Outside of Fairbanks in 2014, Kyle and his little brother were walking a trail and picking berries when they heard some odd noises that sounded like a low grumbling, and decided to leave. They realize they're being paced, so Kyle begins to trot but stops to prevent triggering a predator. Suddenly, his little brother sprints past him, so Kyle caught up with him and told him "walk, don't run!"
His little brother was panic-stricken, so Kyle grabbed him to stop him when he said "I saw it!" Kyle asked what he saw, and he replied that it was big and dark and behind them. They both looked back and saw the dark figure about 40 yards behind as it slunk back into the brush. Immediately they both took off.
When they stopped to catch their breath, they heard impact from footfall originating in front of them, then across the trail and circled around, as if it were waiting for them.
They decided to run, not walk, once they past the brush where they believe the creature to be. Three steps into their walk, they heard a noise in the distance that spooked his little brother, prompting him to run, with Kyle following him to not lose sight of his brother. His brother was crying, and when Kyle got him to stop, they could hear the pacing, but it sounded like it was tracking away from them.
When Kyle asked his brother why he was crying, he said he saw it again when he started running, standing off to their left and made eye contact. It was hairy with black eyes, but at this point, Kyle had yet to see it.
They reached the end of the trail to a dirt road, where Kyle consoled his brother to calm him down before meeting back up with their parents. Kyle then saw the dark figure down the road along the tree line, just standing, and only saw it because it moved, estimating it to be over 8' tall. After this experience, the brothers are still close and talk about it every so often.
