The bear's intent was so obvious and its demeanor so tame that John grinned and moved toward it. "Hello there. I sure hope you are as friendly as you look." In the back of his mind, the man was amazed that he was calmly waling up to such a huge beast - common sense would normally send him walking quickly, if not running, in the opposite direction. But there was a real attraction to making friends with what would otherwise be a very dangerous animal.
The bear had a strong, almost rancid odor - sweat, dirt, urine - that John puzzled over. There was something oddly welcoming, even soothing about the smell. The bear was female - how he knew this he did not know, for no genitals were obvious. Something in the odor? The massive beast somehow came across as being matronly, a huge momma bear welcoming him into her embrace. Almost without thinking, he moved close and allowed the beast to pull him into her lap.
She wrapped her huge forelegs around him, pulling him against her belly and chest and dropping her head down to lick the back of his head. Despite the strong smell, John felt wonderfully relaxed and safe. Even the tongue bath was curiously enjoyable. What he could not see yet was the effects of the bear's attentions. The thinning hair on his head was getting dark and thick, and the top of his skull began to sink down. His ears became thicker and drifted higher up, and his lower face began to protrude forward. He shifted in the bear's embrace, sinking a bit deeper as his whole body got smaller, and more importantly, younger.
John was feeling sleepy now, surrounded by the warm fur and enveloped by the now-pleasant scent. He grunted in pleasure as the mother bear licked his now furry head, no longer recognizable as human. The clothing he had worn was crumbling away to dust, but he now had black fur of his own growing out. Lulled into a contented stupor, John had the odd awareness of being transformed into a very young bear cub. It was like being in a dream, but the strong sensations told him this was actually happening. He felt no fear, not even concern as his thoughts became those of a baby Grizzly cub. Human memories faded, and the bond with the massive female strengthened and became all-important.
His mother grunted and pushed him out of her lap, causing him to bawl loudly. She batted him gently with one massive paw, and then lumbered back towards their cave. He followed awkwardly, looking curiously at this new world outside of the safety of the den, his mind now holding only the instincts and the awareness of a two month-old bear.