a circle of men, keeping her suck inside the ring, and keeping everyone else out. The moment they stepped through the gate, she felt the air shift. Eyes quickly turned in their direction, mouths began to open and slowly whisper to the closest ear. Kari was definitely starting to feel uncomfortable with all those eyes on her, but she knew there was nothing that she could do about it.

"Don't worry, it isn't that much further." Clearly Adrian had noticed her slight discomfort as he made that comment to her, and he gave her a reassuring smile. It really didn't do anything to settle her down, she was starting to think that it was a very bad idea to allow them to take her to the city, and that maybe she really should have headed to the TARDIS when she had left the Doctor. It was far too late now.

Within no time at all they had entered the gleaming white palace that Kari had seen from the distance. Even within those walls the looks and whispers continued, and Kari wanted nothing more than for the ground to just open up and swallow her whole. She would much rather had been out there with that monster chasing her than with all those eyes on her.

Kari didn't have time to worry, not when she was standing in front of a set of huge, polished wooden doors. Adrian knocked, and the sound echoed all around. A loud and gruff voice called from the other side, and the doors swung open and she was led inside.

What she saw made her speechless. The every single wall had brightly coloured fabric draping down from it, not a single spot of bare wall visible anywhere. Above her head she noticed the gigantic chandeliers, reflecting the light everywhere, rainbows of colour raining down all over the place. It really did have Kari speechless, and she was so entranced with all the colours that were around her that she failed to notice Adrian leading her further into the room and to the man sitting behind the long table, head bent down and looking at some papers in front of him.

"Your Majesty, we encountered the Warper while on patrol, no injuries." Adrian told the man, who had failed to look up and even acknowledge that they were there. "However, we did encounter a civilian who was being chased by the Warper." That seemed to grab his attention, and his eyes quickly snapped up from his work and landed on Adrian, before he noticed the woman standing behind him. "This young lady is from one of the outlying villages. She had no knowledge of the Warper when she accidentally wandered into the forest."

"Is that so?" The Emperor asked, his voice as smooth as silk. "What is your name, Miss?"

Kari suddenly snapped back to reality and looked at the man who was gazing at her. His eyes seemed to be a dazzling green, almost as if they were made from emeralds. "Uh, my name is Kari, Your Majesty." She met a good few royals in his time with the Doctor, but for some reason, something didn't feel right.

"Well then, Kari, I am glad that my men saved you and brought you safety." The Emperor smiled and flashed his brilliant white teeth at her. "Please, sit down and rest." He said, gesturing Kari to one of the chairs around the table. "Get some rest, Adrian, you've done well today." Adrian nodded before bowing out of the room and leaving Kari there with a man that was making her feel rather uncomfortable. "So, you're from one of the villages?" She nodded her head at him as she sat herself down on one of the chairs. They were a lot more comfortable than she thought they would have been. "Which village?"

She froze. She didn't know what any of the villages were called, she had just managed to bluff her way out of danger before. Now, she was sitting in front of an Emperor and had no idea what to do. "I lied." Kari managed to whisper, resulting in the Emperor raising an eyebrow at her. "I'm not from one of the villages." She knew she had to pull herself together and act like she knew what she was doing, but something was bothering her. Since that encounter with that Snow Warper she had started to doubt herself, something had happened.

"Then where are you from?" Of course, the Emperor was rather intrigued now.

There was no way that she was going to tell him the truth, but there was no harm in bending it a little. "I… I'm… I'm kind of… homeless, Your Majesty." That much was true, she didn't really have a home, she had a little blue box that was bigger on the inside and was able to travel through time and space. But she thought it was best not to mention that to him.

"Please, just call me Neon." He snapped his fingers and someone suddenly appeared beside him. "Fetch Miss Kari some food and drink, I am sure she would appreciate it after the day she has had." The young boy who had appeared disappeared just as quickly. "You must be rather shaken from your encounter with the Warper."

"Uh, a bit, yeah." Kari muttered, the awkwardness growing by the second. She wanted nothing more than to pull her phone from her pocket and call the Doctor, to let him know where she was and to just casually stroll in, take her by the hand, and walk out together. But she knew that was not going to happen. "I was very lucky that your men were there and found me. If they hadn't, I wouldn't be here now." Of course, Kari was grateful, but she couldn't shift that uneasy feeling that had settled in her stomach.

Emperor Neon smiled at her, a smile that was too wide, that showed too much of his bright teeth. "Yes, but I am curious. What exactly were you doing out there in the first place?" The curiosity shone through his eyes. "You see, I find it very hard to believe you are homeless. Your clothes are clean, as are you. Your bone do not poke through your skin, you look far too healthy to have suffered on the streets for even one night. I think now would be a good time for you to start telling me the truth."

Kari knew that she was stuck, and that there really wasn't much else that she could do. She hoped that the Doctor and Clara had already passed by that way, that they had reached the city and were there somewhere. All she could do was hope, and pray that the terrible feeling she was getting would quickly dissolve.

A/N: I did warn you all, no where near my usual standard of writing, and I really am sorry for that. Thank you all for your support over the past few weeks, it really does mean a lot to me, just knowing that you are all there and waiting patiently.

Next week I'm going to be getting a chance of scene, and hopefully that will help me find my mojo, the sneaky little monster who is too good at playing hide and seek. Hopefully I will have something even better for you to read soon.

Until then...

Pippa.