POLAR BEAR ARC CHAPTER 16

Qiao Qixi sat by the whale, licking his paws and mouth, diligently grooming himself after a meal. This was his secret to keeping his fur so white.

With this in mind, he moved his butt off the ground and found a clean, smooth stone to sit on.

The soil on the beach seemed to be a mix of volcanic mud and sand, giving it a gray-brown color. The other polar bears' fur was patchy and dirty, stained from the ground.

While it didn't harm their health, it certainly wasn't aesthetically pleasing.

Qiao Qixi was vain and wouldn't allow himself to become a dirty, scruffy polar bear. As a result of his meticulous grooming, he stood out as the cleanest and most handsome cub on the beach.

In the drone footage, while the other polar bears looked dirty and grimy, freshly arrived Qiao Qixi and Otis appeared exceptionally white and chubby, making them particularly noticeable.

People began to bet on how many days it would take for the two of them to become as messy as the other bears.

If Qiao Qixi knew about this bet, he would likely sigh and say, "You don't know me very well."

No matter how many days passed, he wouldn't let himself turn into a dirty bear.

Similarly, Otis, who stayed with him, wouldn't be allowed to get dirty either.

Observations showed that Otis was much cleaner than other polar bears. After eating, he would carefully groom his fur to avoid any lingering smells.

Plus, Otis enjoyed swimming in the sea, and the seawater kept his fur clean. Once he was onshore, the sun would dry his fur, leaving it fluffy and smelling of sunshine, without any of the unpleasant odors typical of wild animals.

Some polar bears had matted fur, a clear sign they hadn't bathed in a long time, and their smell could be detected from a distance.

That was the difference between bears.

It wasn't easy to come across such a large amount of food. Otis ate until he was full, then took Qiao Qixi's little bucket, filled with several pieces of meat, and left the shore together to rest on the grassy inland.

This didn't mean they had given up on the whale carcass. On the contrary, they intended to stay nearby for some time.

In early summer, the grass was tender and green, with purple flower buds just beginning to emerge.

The well-fed little bear lazily wandered, occasionally sniffing the budding flowers or being captivated by small insects, appearing carefree and without worries.

Leading the way was the big polar bear, steadily guiding them, similar to a mother bear with her cubs.

Most mother bears had two or three cubs and had a harder time than single male bears, needing to constantly find food.

A fortunate mother bear, with her two cubs, also found the stranded whale—a stroke of luck for them.

Despite the risk of being attacked by other polar bears, this mother bear bravely brought her cubs to share in the food.

In times of plenty, male polar bears would ignore cubs, allowing them to eat and avoid harm.

The cubs, unlike the pampered only-child Qiao Qixi, would eat as much as possible without needing any prompting from their mother, stuffing themselves until their bellies looked like balls.

Qiao Qixi thought, "No need to praise one while criticizing the other."

The lucky family of three also decided to stay nearby. The dry grassy slope was a good choice, providing a view of the shore and minimizing conflicts with other polar bears.

The well-fed mother bear found a rock to rest her chin on and dozed off, exhausted from days of foraging. Now, she could finally get a good sleep.

The gentle breeze of early summer made her feel extremely comfortable, probably the best she'd felt in days.

The playful cubs frolicked nearby, almost disappearing in the grass and flowers.

From a higher grassy slope, Qiao Qixi watched the family of three below.

Honestly, he wanted to play with those cubs.

They were so cute.

How could there be anything as adorable as baby polar bears in the world? It was almost too much to handle.

Oh, they rolled into a ball.

I can do that too—

The still-underage Qiao Qixi felt a strong urge to join the cubs and roll around with them...

But his guardian wouldn't allow it, and neither would the cubs' mother, so he had to give up.

Full of energy, the cubs weren't just playing with each other but were also interested in any 'toys' they found around them.

For example, a dry twig could become a fun toy they would happily play with.

The fun of grabbing and snatching toys was something only cubs with siblings could experience.

As a single cub, Qiao Qixi could only paw at his little yellow bucket, feeling a bit bored.

Why couldn't polar bears get along like the moms at the neighborhood playground?

Good question, because baby polar bears were targets for adult polar bears.

Although the mother bear slept soundly, she would immediately relocate her cubs if she sensed another strange polar bear approaching.

A resting place with a better view would allow her to finish her nap peacefully.

Qiao Qixi, too, was a target for other polar bears. However, with Otis by his side, no bear dared to bother them.

So, unlike the mother bear, they didn't need to constantly move around to rest.

Disturbed by wandering single males, the mother bear led her cubs to a pile of rocks.

Qiao Qixi watched from afar and thought that spot seemed good, hoping the cubs could get some good sleep.

Then he felt sleepy himself.

Just a year away from living independently, Qiao Qixi snuggled into Otis's embrace, nuzzling to find a comfortable spot.

Otis, who was being nuzzled, squinted his pretty eyes, tilted his head, retracted his paws, and hugged the little bear, rolling and rubbing on the grass with one leg raised high.

This was how polar bears entertained themselves—rolling on the grass or snow made them happy.

The rough ground massaged their skin, especially around the neck, making them feel comfortable.

Qiao Qixi clung to Otis's belly, swaying with his movements as he rubbed his back left and right.

Darn...

The little bear, trying to stabilize himself, suddenly had a moment of inappropriate thoughts.

He thought he must have been shaken up too much; otherwise, why would he have such impure thoughts about such a wholesome and loving moment?

After all, Qiao Qixi felt that his bond with Otis was the purest and most innocent relationship in the world.

So, without any pressure, he continued to cling to Otis's neck, enjoying the closeness.

Satisfied with the rubbing, Otis lay on his side, hugging the little bear, and extended his pink tongue to lick around Qiao Qixi's eyes.

The area around the eyes was delicate and prone to infection, so keeping it clean and dry was crucial.

If the eyes weren't clean, they could attract insects, like flies.

In the summer, there was also the risk of ticks attaching to them and breeding.

Otis would usually carefully inspect Qiao Qixi's fur, sniffing for any pests, making it difficult for ticks or other insects to escape his sharp nose.

"..." Qiao Qixi was quite ticklish. Whenever Otis tried to check his armpits, he would tightly clamp his arms to avoid the inspection.

It tickled!

This behavior likely puzzled Otis, as no other polar bear had ticklish spots.

Otis might compromise on other things, but he was adamant about this, insisting on a thorough inspection for peace of mind.

All vulnerable areas had to be carefully checked.

This was the most embarrassing part for Qiao Qixi because Otis would also lick certain unmentionable areas during the inspection.

For instance, where he peed.

He had protested before, saying he could handle it himself, but it was to no avail.

Otis's care was thorough and left no room for Qiao Qixi to protest.

Faced with Otis's meticulous care, Qiao Qixi often felt like he was Otis's property.

Eventually, he just pretended to be a brainless bear, lying spread-eagle, playing dead, and letting Otis do his thing.

After all, he found it hard to lick those places himself.

Of course, he would never lick Otis there—that was his final boundary.

Fortunately, Otis didn't expect him to help with that. Otis could handle it well on his own.

One thing Qiao Qixi happily did for Otis was scratching his itchy spots—areas Otis couldn't reach himself.

For example, under his chin or on his back, helping out while Otis napped would earn very affectionate responses.

It showed Otis appreciated his efforts.

Fully inspected, Qiao Qixi snuggled into Otis's embrace and fell asleep.

In the summer, they slept longer to conserve energy.

The gloomy clouds slowly dissipated as the polar bears slept, and tender sunlight shone on the grassy slope, making the coastline look vibrant.

Not wanting the sunlight directly in his eyes, Qiao Qixi covered his eyes with a paw, leaving only his black nose exposed to breathe.

A comfortable sleep eased the polar bears' fear of summer.

Those capturing the peaceful scenes with drones also enjoyed the sense of tranquility.

On the grassy slopes, family units of polar bears seemed to live warmly and happily, while the scruffy single males looked rather pitiful.

They had gathered around the food and were reluctant to leave, but with limited space, inevitable conflicts arose whenever one extended a paw or head too far.

Cuddling together was out of the question for adult male polar bears.

Besides, they were all smelly and dirty.

Hug?

As if.

Typical male polar bear: "You look like you need a beating."

So, encountering an exceptional bear like Otis, with his distinct temperament and appearance, was incredibly lucky for Qiao Qixi.

If Otis were as unkempt as the bears on the shore, Qiao Qixi wouldn't have approached him in the first place...

Gradually, the single males, worn out by the sun, quieted down and fell asleep.

Apart from the sound of the waves, the beach was silent.

Time passed slowly and comfortably for the polar bears, and Qiao Qixi had a sweet, restful sleep.

From what he remembered, those big guys were fighting when he fell asleep, and when he woke up, they were still fighting. Did they ever sleep?

Half-awake, Qiao Qixi glanced at the shore and saw more bears had gathered.

No wonder there was constant fighting and growling.

Looking further, he saw the family of three on the rocks had also woken up. The not-so-strong mother bear was watching the shore warily.

Always on edge.

Earlier, when there were fewer polar bears, the mother bear dared to bring her cubs to eat the whale. Now, with several more bears around, she was clearly hesitant.

Starve or risk getting food—an agonizing decision.

Even Qiao Qixi could see the mother bear's hesitation, while the recently awakened cubs sat on the rocks, shaking their heads and continuing to play, oblivious to the tension.

Qiao Qixi worried they might roll off the rocks, feeling more anxious than the mother bear herself.

Otis approached the little bear from behind, curious about what had caught his attention.

Then he saw the family of three on the rocks, but they didn't interest him much.

He was more focused on Qiao Qixi.

A warm tongue licked the fur on Qiao Qixi's face—Otis was awake too.

Qiao Qixi let out a soft noise, a special way he communicated with Otis, something no other polar bear would do.

To Otis, this sound was akin to a playful whine or a signal of hunger.

Otis thought for a moment and immediately fetched the little bucket, filled with food and toys, for Qiao Qixi to choose from.

Qiao Qixi silently looked at the little yellow bucket: "..."

Sigh, he wasn't hungry or wanting to play, just saying hello.

Good afternoon, or something.

After all, he didn't know if it was morning or night.

With the sun so high, he decided to call it noon.

Revised ✔