Sam and Leo were best buddies, and one day they decided to go on an adventure! "Into the big woods we go!" cheered Sam. "And we'll stick together, no matter what happens!" added Leo. They shook hands on it.

They walked and walked, deeper into the woods, singing silly songs. Suddenly, from behind a big bush, came a low GROWL! And then, out stepped a very large, very furry bear!

"Oh dear!" yelped Sam. Quick as a wink, he spotted a tall tree and scrambled up its branches, leaving Leo all alone on the path. He didn't even look back to see if Leo was okay.

Leo knew he couldn't outrun the bear, and there wasn't a tree nearby he could climb quickly. But he remembered something he’d heard: bears don’t like to bother things that aren’t moving. So, he dropped to the ground, lay very still, and held his breath. He tried to look like an old, forgotten log.

The big bear lumbered over to Leo. It sniffed him all over. Sniff, sniff, sniff went its big, wet nose, right near Leo’s ear. Leo stayed as still as a stone, even though his heart was thumping like a drum. After a moment, the bear seemed to think, "Well, this isn't very interesting," and it shuffled off into the trees.

Once the bear was completely gone, Sam climbed down from the tree. He tried to look brave. "Wow, that was close!" he said, a little shakily. "What was that bear doing? It looked like it was whispering in your ear, Leo! What did it say?"

Leo stood up and brushed the leaves off his clothes. He looked at Sam. "Oh," he said calmly. "The bear just gave me some very good advice."

"Advice?" asked Sam, curious. "What advice?"

Leo replied, "It told me never to travel with a friend who leaves you all alone when danger comes."

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