Mossflower burned.
Two squirrels, a tall female in a long blue robe and her little son, ran down the path towards Redwall, trying to outrun the pounding feet that followed them, coming ever closer.
They came in sight of the walls. The squirrel watchman ran down the stairs and stood by the gates, ready to open them when the time came.
Outside the pair came ever closer, a cloud of red behind them. Stopping outside the gates, the mother turned to face the threat. Blue energy crackled around her paws as she raised them and fired a lightning strike into the cloud.
It roared in pain and disgorged a monstrosity. Covered in grey plates of bone and sporting two wicked horns from its head, the demon growled and stepped forward as the sorceress fired another blast of magic into it. The lightning hit the demon in the chest, knocking it back a step and sparking all over its body. The creature opened its mouth and spat a ball of red fire.
The mother turned briefly and threw her son closer to the gate before turning to shield herself from the blast. It was deflected as the squirrelwife was thrown backwards and rolled several times before coming to a stop. The fire added to the inferno surrounding the Abbey that, mysteriously, came no closer to the walls.
The mother's son huddled up against the wall in fright, covering his eyes from the grim spectacle. As fire engulfed his mother and spread onto the sides of the road engulfing more plants in fire, he screamed. "Mother!"
The demon's red eyes glowed and it turned to the little one, stepping forward and baring its sharp teeth in an anticipatory grin.
The mother, her fur singed and covered in burns and scratches, got up from where she was lying and looked at her son. "Rain?" Her eyes filling with horror as the demon got closer to her cowering babe, she ran forward. "Rain!"
"Mother!" little Rain cried as he pressed himself into the wall as the demon reached out to him with sharp, gleaming claws.
Rain's mother stopped and a ball of silver-white energy formed in her paw. "Rain!" she shouted. "Get down!" She hurled the ball and it hit the demon, blowing it away from her son into the burning trees. Rain still cowered against the wall but looked up, his soot-streaked face wet with tears as he stared into his mother's blue eyes. His eyes.
"Mama…" he asked. "Why is this happening?"
Rain's mother hugged him close. "I don't know, dear. But you'll be safe soon."
Rain caught the hidden meaning behind the words. "But…what about you, Mama?"
Rain's mother looked up as burning branches crashed and embers flew. "Run, Rain!"
The demon burst from the trees, hitting her and sending her flying into the ashen surface of a burning tree. As the demon stepped over to her and leaned in close, a pair of blue orbs began to form in her paws.
The gate opened. A group of Redwallers quickly ran out. An otter grabbed Rain and began to carry him inside. Rain's mother gave one last cry. "Goodbye, Rain!"
As the gate closed, Rain screamed. "MOTHER!"
The blue flash of light was the last that he ever saw of her alive.
There you have it. Mooootivation. She's not really gone, though. She'll be like his guardian angel. Anyways, R and R!