Furries?
Oddly, no, that’s not what Im referring to. There are numerous stories from children of friendly bears, bigfoots, and “werewolves” returning or letting loose children that have disappeared. For example, here is one story about a kid who went missing in a national park. Hundreds of people looked for him and couldn’t find him. He was later found. The distance he was found from the original point was far too far for even an experienced adult to travel through mountainous terrain. He said a “friendly bear” had taken him.