Evelyn looked around. Trees towered in every direction, and the path behind her had already vanished. She had no idea how to return to the bus station, no clear direction of home. Her only choice now was forward. She took a deep breath and kept walking. The forest thickened as they ventured deeper, the trees growing older, their trunks gnarled and wide like ancient sentinels.
Moss clung to everything. The light that trickled through the canopy had dimmed into a muted green glow, giving the world around Evelyn a hushed, almost sacred quality. The air smelled of damp earth and pine. The bears maintained their slow, deliberate pace. Every so often, they would glance back—especially the smaller one, who seemed more watchful.