When Christina went out for her morning run, she was usually quiet. She didn't want to disturb her master/roommate/girlfriend's sleep. But this morning, she wasn't quiet enough.

Maggie stirred and yawned.

"Where are you off so early? Sun's not even up," she slurred sleepily.

"Just off for my morning run," Christina whispered. She wasn't sure why she was whispering. The damage was done. But it seemed polite, somehow.

Maggie sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. "Morning run? You don't run."

"Every morning," Christina said. But she usually didn't wake up Maggie. She went for her run, took a quick shower to take care of the sweat, and snuggled back in with Maggie until the black panther's late morning wake up. Most mornings, Maggie never even missed her.

"Every morning," Maggie repeated like it was the wildest thing she heard. She was a creature of the night and of bonfire parties held while the moon was bright. She didn't really believe in early mornings and looking at the clock, she refused to believe this hour existed.

Still, she swung her legs off the bed.

"I'll come with you," she decided. "Give me a minute to put something on."

"Okay!" Christina loved the quiet stillness of her morning run and she was happy to share it with Maggie. But a thought did occur. "I run pretty far every morning. Is that going to be okay?"

Maggie scoffed as she dug a sports bra from the very bottom of a drawer. "My ancestors used to chase down your ancestors. I don't think I'll have a problem keeping up."

--

Maggie's logic was flawed in a number of ways, as early morning logic can be before the brain gets in gear or gets coffee poured into it.

One: Maggie's ancestors were ambush predators, not really renowned for distance running.

Two: Christina had been doing her morning runs since high school. The overachieving gazelle had started because she determined that a stint on the track team would look good on her college application. And she'd kept it up for health and enjoyment. She ran for fun!

But even if Maggie had been right about inherited skills and even if Christina was an amateur, Maggie forgot the most important point.

She'd been a big nerd in high school who shunned sports as much as she was able. The days Christina spent practicing for track, Maggie spent studying magic she hoped would make a cheerleader kiss her. Maggie had made use of the gym on campus but infrequently.

As she realized not long into the run, she did not have the endurance for running.

Christina did not seem to notice Maggie sweating and struggling to keep up behind her. She was beaming happily as she ran and probably feeling endorphins, the bastard.

"H-how far do you... usually run?" Maggie tried to ask casually, like she didn't even care. The effect was somewhat ruined by having to talk around her tongue hanging out of her mouth as she panted for air. Again, Christina didn't seem to notice.

She did hear the question and called back, "Oh, I usually try to hit 5 kilometers total!"

Maggie tried to convert that to miles in her head but got discouraged when she realized it converted to miles.

She wasn't going to make it the whole distance, Maggie realized. It might be an exaggeration to say that she'd die but it sure felt like she would. All that she could do now was to save face by pretending to sprain an ankle so she could go back to bed.

---

Maggie is usually dominant in her interactions with Christina. It was fun to think of an area where Christina would win, even if Christina wasn't thinking along those lines.

This run is a bust but maybe Christina and Maggie will start going to the gym together and running on side by side treadmills. One set to beginner and one to advanced.

---

Maggie Taika and Christina Austro owned by me
Art by  scottytheman