Actually, it seems for some reason that part has reverted for me (and 2 bears had spawned), meaning I was able to access the whisper after all.
I’m not exactly sure what triggered it? I had moved onto the marrin woods area, and I saw my first bear there, so maybe that’s what triggered the change? I went back just after exploring Marrin village, but I had only explored it – I hadn’t completed the area-related quest