Three miles into her hike and Kanae was feeling it. Her legs burned. Her arms were heavy. Each time her foot struck pavement she felt it ricocheting up her spine like she was a punching bag and the road was Kotetsu Uesegi. She needed new hiking shoes.
She needed a reason to spend the ten thousand yen on them that was better than wanting more squish, though.
These would take her spine and still-not-size-two thighs the final two miles she needed for her calorie goal. Kanae checked her watch. 380 calories burnt. Barely even covering the grilled chicken tenders she wanted on top of her salad. She picked up the pace, ponytail slicing her rhythm against her bare shoulders like a metronome.
The autumn air was perfect for running; warm enough to breathe without burning but cool enough to wick away her body's heat before it turned to full on sweat. She might not even have to shower before the script reading at two. Her thoughts ran off along the proposal outline, rehashing the dialogue over and over to find just the right tone. The track wound left, away from the family areas and into the woods bisecting the neighborhood like a lush artery.
Kanae slowed. For the span of about five minutes, she could let herself drift. The wind blew through the tightly packed trees, jostling leaves against their neighbors like chatty passengers on a bullet train. Gone were the smells of asphalt and exhaust, chased away by the heady scents of damp earth and leaves.
Sunlight slipped through the trees, speckling the path and forest floor. Up ahead the path slung into a steep incline. Just before, in the middle of one of the few blazing bright patches of sunlight, lay something massive, furry, and dead.
Kanae froze. The creature looked like it had been a small bear. Or a massive dog. Huge paws were crooked in the air above it's exposed chest. A wet pink tongue slumped out the side of its mouth, exposing teeth that looked more like white steak knives than any animal's teeth should. She bit off the sounds threatening the crack from between her clenched teeth, backing away slowly.
The dead beast whined.
A high pitched, piteous, and warbly song leaked from between its massive jaws. Its paws twitched, running in sleep. It looked ridiculous, like some sort of simpleton sunbathing werewolf dreaming about losing it's treat.
Kanae's lips twitched, clenched again, fighting laughter instead of a scream. The beast's paws twitched faster, flipping just at the ends, it's tongue flopping with the erratic movements.
She lost the battle. A snort burst from her; she covered her mouth with her hands. The beast's legs shot straight and tight in the air in an upside-down pounce. Kanae doubled over with laughter, already sore muscles protesting as she wheezed.
When she pushed herself upright, it was to face a pair of dark amber eyes locked on her.
The beast was awake.
Kanae's laughter died in an instant. The pair stood silent, the only sound the rustle of the trees. She had the sudden, horrible thought that it was big enough its front paws wouldn't even have to leave the ground for it to wrap its jaws around her neck.
That was all it took. She turned, and she ran. Her instincts screamed at her that running was the stupidest choice, that it was a predator and now she was the prey. But she would rather die running than never have tried to escape at all.
She could hear the scrape of claws on the asphalt path behind her. Slowly, only one or two for every strike of her feet. Her breaths came in gasps and fists hammered at her sides as she struggled for more speed. She risked a glance.
It was right behind her, amber eyes fixed on her back and mouth open for the strike. She screamed. It leapt; she pivoted, throwing her arms in front of her.
The beast slammed into her. Its weight smashed the air from her lungs. They hit the ground. Kanae struck out, her vision swimming and her breath coming in big whooping gasps. Her fist hit bone. She slammed again, and again, thrashing beneath it.
Wet, clinging, warm slobber covered her face and dripped in her mouth open in a scream. It had licked her. She gagged. It licked again. Its weight shifted, sinking back. She swung and her arm flew through air.
The beast sat on her lap, filling the sky above her with brown, mangy fur. Slobber dripped from the end of its tongue, pooling in the dent of her collarbone.
Kanae stared. It stared back. She started to cry.
It started up suddenly at her tears, skidding back off her body. She shoved herself backward, scraping her palm on the rough rock of the path. She scrubbed an arm across her face, smearing away tears and slobber.
It whined, bowing low over its front legs. A massive tail swept through the air, waving back and forth and carrying its back haunches with it.
"A dog," she whispered. "You're a damn dog."
It barked, if a sound as low and rolling as that could be called a bark. It was more like thunder. Kanae's fingernails scraped against the asphalt, curling into tight fists against the sound. When she didn't move it nudged at the sole of her shoe, shoving her foot backward.
She shook her head, the movement closer to a shudder than a no. The beast began to rumble deep in its chest. It shoved its nose under her leg, pushing her knee up.
"Fine," she said, breathless. She scrubbed at her face again, pressing her palms into the hollows of her eyes. The beast was still there, staring at her, its maul close enough to her legs she could feel its hot breath on her skin. She stood like a marionette, one limb at a time, her eyes fixed on it and her breath shaky and shallow.
The first step was the hardest, drawing flinches from both of them. It jerked to its feet. She jerked away from him. She held her phone out like a club, waving it at him. "Stay back," she said from between gritted teeth.
It huffed at her around its long, pink tongue and then licked its nose, then let the tongue slide down to hang cattywampus out the side. Kanae blinked. Blinked again, forcing back tears. Everything always leaked out of her face. Relief, joy, hate, sadness. She growled at herself and got a throaty woof in reply. For all the world, the beast dog looked like a giant, slightly stupid love child of a bear and a german shepard picking its boogers and eating them.
"Go away," she said half-heartedly. She turned off the calorie counter on her phone and shoved it into her back pocket. "I could call Kyoko, you know? Have her come and give you a real scare." The dog watched her, its butt shimmying. "You're right, she'd be attacking me instead of you. She'd probably force me to adopt you, give the pup a home, Moko, it's so cute and furry Moko!"
The beast's answering bark was ear-splitting. Kanae heard a yelp behind them. A hiker in pristine pink leggings was staring wide-eyed at them both.
"Leash your dog!" the woman yelled. She jogged in place, thighs jiggling and boobs bouncing and eyes scorning.
"He's not mine," Kanae said. She almost couldn't hear herself over the growl rumbling from deep inside the beast's chest. It had planted itself between her and the jogger, hackles raising slowly. Kanae felt the goosebumps on her arms rise in answer.
The jogger cursed at her, pulling out her phone. She never ceased her bouncing jog or judgmental stare.
"Police? There's a woman with a rabid dog. She refuses to leash him. Rockleaf Park, about a mile down the path. I have mace and I will use it if you are not prompt enough to respond."
Of course she had mace. Kanae edged back away from the beast, her hands raised. "It's not mine," she said. The beast backed up with her, curled lips framing its sharp teeth. "I swear-" Kanae choked off her useless words, turned, and ran.