*Provided by Rose Gold Community Challenge is to add to the prompt 1000 to 1500 words, introducing a character and scenario. 

A harsh gust whips his hair around his face, and the sunlight beating on his fair skin whips around with the leaves above him. Stifled pants fill the blazing air as he sprints deeper into the forest. His brain urges him to look back, but his body forces him forward on instinct. Approaching the dried remnants of a creek, he slows to a halt behind a wide oak tree, pressing his back against the rough trunk. His adrenaline starts to fade, replaced with aching leg muscles and the subtle taste of the blood in his dry throat. Then, from behind, a twig snaps, and his heart races again. He holds his breath, bracing himself as the crunching leaves behind him grow louder and louder.