With a shotgun in hand, he ventured into the dense woods, determined.

He kept the weapon close, his gaze scanning the shadowy landscape where harsh beams of summer sunlight broke through the trees. His eyes were sharp, his head swiveling at every sound, every rustle. Muscles taut, he listened, alert to the forest’s whispers. Occasionally, he paused to inspect bushes, making certain nothing lay in ambush, concealing itself from what it couldn’t escape.

He was a hunter, and he was on a mission.

Time drifted as he moved farther from his old truck, parked at the forest’s edge. Thirty minutes passed, then fifty, an hour, then an hour and a half . . . until he heard it—a distinct crack, like a twig snapping underfoot. Silently, he turned and moved toward the noise.

He soon arrived at a shimmering lake and stopped in his tracks. There, by the water’s edge, he saw you—a strange figure, human in form yet adorned with bear-like ears and a tail. Oblivious to his presence, you were engrossed in hunting fish in the clear stream.

His curiosity only grew.