She flipped forward, her breath catching. There were sketches. Pages filled with them. Bears lounging beneath trees, cubs chasing each other, a large male crossing a stream. The drawings were detailed—careful, loving even. This wasn’t just a hobbyist. This person had studied them closely. Lived alongside them. And then the tone changed.
A later entry read: “Saw it again. White fur, unmistakable. Not albino—something else. Smaller than the others. It let me get closer today. I didn’t move. I barely breathed.” Evelyn paused. White fur? She turned the page. “It’s real. I’m not imagining it. The mother’s been keeping it hidden. But she let me see. I think… she knows I’m not here to hurt them.