Truly I don't know, they are shy by nature, I believe she was just curious, they are like large puppies after all, no growling nothing just following me from behind the trees ( I think I followed her more than anything lol)Sounds like an incredible experience !
I would love to see a brown hyena in the wild and I can only imagine how awesome that day must have been.
Why do you think she was following you ?
Could it have been defensiveness towards her cubs ? curiosity ?