![img_0.7969902035268202](https://images.ecency.com/DQmWhktn2NwM3znHp6pQvbmtahwqC6cTAct7FNPhAS5enmr/img_0.7969902035268202.jpg)




[Image Source](https://www.pexels.com/photo/green-leaf-trees-at-day-2387967/)

*<center>Continuation from - @darthsauron/zapficfriday-prompt-overloaded</center>*

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...dismounted, holding her baby close to her body. Slapping the faithful horse hard on his rump, she yelled, “Heeyah! Run, Gaston – protect yourself!” 
The big horse looked at her as if to ask if she was sure. “Go on, I said!” she exclaimed, and Gaston whinnied as he did as he was told, leaping over a small stream and heading down a lesser known mountain trail.
The knights came up suddenly, confused as they noticed what looked to be some sort of black portal in a huge rock a couple of hundred feet behind the woman. It struck them as very odd – there was clearly a mouth to a cave, but she was making her way toward the rock with this black, ominous doorway in the face of the boulder.
As they descended quickly from their horses, swords pointed at the woman, one said in an intimidating voice, “Give us the child, witch!”
“Never!” she cried, reaching into a small bag at her waste. From it she pulled a small yellowish globe which she threw at them. Immediately upon striking the ground the ball  turned into billowing clouds of smoke that smelled of sulfur. She ran through the portal, leaving the knights there choking on the amber mist, but hadn’t gotten far on the other side before one of the knights managed to load his bow and send an arrow zinging after her.
The arrow flew through the inky portal and unbeknownst to the knight who fired it, found its mark in the woman’s back. She gasped as she fell, somehow managing to gently set her precious cargo down on the ground beside her as she fell. She locked eyes with her baby for a few moments, her mouth moving silently, forming her last words. Then her soul left her body, leaving her lifeless eyes staring at the child. Frightened, the baby began to whimper softly.
As darkness fell in the magical woods where the baby and his dead mother now lay, the rising moon took on an eerie glow. The hungry child had stopped his crying, realizing his mother could no longer hear him. He sobbed quietly as the stars began to shine in the heavens, unaware his mother’s last act had been to weave a spell of protection around him.
On a distant hill, the howling of wolves rang out, conveying to one another that there was fresh meat to be had. Stealthily, they descended toward the clearing where the woman’s body laid, forming a pack of five as they approached. Ravenously they devoured her carcass, totally ignoring the silent baby for the time being. Having had their fill, one turned his piercing eyes in the direction of the basket. He snarled, his bloody lip curling in anticipation of actually having the thrill of a kill, rather than just feasting on more remains. Two of his brothers wandered off to find some water, but the other two joined him, circling the basket, their snouts aquiver, their knifelike teeth bared.
Instinctively, the baby raised his voice, crying with all his might. The three wolves inched closer, far from put off by this wee babe’s wailing. They were licking their lips, relishing what they thought was going to be their dessert. The baby somehow found the strength to cry even louder, and the first wolf angrily knocked the basket over, so that the child rolled out upon the ground with a soft thud. The baby’s eyes widened as he lay there, taking in the sight of the monsters who had just made a banquet of his mother’s corpse. He stilled his crying, and in his mind, he could hear his mother’s voice singing him his favorite lullaby.

https://images.ecency.com/p/54TLbcUcnRm4Bw8fmw3Y3deXChf9UQSDSsMgDEZRoc1W1zrHmH6dYqKbfDYA1yBcvB4V4KRjSniS7sGVQUZWUFYN5EXRZh3VeoJtuLP3rTvUyeZaRcXfzew92MuTKu1Xm972RQx7Q.webp?format=webp&mode=fit

*<center>Let our children not grow up in a terrible world. Together we can make it better. It is our destiny to
suffer from the past, to long for the future, but to forget the present.
Any unsourced images and writing are my own. Life is worth it!
Thank you for support and follow me @darthsauron
Divider made with Canva</center>*