Bob woke up. As his vision started to clear and he looked at the fire and his friends sleeping nearby, he pondered the next steps. He had been re-united with Larry, and right now that was more important than anything, but he knew they would have to find a way back home eventually. Maybe the best thing to do was follow Larry's tunnel and see where it led them; maybe Larry was just crazy. But whatever they did now, they were doing to do it together.
As his thoughts turned to the other friends they had found, he realized that he didn't know a lot about them. Scooter seemed to be helpful, but still mysterious; Bob wasn't sure about his motivations. And this bear Larry had found, what was up with her? She seemed safe, but one thing Bob knew about wild animals is that when they want something, they take it without regard for morals or safety. What if all Bella wanted was a snack, and she was waiting for the right time to take it? Larry's fantasies often blinded him to reality, so Bob would keep an eye on the bear for him. Nothing could be done now until the morning, though, so he went back to sleep.
Larry woke up, happy. He had made a new friend, he was back with Bob, and this Scooter guy seemed nice. Everything was going perfectly as far as he was concerned. He started thinking about the voices he had heard and the way out. Clearly, whatever was guiding him hadn't lied, but could he really trust them? Maybe whatever was on the other side of that tunnel was dangerous, but maybe it was the only way back home. Maybe the voices were angels, but why would they care about a couple of vegetables? Whether they were benevolent or not, Larry always believed in the good of people until they proved otherwise, so he would trust the voices for now. But for now there wasn't anything left to do except go back to sleep, so that's what he did, content.
Bella slept, her thoughts rolling around in her furry head. The bear hadn't even had a name until yesterday, and now she had three new friends. Of course, she couldn't say any names, not even her own, but just being named made her feel more whole. She remembered the previous night; eating together, playing games, listening to stories, and finally going to sleep next to a warm fire. The forest had never seemed kind to her, especially when the cold white water covered the ground, but she saw now that when you were with others who cared about you, it was better. The green one seemed to really love her, even though she had almost killed him; he shouldn't even want to be around her, but he had stood up for her when the red one wanted her gone. That red one had watched her suspiciously the whole night, even while he seemed to be having fun playing games. She wondered how the green and red could even be friends, they were so different. Must be something about vegetables.
As her mind wandered to the third one, her thoughts seemed to roll off him. She knew he was there and that he was good and nice, but something about him was different. She couldn't see him clearly, as if he wasn't all there. As she tried to picture him, her mind was guided away, not harshly, but like a lazy river flowing in a different direction, and she felt as if she didn't need to worry. And with that, all her thoughts fell away and she drifted back to slumber.
Scooter thought. He was always thinking, no matter what he was doing or what it looked like he was doing. He thought about Bob and Larry, about Bella. They were similar in some ways to travelers he had helped in the past, and different in others. And he had helped many travelers through his woods, some who had asked for it, some who had no other choice. But they all learned something in the end, and most came out the better for it.
And these three were special. Of course, everyone was special to Scooter, everyone was unique if you knew where to look. He would miss them when they went back to their lives, when they left the forest. Some of his travelers forgot him, even forgot what they had learned from him. Others kept the lessons he taught, made them a part of themselves, but forgot him. They would catch glimpses occasionally, think about him in the middle of the night, but have no memory in the morning. But there were those few that remembered him, what he had done for them and what he had shown them. He hoped these three would be in that group, and share his lessons with others. He thought more that night about many things, but this is all we have time for.