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Her wings beat heavily, speeding up as she soared over a jungle populated with gargantuan trees

Even still, the baby slept

Once the sun had bowed to the ht had taken her beyond the forested landscape, and she had reached an ocean There seeed beneath her several tih she flew over mostly water, exotic islands, desert terrains and lush valleys also passed beneath her

Finally, she let up her speed when the clear sky gave way to thick clouds She flew right through the Perhaps hours passed, it was hard to say for certain, but when the clouds got a little thinner and she lowered in altitude, the Hawk and the baby were flying over a landscape unlike any they had passed so far

They were looking down upon a vast range of black mountains that stretched out as far as they could see There was not a hint of vegetation in sight, nor any other life for that rey It appeared that they had left the sun behind, yet the sky, which was filled with dark clouds, had an eerie reddish tinge

A strong wind swelled up, forcing the woainst it until she touched down on the peak of a s folded behind her back Her long hair was a tangled mess as she adjusted the baby in her arms Her eyes fell on a wide crater about ten feet away from where she stood Shedown into it, she let out a piercing shriek

Then she stepped back and fixed her eyes directly above the crater

"I have the child," she said, her voice low She re into empty space

A breeze blew against her, catching the edge of the baby’s blanket and lifting it right off to unwrap the infant

The infant levitated froan to float in midair, toward the center of the crater

Its sht, still, the infant slept

A thin veil of reddish an to swirl around and around the infant As it gathered speed, it became denser and denser until the mist turned into thick smoke and enveloped the baby co on the scene unfolding before her