Whenever Boswell tried to take the other path, the bear would stop him. Eventually, the boy realized the animal wanted him to follow it.
Despite the fear of being eaten by the bear, Boswell followed it into the thick forest. He walked for a few minutes straight until he came across a dark cave. Its entrance was illuminated only by the moonlight. Noticing they were headed there, Boswell thought this should be where the bear lived.
After the animal walked inside, Boswell didn't dare to run away as he was afraid it might anger the bear. So he waited at the entrance.
A moment later, another bear crawled out of the cave. No, no, no. It was not a bear.
It was actually a human toddler dressed in rags. The child looked even younger than Boswell. With its long and messy hair, it was notorious that the kid had been living out in the woods for a long time.
Boswell also noticed its face was dirty, and its body was wrapped in a strange animal fur when it followed the bear out of the cave.
In the dark night, the child's big black eyes stared at Boswell curiously.
Although Boswell couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl, he was still excited to see another human. He tried to greet the toddler in front of him. "Hi!"
The toddler stared at him blankly, without saying a word or making any move.
At that moment, the bear sat down near the cave, and the kid settled next to it as if the animal was its family.
Boswell didn't feel he had another choice but to sit down too.
Throughout the night, the temperature in the forest dropped sharply. It was probably only a few degrees out there. When a gust of cold wind blew, Boswell couldn't help but shiver. He quietly glanced at the other kid wrapped in a piece of fur. It didn't seem to feel cold even though its shoulders and legs were still exposed to the cold wind.
Boswell thought for a while and took off his coat. It was slightly ripped due to the tree branches he had come across in the woods, but the boy stood up and walked over to put it on the toddler, anyway. "I'm wearing trousers and a sweater. I won't feel cold," he explained.
When he got closer to the toddler, Boswell realized it had a strange smell. Perhaps because it hadn't taken a shower in a long time. Holding his breath, Boswell put his coat over the kid's shoulders and then went back to where he had been sitting.
They remained quiet in the forest for a while. The bear looked back at the toddler who was curiously staring at Boswell's coat and slowly lay on the ground.
When the toddler saw its posture, it immediately half stood and climbed onto its back in a sitting position.
The bear carried the child until they were in front of their guest. Boswell didn't understand what they meant at first, but at last, he plucked up the courage and climbed on the back of the bear, just like the other kid did.
Then, the bear stood up from the ground and clumsily carried the two children away from the cave.
A few minutes later, someone seemed to have found Boswell when a drone hovered over the boy's head. Next, several other drones were flying back and forth above his head.
Boswell waved at one of the drones, which was trying to come down a bit. The device followed him through the woods for less than a minute until it crashed into a tree. Consequently, the drone fell to the ground motionlessly.
"Wait a minute!" Boswell called out immediately.
Seeming to understand what the boy meant, the bear stopped in its tracks. Boswell quickly got off the bear and picked up the drone that fell nearby.
He realized the wing was broken, and it wouldn't be able to fly anymore.
Leaving the broken drone behind, Boswell climbed onto the back of the bear, and the animal proceeded slowly through the woods with the children.
As time went by, more drones flew over, and later a helicopter showed.
The helicopter accurately tracked the hovering drones' location as several fully armed people slid to the ground through a soft rope. Quickly, the men approached the bear and the two children.
The bear took a few steps back warily. But when Boswell saw the man who was holding a weapon in the front, he cheered happily, "Uncle! I'm here!"
At the sound of his voice, Gifford grinned and waved at him. "You brat, come over here!"
Although he was an adult, when he saw the size of the bear, Gifford didn't dare to approach it. Yet his nephew didn't seem to be afraid at all.
Boswell slipped off the bear and ran to Gifford, throwing himself into his arms. "Uncle, you're finally here! I was so scared!"
Gifford held him in his arms and looked him up and down as he asked worriedly, "Tell me, did you get hurt?"
"No, I'm fine. Uncle, did you find Damian?" Boswell asked. He had been thinking about his brother the whole time.
Gifford shook his head and told him firmly, "We haven't found Damian yet. But don't worry. Your two grandpas and your dad are looking for him. They will find him soon." Besides, the three gangsters who had kidnapped the boys had already been found and were now under control.
"Okay, let's go!"
When Gifford was about to leave with the boy in his arms, it occurred to Boswell. "Wait, Uncle!"
At that moment, the little boy slipped down from his uncle's embrace and ran towards the bear.
One of the armed men behind Gifford praised, "Chief, your nephew is so bold! It's a bear! Even I wouldn't dare to approach it, but the boy is not afraid at all."
"It would be great if this boy trained with us in a few years!" said another soldier.
Gifford looked at the child who was talking to the bear, and then he said with a smile, "The bear isn't stupid. Maybe it knows the boy isn't aggressive, and that's why it won't attack him."
A moment later, the toddler slipped down from the bear's back and crawled like an animal towards the soldiers.
The scene shocked the adults present. "Who is this kid? It looks even younger than your nephew."
Gifford shook his head in astonishment. The scene reminded him of the news of a boy who had been growing up with a wolf a long time ago. The kid could not only howl like the animal, but he also walked back and forth, supported by his four limbs.
'Was this toddler raised by the bear?' Gifford thought, furrowing his eyebrows.
After the bear left, Boswell approached Gifford and asked, "Uncle, what does the bear mean? Does it want us to take the kid away?" He pointed at the child who was still lying prone on the ground.
Looking back and forth between the leaving bear and the silent kid, Gifford made a decision. "Let's take the kid with us!"
After all, the forest wasn't a place for a child. Gifford decided that he would send the kid to an orphanage then.
However, he would be lying if he said it didn't cross his mind to bring the child back to the Li family and ask his parents to raise it. It was probably a terrible idea, though, since it could destroy his parents to raise another child that had no blood relationship with them. Afraid of that, Gifford decided it was for the best to send the kid to an orphanage.
When it was three o'clock in the morning, Gifford and his group came out of the woods with the two children.
Many people gathered at the entrance of the forest, looking forward to seeing the Huo brothers.
The moment Matthew saw the children Gifford brought with him, he strode over and called, "Boswell!"
"Dad!" Recognizing his father's voice, the boy burst into tears. Matthew took the dirty boy from Gifford's arms and held him. Wiping his tears, he comforted his son in a soft voice, "It's all right. You're safe now."
Boswell leaned on his shoulder and nodded.
Meanwhile, Wesley came over and looked curiously at the kid that was still in Gifford's arms. "Why is Damian's hair so long? This is strange. He seems shorter too..."
Hearing his brother's name, Boswell turned around and asked, "Where is my brother?"
Gifford didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his father's words. Instead, he explained, "Dad, are you out of your mind? This isn't Damian. I picked this kid up in the woods."