This is my first Tamora Pierce fiction. Actually, it's my first fan fiction, period.Please tell me the truth about my story, but be as nice as you can. Thanks!

Briefing: This story is set after Kel, around the same time as Ally. It starts in a forest not far from Cria and all the towns that Daine starts out in. K? Capisce? Good.

Chapter One: Her Mother

Anne Clifton, a widow, lived in the back woods near Cria, Gala. Her husband had died from a heart attack nearly six months ago. Now, their third child was expected. Their first two children had died a few minutes after being born.

Anne's mother in law had come to stay with her as the estimated time of the baby's arrival drew closer.

The baby arrived, with a healthy appetite and even hardier lungs.

One day, Anne was rather annoyed with the baby's squalling and called her husband's mother, Mrs. Clifton over, so she could go for a walk.

They lived near an area where trees where being cut in the hopes of room for a new town.

The sound of saws and shouting were high in the air as Anne wandered past.

She took a nice long stroll and after telling herself the forest would still be there when the baby was old enough to go outside, Anne entered the house once more.

one week later

The tree cutting had stopped not long after it had begun. It was a warm spring and the raiders were on the move again, which meant the men of the village would be very tense and strict. Lately, there had been a lot of bandit raids in the area and the village was in turmoil. Everyone was so preoccupied that no one had set up a sentry post. No one was ready when the land raiders struck.

Anne had been alone in the house when she heard the sound of horse hoofs pounding nearer and nearer. Visitors wouldn't be traveling that quickly. The rest of the town was planning out a letter to the crown asking for help. She knew immediately it was raiders.

Anne grabbed the baby who was still not named and ran out of the house. She grabbed her horse, Tinring and jumped on. She pointed him in the direction of the town and kicked him. He took off like a bullet.

Anne held her baby close as she crouched on Tinring. Women weren't supposed to ride like she was but no one would remember if the town got out the fight alive.

She pulled her horse to a stop in front of the village hall and ran in. "Raiders! Hurry everyone! Raiders!" she yelled.

The scene froze, then erupted as people grabbed their children and hurried into the village hall cellar. Men grabbed guns from the walls and stood ready. They knew what to do.

Anne grabbed the horses outside after passing the baby off to Mrs. Clifton. She handed the horses out randomly to other men who would ride out to meet the raiders. Anne hesitated in handing Tinring off, then shook her head. He had been a gift from her husband before he died. She wasn't about to send him off to his death.

She jumped onto his back and rode in the direction of the raiders' path. Anne saw the raiders coming and turned Tinring like a cutting horse and yelled, " They are here!" She kicked Tinring once again and cantered behind the village hall, where the raiders couldn't see her. She rode up to a back window so she would know if they made it past the men with horses.

Anne breathed a deep sigh, trying to calm herself. She peeked around the corner of the building and saw the men and raiders. It was a small, untrained force that the men fought, and Anne knew who would win.

The raiders were all killed and the women and children came out of the cellar. The men inside had not seen any fighting, but they knew that the fighting wasn't the hard part. It was the work afterward that would tire and sometimes, very rarely, kill a man.

Only one man had been killed, and three were badly injured. The rest had minor scrapes and bruises that came from any fight.

Bandits had strategy. Not the best, but strategy none the less. They would tire the men out until nothing was left of the town except stuff they could use. The town would have to leave, if it hoped to survive for any longer.

The town packed all the food and blankets they would need. They had two wagons, pulled by mules, draft horses and any other animal that could pull. The children walked, or were carried. The women walked. Except for Anne. She and the men rode.

The journey to safety had begun.

Thanks for reading! I know the bandits came up really quickly, but, hey, slow stories are sort of boring and I don't want my story to be boring.It might take a while for the story of the baby to really start. It's actually about the child, not Anne. But, seriously, how can you tell a story from a baby's point of view (3rd person point of view)? It would be really hard and really boring. And I hate the word boredom.

Meadow Runner

Next chapter: The journey continues and problems arise.