The child is 3, and was likely suffering (at least borderline) hypothermia. Maybe a bear really was with him. Maybe he just dreamt or imagined it. The great news is that he was found, and will be fine.
Maybe he crawled in with a hibernating bear in a hollow under a tree. It’d be too sleepy to pay him much attention... and when female bears, sows, hibernate is when they give birth so one may in its sleepy stupor feel nothing is amiss if something snuggled up with them.
Could also have been a stray dog.
Agree.