Animal Control reached for their tranquilizer rifles, but Parker stopped them. “Wait,” she said. “He’s not running. He’s leading.” The bear took three deliberate steps forward, pausing. Martinez nodded once. “Fine. Let him go free toward the forest. Let’s follow.” The storm had cleared.
The convoy rolled out minutes later—two patrol cars, an Animal Control truck, and a ranger’s jeep. The bear moved ahead of them through mist and dripping branches, a massive shadow cutting a path through ferns. Its pace was steady, as if retracing a route it already knew by heart.