POLAR BEAR ARC CHAPTER 15

A wave of seawater washed up, sweeping away Qiao Qixi's little yellow bucket, but he didn't even lift an eyelid, showing just how exhausted he was.

Fortunately, Otis had sharp eyes and quickly grabbed the cub's beloved toy, placing it in a safer spot.

After caring for this strange little bear for so long, Otis had grown accustomed to Qiao Qixi's many quirks.

For example, when he was tired, he would immediately flop down and remain motionless. This didn't mean he was dead or sick—he was just sleeping.

Having just finished a grueling sea migration, Otis was also exhausted and quite hungry, not having eaten for several days.

If Qiao Qixi wasn't with him, Otis would have immediately gone searching for food while moving to regain his strength.

But now, Otis had to stay by his cub's side and didn't go anywhere. Instead, he lay down to groom his fur, then squinted his eyes to enjoy the sun, waiting for his tired body to recover.

Qiao Qixi was in a particularly deep sleep, so deep that even when Otis licked his face to wake him, he didn't react at all.

Snuggled close to Otis, who was getting worried, the big bear wrapped a strong arm around the little cub, his eyes scanning around helplessly.

To anyone watching, Otis's face would have appeared calm and indifferent, with no clue as to what he might be thinking inside.

As the weather turned cloudy, the sun was obscured by clouds, and the temperature on the coast dropped by a few degrees.

The wind blowing in became slightly colder.

Qiao Qixi moved his paw to shield his eyes from the wind and burrowed further into Otis's embrace.

He had now entered a state of light sleep.

A short while later, Qiao Qixi fully woke up, resting his chin on Otis's arm as he yawned, surprised to see the gloomy weather.

He didn't particularly like this kind of weather.

But Otis enjoyed it because it was cooler.

Qiao Qixi got up, put on his little bucket, and followed Otis as they slowly explored this unfamiliar land.

The barren beach was covered with rocks and rather dirty sand.

Walking on it made their paws dirty.

Where there was land, there was vegetation. This wasn't a small island but the mainland coast. Qiao Qixi looked into the distance and indeed saw dense forests.

On the flat ground, untouched by seawater, green grass was growing.

Of course, the most striking feature was the towering rocks, their surfaces etched with rings from long-term erosion by the sea.

Thousands of seabirds, each about the size of a wild duck, perched on these rocks, hiding their carefully tended eggs in the crevices.

Generally speaking, if these eggs weren't snatched by summering polar bears, they would hatch successfully.

But Qiao Qixi thought that Otis, being so capable, wouldn't stoop to the level of stealing bird eggs, which would be beneath his dignity.

#Congratulations, the Two Polar Bears Have Successfully Landed#

The polar research forum updated with a photo of Qiao Qixi and Otis strolling along the shore.

"They just finished a long journey and look very tired."

"They've been hungry for a few days, haven't they? I wonder what their first meal on land will be?"

"Oh, poor things. Hopefully, they can catch a beluga during high tide or find some stranded carrion on the shore."

"Polar bears can go without food in the summer, but the feeling of hunger must be unbearable."

"Alexander is still so young; Otis will likely do his best to hunt and take care of him like a mother bear."

"Yes, I'm not too worried about these two. They have enough fat reserves to sustain them. I'm more concerned about the other polar bears. I hope they make it through okay."

"Wishing them luck."

Indeed, in the summer, the only meat available was from belugas swimming into shallow waters during high tide or other stranded marine animals on the shore.

That's meat.

As for plants, polar bears would eat some grass and roots.

But Qiao Qixi probably couldn't accept it unless it was sweet-tasting roots or ripe berries.

For now, Otis led the hungry little polar bear along the coast, seemingly not giving up on finding a meaty meal.

He just needed to find the right spot, like a shallow sea area with lots of reefs or beneath a cliff.

Relatively warm shallow sea currents were places belugas liked to frequent during this season.

However, such spots were hard to find, and no one could be sure when they might appear.

Until they found food, they would keep moving, though this might be counterproductive since moving consumed energy and strength.

Qiao Qixi was a patient person; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen a meticulous field like geology.

So, even after walking with Otis for a long time, he didn't feel anxious or restless.

It was just hunger. Without danger or harsh weather, it was manageable.

Otis stopped to sniff the air carried by the wind, then decisively led Qiao Qixi onward.

He repeated this action twice, catching the attention of the little polar bear, whose round eyes suddenly lit up. What did this mean?

It meant Otis had smelled food!

After being hungry for several days, Qiao Qixi immediately became excited, his little steps now carrying a sense of anticipation.

Indeed, Otis had caught the scent of food, and it was strong.

To humans, it would likely be an unpleasant stench.

But to polar bears in the summer, it was a rare feast.

It was the carcass of a huge whale that had likely been stranded on the shore for some time. Its insides had been hollowed out by the sea, leaving only the skeleton and some red and gray meat.

The enormous ribs jutted out, looking like something from a sci-fi movie.

But what really caught Qiao Qixi's attention, making him hesitate, was the fact that seven or eight polar bears had already gathered around the whale carcass.

They still appeared quite plump, though their fur was dirty and matted, suggesting they had been living on the shore for some time.

These polar bears occasionally fought over the food, growling at each other or even getting into scuffles.

The commotion was rather intimidating.

The arrival of Otis and Qiao Qixi would undoubtedly be seen as competition for the food and was, of course, unwelcome.

The first to be threatened was Qiao Qixi, who, being just a cub, had a weaker presence.

Qiao Qixi simply stayed close to Otis, avoiding eye contact with the polar bear.

Otis, however, glanced at the bear, bared his teeth, and growled back, his voice deeper and more menacing.

The other polar bear quickly turned away, realizing that the little cub had a protector.

What puzzled it was why a strong male polar bear would be guarding a cub, something usually only mother bears did.

After driving away the grumpy gray bear, Otis turned back and nuzzled the startled Qiao Qixi, a gesture so warm and comforting that it made one's heart melt.

In truth, Qiao Qixi hadn't been scared. As long as he didn't approach the food claimed by that bear, the chances of being attacked were slim.

But the little bear was indeed hungry, and despite never having eaten carrion before, he found himself swallowing in anticipation at the sight of the long-stranded whale, even though the smell was overwhelming.

Otis led him to the other side of the whale carcass and used his sharp teeth to tear open the tough whale skin, revealing the meat inside, which hadn't spoiled due to the low temperature.

It was red meat.

Qiao Qixi swallowed again, stood up, placed his paws on the whale, and leaned in to start licking the meat.

Otis, on the other hand, began wolfing down chunks, quickly consuming several mouthfuls.

Qiao Qixi: ...

Is it my fault I'm short?

Darn it, why did Otis have to make the opening so high? Couldn't he have made it lower so I could reach the meat too?

Being shorter, Qiao Qixi could only watch as Otis ate, hoping he would soon remember that there was a little cub waiting to be fed.

Actually, Otis hadn't forgotten the little polar bear. After eating the outer layer of meat, he tore into the fresher meat inside and turned to find Qiao Qixi.

The drone captured footage of the big polar bear bending down to feed the cub.

The sight of one bear lowering its head while the other stretched its neck to eat was so warm and loving that it brought a smile to anyone who saw it.

Clinging to the massive whale's body, Qiao Qixi finally took his first bite of meat in days, so excited that he nearly choked.

Otis continued to tear at the whale skin, eating the tougher, less fresh meat on the outside while feeding the fresher, more tender meat to Qiao Qixi.

It seemed that this stranded whale could last them a while, so Otis didn't open up a large area. If possible, he would stay here with Qiao Qixi until the whale was completely consumed.

However, it was likely that more and more polar bears would be drawn by the scent.

Even a giant whale wouldn't last long.

For now, though, they didn't have to worry about going hungry. It was an unexpected blessing that not every polar bear would encounter.

The little polar bear happily ate the meat, feeling quite lucky.

He thought that if they could find another couple of stranded whales this summer, they'd be set.

Maybe by winter, he'd gain another 10 or 20 pounds.

But that was probably

impossible—finding one was already a stroke of incredible luck.

And so, the two fortunate bears focused on their meal.

Having gone hungry for several days, Otis could easily eat over 100 pounds of food in one sitting, possibly even more.

Especially in this situation, he would eat as much as possible, and he hoped Qiao Qixi would do the same, so he kept bringing meat to him.

But Qiao Qixi's appetite was limited; there was no way he could match Otis in how much he ate.

Soon, his little bucket was piled high with more meat than he could eat. Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming!

So, this is what life in the wild is like—starving when there's no food and overwhelmed when there's too much.

He really couldn't eat any more.

"Otis, that's enough. Stop—no, I mean it, stop eating!"

The diligent Otis, who had been hauling meat, turned to see that the little bear's bucket was still full, with meat that hadn't been eaten.

"..."

"..."

Otis looked seriously at the little bear, his round, deep eyes seeming to ask, "What's going on?"

"Burp..." After staring back at him for a moment, Qiao Qixi let out a full-bellied burp, the taste of whale meat still lingering.

Under Otis's disappointed gaze, he wearily sat down, giving up the effort.

As usual, indulgent Otis, seeing that the little bear had stopped eating, finished off the remaining meat.

After eating a bit more, other polar bears began to wander over.

Judging by their cautious approach, it was clear they were well-fed and just looking for trouble.

Starving polar bears wouldn't have the energy for such antics.

Otis turned to face them, baring his teeth and growling even more dominantly than before, his presence more imposing now that he was full.

The tension in the air grew palpable.

Sitting beside Otis, Qiao Qixi could feel that a hungry Otis could take on ten bears, but a full Otis—he was practically invincible.

Of course, that was an exaggeration. But still, he was formidable.

The intimidated polar bear didn't dare approach further and found an unclaimed spot to eat instead.

Qiao Qixi was a bit surprised. "Wow, that's impressive!"

He found himself looking at Otis with newfound admiration, feeling a sense of respect.

He thought, "No wonder he's survived so much—this bear has the aura of a Northern boss who says, 'What are you looking at? Keep staring, and I'll beat you up.'"

Thinking about it, Northern animals and people alike do seem more... direct.

Qiao Qixi was from the South, and people always said he was polite and courteous, the typical scholarly type.

The idea of him starting a fight? Not in this lifetime.

Revised ✔