“Not worth it.” He turned and ran, crashing through the brush, disappearing into the trees with branches snapping in his wake. Silence returned. Evelyn exhaled shakily, knees trembling. The bear stood still, watching the direction the man had fled.
The mother bear appeared seconds later, rushing toward the cub. A soft, desperate grunt escaped her as she sniffed and nudged her baby, now mostly free. Evelyn knelt again and finished cutting the last section of the net.