The air was tainted with the smell of a new spring. There was little snow left on the ground, and what was left was melting. Claudia was ready for her run.
She pulled her long brown hair up into a tight ponytail on the top of her head, throwing a water bottle into her waist pack. She sighed with a smile, looking past the dining room table out the windows at the sun. The door creaked open and Claudia turned, facing a teenage boy with bright white hair.
"You know it's not a good idea. The doctor said so."
"I'll be fine Ryan. It's just a short run. Don't be such a worry wart." Claudia clicked her tongue, brushing past him.
"It's my job I'm your brother." Claudia said nothing in response. She headed out the back door without a second thought.
The trails were quite muddy and had leaves from last autumn still on the ground. The leaves crunched, which Claudia loved, as she pressed on faster with her jog. There was still a low hanging fog in the woods this morning. Claudia took a deep breath in and smiled. See, she thought. Nothing wrong.
She continued her run until she came to a clearing by the river. The river roared, crashing against the rocks of a waterfall and into a pond below. Claudia reminisced on her summers swimming in the pond with her friends when she was a child.
She jogged down to the beach and took a moment to sit and listen to the waterfall. She closed her eyes and steadied her breath. A calm washed over her. For a moment, it seemed that all of Claudia's worries had washed away in the river. Then her eyes fluttered open.
Up on the crescent of the waterfall, was the shadow of a large, four legged creature. Claudia sat completely still, holding in her breath. She dug her toes into the sand, ready to stand up and sprint. Her mind was racing 100 times a second.
Claudia watched as the animal slowly progressed over the ridge into the light. It had dark grey spots and a short snout. It's ears were pinned back. Now that Claudia could see it, she knew what it was. It was a hyena.
Claudia's eyes gazed over to the trail from which she came, in the same direction the animal was heading slowly, stalking her. Now was her chance. But she had to do it now.
Claudia bolted upright and sprinted up the trail, her legs sinking in the wet sand of the beach. The hyena let out a cackle, sending Claudia's heart racing. She managed to make it to the woods, her backyard in sight. The hyena chased from behind, sending Claudia running faster until her legs were numb.
There was a branch on the trail that Claudia hadn't seen before, catching her foot and sending her soaring through the air. She landed at the foot of the tree, hitting the ground hard, which blurred her vision. Claudia turned her back to the tree to face the hyena. As it was about to pounce, Claudia heard a roar.
A huge grizzly bear threw itself in front of her. As the grizzly faced the hyena, Claudia got back up and limped back to the house. Her brother Ryan was waiting at the back door for her.
"What the hell happened?" A woman pushed past Ryan, her orange curls bouncing with fury. "You didn't listen to me, again!"
"What was it Claude?" Ryan asked. Claudia could barely catch her breath.
"Help me get your sister in the house BEFORE you start asking questions!" the woman demanded. Claudia was helped into the house, the back door closed and locked. She was taken into one of the sitting rooms.
"It was a hyena, this time," Claudia said wincing at the pain in her leg and head. She touched the top of her head. Blood stained her fingers.
"I'm so sorry I didn't listen Nancie."
