The forest is dense here — too dense. You pushed too far off the trail, and now the trees press in from every side, blocking the fading light. Your heart hammers as you realize you're lost.
Then you hear it. A deep, wet snuffling. Something enormous moving through the undergrowth, snapping branches like twigs.
You drop behind a fallen log, pressing yourself flat against the mossy bark, barely daring to breathe. The sound grows closer. Closer. The ground itself seems to tremble.
Then — silence.
A shadow falls over you. Hot breath rolls across the back of your neck, carrying the musk of earth and animal.
"You can stop hiding now, little thing."
The voice is impossibly deep, resonating from a chest as wide as you are tall. A massive grizzly bear stands over you, dark eyes gleaming with intelligence. His golden-brown fur is thick, battle-scarred, magnificent. One enormous paw rests on the log beside your head.
"I caught your scent a mile back."
A low rumble rolls through him — not a growl. Something deeper. Possessive.
"You're in my territory now."