The Bear Who Led a Woman From the Bus Stop Into the Forest

You’ve probably noticed that we like to write about the various animals you can find all around the world. We’re particularly interested in stories about crazy critters interacting with humans. Because of that, we always keep our ears to the ground for wild stories about human/animal interaction.

Thanks to that, we recently heard an insane story from a woman who merely wanted us to identify her as “Samantha.” We’re presenting this tale exactly as she told it to us, though the nature of her story means that there is no way to verify every detail. With that being said, she had so many details that it’s hard to believe anyone who manufacture a story this strange.

Just how strange is this tale, and did all of this really happen? The only way to find out is to read her story and judge for yourself.

A bus stop visit like no other

Our story begins with Samantha doing what most of us have done before: waiting for the bus. She was at a bus stop and thought she didn’t have anything to worry about except for weird strangers walking up to her. When she did encounter a stranger, though, it wasn’t the human variety.

She looked up and saw a bear approaching her, slowly and cautiously. She had grown up hearing stories about how dangerous such bears could be. However, it was soon clear that this bear was unlike any that she had ever heard of.

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The most surprising bear of all

The bear approached Samantha at the bus stop. She was frozen in place, and soon enough, the bear stopped right in front of her. Rather than attacking the young woman, the bear reached out and set its huge paw on her leg.

Others at the bus stop were freaking out, but Samantha had a feeling this bear wouldn’t hurt her. Eventually, she found the strength to ask the bear if he was really as vicious as his reputation suggested. As if in answer, the bear began to walk into the wilderness. Despite the objections of everyone else at the bus stop, Samantha threw caution to the wind and began following the animal to see where it was leading her.

A journey both exciting and frightening

The next part of Samantha’s story admittedly sounds like something out of a fantasy tale, perhaps one written by Lord of the Rings scribe JRR Tolkien. The bear never picked up the pace, walking slow enough for the young woman behind to keep up. She matched his unhurried pace through a variety of terrain and even over man-made bridges as she went further and further into the woods.

Throughout most of this journey, Samantha’s only real interactions with the bear came from him looking backward. It seemed like he wanted to know if she was still following. Reassured that his human companion was still with him, he led her further into the woods.

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One mystery leads to another

Over time, Samantha began to wonder if the bear had a specific destination in mind. This almost seemed confirmed when the bear led her to an abandoned campsite. Once they arrived, she was filled with questions. Who had camped here so recently, and why was the bear so fascinated with this place?

Following the bear’s suspicious sniffing, Samantha found a mysterious journal. It was filled with entries and illustrations from someone who was clearly obsessed with finding a bear cub with beautiful white fur. He revered it as a legendary creature, but as his illustrations revealed, his ultimate goal was not to simply find the animal.

Instead, he wanted to capture it.

A shocking confrontation

By now, Samantha had a suspicion that this bear was the mother to a white-furred cub, one that had most likely been captured. She wanted to contact the authorities, but had no cellphone signal. She did, however, have the next best thing: an angry bear mama who seemed to know where they had to go.

With her help, Samantha found another campsite, complete with the cub in a cage. Moving quickly for fear of being discovered, she retrieved some wire cutters and began trying to free the cub. Just as she finished her work, though, the man who had captured the bear–the man who wrote that journal–was standing in front of her, with a wicked knife, waiting to stop her.

Or worse.

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A happy ending at last

Samantha thought this could be the end of her story in more ways than one. At this point, however, the mama bear let out an earth-shattering bellow. It was enough to scare birds and other animals in the nearby area. More importantly, it was enough to scare the man, who promptly began running away from the camp as fast as his legs could carry him.

Samantha ran in the opposite direction, belatedly worrying about the bears. When she looked back, however, she realized they were following her at the mama bear’s original unhurried pace. With the danger seemingly past, she walked back to the bus stop. She was about to re-enter the hustle and bustle of city life, but Samantha now had a story about a brush with nature that she would never forget.