Julie screamed in frustration, kicking a tree. It didn't help vent any of her frustration though, and only earned her a sore toe and increasing anger.
"Fuck!" she yelled, continuing to kick at the tree. A branch recoiled form a kick and cut her cheek, but she didn't care. She was beyond caring about anything at that moment. All that she knew was that her father was the most unbearable, stuck up, sexist pig and right now she couldn't be happier if she found out he had died and gone to hell.
Sniffling, she let a few tears escape. She hated herself, for being so weak as to cry in frustration. After the first sob, she couldn't stop the rest that followed. She collapsed on her knees, burying her face in her hands. So lost in her self-hatred, anger, and frustration, she almost didn't hear the twig snap. Almost.
Her eyes snapped upward, adrenaline now flowing through her veins. It was the middle of the night, and she was by herself, armed only with her hunting knife and rifle. She doubted her hand to hand skills if she was attacked head on by an animal, and the rifle only shot one round at a time, so if things came to, she'd have to make her one shot count.
In front of her she could make out a huge, lumbering figure. Julie heard its snuffling and feared the worst. Her fears were confirmed when the biggest grizzly bear she had ever set eyes upon reared up on its hind legs and roared, swiping its paws at her.
Julie only had time to gasp when one paw caught her directly in her still-developing chest and sent her flying into a tree. She heard a loud crack and she immediately knew one of her ribs were broken as she collapsed on the ground, groaning. The bear was beside her in a moment, mauling her. Two swipes laid open her back and another rolled her onto her bleeding back. The bear continued clawing at her, and she then realized it intended to kill her. The realization jolted her, and she yanked out her knife.
Waiting for a pause in the mauling, the moment the bear pulled away to roar again, she ignored her body's screams of agony and plunged the knife deep into the bears belly, collapsing onto the ground again, her body losing its ability to keep her upright. It roared again, louder now, and clawed at the biting protrusion in its belly. Somehow, Julie still had a hold on her rifle. From where she lay, she slowly dragged the rifle to her shoulder and took a shaky aim, her eyesight starting to get a black tinge.
When the bear looked down at her in rage, about to maul her again, she fired.
Her mark hit true, going through its eye and into its brain, killing it instantly. It swayed, making garbled growls, before falling forward and landing on top of her legs. Julie felt her knife hilt jam into her leg as the dead animal landed, and she moaned, knowing it would make a painful bruise, should she live through this.
The last thing she saw before passing into the painless oblivion of unconsciousness was the bear's claws, dripping with her own blood.
She woke up in her local hospital 3 days later, her torso covered in stitches and bandages. The first thing she saw was her father's disappointed look and her hysterical mother.
"Happy Birthday," was all he said, and he walked out of the room in silence.
She had just turned 15.
