Mary concentrated on survival for the first few days, focusing on finding food and shelter. She almost forgot about Max, or the girl now calling herself Mary.
When Mary did return, she found the apartment empty. The vials were nowhere to be found. Mary was upset, but she could not worry about it for long. Someone in the apartment had seen the strange creature lurking about, and called the police. The police returned with several hunters. They chased Mary into the forest. Using a combination of animal instincts and simple human ingenuity, she was able to evade the hunters.
The big hunt lasted for several days. Some even stayed to continue the hunt for a few weeks. But Mary was able to embrace her animal nature and continue to elude the hunters. Eventually they all gave up. Most believed that Mary did not exist. They had been chasing shadows seen by scared 'city people' living at the edge of the park.
Yet they continued to find partially devoured animal corpses for several months after the hunt. Some attributed the bodies to a bear, or possibly a mountain lion. But a few believed that a sasquatch had taken residence in the park. A few claimed to have even seen it - a hulky animal with short black fur stalking the forest. A couple of grainy unfocused videos had even surfaced. Most of the people were dismissed as kooks or nuts, but a few dedicated crypto-zoologists still searched the forest, proudly displaying any trace of Mary.
Mary herself had become used to the life of an animal. Hiding from people, and focusing on the immediate needs of food and shelter. Her old life was almost forgotten after spending months on the run. But she was beginning to feel another need. The need every living creature feels. The need to find a mate, and reproduce.