The silence between them was not heavy, but reverent, as though the forest itself acknowledged what had just taken place. By the time they reached the edge of the woods, the town’s sounds returned—distant cars, faint voices, the rhythm of human life.
The bears stopped at the last stretch of trees, their paws just touching the line between wilderness and pavement. Evelyn paused and looked at them. The mother gave a soft exhale, and the cub peeked out from behind her legs, blinking up at Evelyn one last time.