I took in a deep breath and looked around. The creek in front of me flowed easily among the rocks and crevices on the ground. Trees swayed as the wind blew. It lightly caressed my cheek before leaving in a huff. I leaned back on the rock that looked like it had been welded to the ground. I could hear the low crunching of teeth against apples as my horse wandered off in the direction of more food.
I smiled and glanced at the woods before me. I had explored them many times as a young girl, often getting scrapes and scratches as I did. Standing up I moved forwards, one foot in front of the other. Once I reached the fence that separated my world from the animals, I hesitated wondering if I was doing the right thing.
Ignoring the nagging sensation in the back of my mind I carefully jumped over and landed in a heap at the trunk of a tree. Grinning at my accomplishment, I scrambled up onto my feet. I wandering along the trees, noticing the places I knew so well. I felt something sharp digging into my arm and glanced down. A thorn had cut into my skin and my arm was now bleeding profusely.
“Crap,” I said aloud to myself. I yanked the thorn free and tried to ignore the feeling of warm, sticky liquid flowing down my hand.
When I finally stopped, I was in a clearing, my clearing. I eased to the center and settled down on the yellowing grass. The wind rushed by me again, blowing my cinnamon colored hair behind me. I closed my eyes in the serenity of the dream-like place.
A growl jolted me out of my trance and I looked up. My bright blue eyes swept the area; making sure no place was unchecked. A slight movement to the right of me caught my attention. A pair of dark brown eyes stared at me, watching my every move. I stood up, frightened at the sight. Another growl escaped from its bared teeth.
I tried to scream but it felt as if the sides of my throat had closed up. I spun and started running towards the pasture. I could hear the crunching of leaves beneath paws behind me. Thistles and braches grabbed at my face, resulting in gashes on my cheeks and forehead. I could taste the salty blood on my tongue as it entered my mouth.
Suddenly, my feet flew out from under me. My face hit the ground and dirt streaked my face along with the blood. I could feel tears in the corners of my eyes but I ignored them. I stood up and started sprinting again, not wanting the animal to catch me. I picked up speed as the fence came into view. I leapt over it and kept running.
A whimpered made me stop and risk a glance behind me. The dark grey coyote limped off, not giving me a second glance. With a sigh of relief, I made my way up the hill towards the barn. My jeans had dirt stains and my shirt was torn in three different places. Dry blood caked my arm and face and my hair was full of twigs and leaves. Wait until my friends hear about this, I thought, smiling wryly to myself.