Amata ran through the forest, clutching the baby tight to her chest. Sarah let out peacefull snores that seemed incredibly out of place in such a hectic situation. Amata's eyes circled from the ground, to the area in front of her, (and with the help of a head turn) to the woods behind her. She had to be careful, as the forest was filled with gnarly tree roots, rocks, and stumps that could easily bring her to the ground, slowing her down and possibly harming her or Sarah. She only had a few more...Oh, who was she kidding. She had hours worth of running left. Eventually, she would have to switch to walking, as she had very little endurance, but it was more important for her to get a headstart right now.
Every tiny sound sent her heart racing. The birds, the snapping of twigs, animals in the brush, a particulary loud snore from Sarah... Amata was not ashamed to admit to herself, at least, that she was absolutely terrified. They were after her. And she couldn't even use magic to help herself escape, because that may tip them off as to her location.
Her mind flashed back fifteen years to her mother's fist lesson about magic. "It's dangerous," her mother had explained. "Our way...It needs to be kept a secret. Other people, they do not understand what magic is really about. They twist it and turn it and blame it for all evil. But evil? That is strictly a human thing."
At the time, Amata had been completely confused. Until that time, all of her elders, including her mother, had taught her that keeping secrets was wrong. If something needed to be kept a secret, it was probably a sin and should not be done. She had also been taught that magic was wrong. All children were.