POLAR BEAR ARC CHAPTER 20

Qiao Qixi's hunch was right. His face wasn't just a little off—it was swelling so much that it was becoming asymmetrical. But that was a problem for later. Right now, both polar bears were focused on the fresh golden honeycomb they had just found.

Honey! The ultimate treat for bears.

Polar bears, after all, originally evolved from grizzly bears on land, and their love for honey is just as strong as that of most other bears. Even Otis, usually so reserved, couldn't resist the sweet smell of honey. He licked his lips and carefully took a small bite.

Qiao Qixi, thrilled, spun around in excitement, his eyes practically sparkling with the unspoken question: "Isn't it delicious? Isn't it the best?"

Honey was indeed delicious. Even Otis couldn't resist its allure, but after taking a small bite, he pushed it back towards Qiao Qixi, indicating that it was for him to eat.

Here we go again, with Otis being overly considerate. Qiao Qixi, though exasperated by Otis's constant selflessness, had an idea. He crushed the honeycomb in his mouth, smearing his face with the sticky sweetness, and then rubbed his face against Otis's, forcing him to taste it as he cleaned up the mess.

What a genius!

Through this indirect method, Qiao the Genius Seven Xi and Otis shared the honey happily. The two bears, licking honey off each other's faces, presented a scene so intimate and indulgent that it was quickly captured by the drone's camera.

Naturally, the researchers didn't assume the two wild polar bears were kissing. Instead, after some group analysis, they concluded that the bears were sharing honey. As for why the simple act of eating honey turned into such an affectionate display, that remained a mystery.

A summer scene of two bears sharing honey—too sweet for words.

Viewers couldn't help but feel their hearts melt.

"How wonderful! Despite the summer hunger, they found honey, and it's like my heart is filled with sweetness too."

"Honey, honey, honey—nothing makes bears happier than honey. Haha!"

"Today's Otis and Alexander are sweet, sweet, sweet. So good!"

"Even though all the bears are hungry, there's something about Otis and Alexander that just makes you feel lighthearted. Watching them eat honey is pure joy."

The scene of the two bears licking each other's faces wasn't just shared on forums for thousands to see; it was also witnessed by a female polar bear in the distance.

Encountering other polar bears on this island wasn't unusual, given that polar bears are a symbol of Greenland. However, this particular female bear was special—she wasn't just any bear, she was Otis's mother. Two years after parting ways with Otis, she had met another male and became a mother again.

This time, she had given birth to two cubs, but only one had survived—a female cub about a year old, looking adorable yet tired from the long journey.

The mother bear, smelling the sweet scent of honey in the air and the strong scent of a male polar bear, was initially cautious. But the scent was familiar. She remembered it well—it was one of her first cubs.

Qiao Qixi had guessed correctly—Otis did have siblings, two to be exact. The fierce mother bear had managed to raise three cubs from her first litter, a feat that was nothing short of a miracle.

Otis had always been the strongest and most independent of the three, leaving his mother early to carve out his own path. After that, the four related polar bears had scattered across the polar regions, never meeting again—until now.

With her second litter of cubs, the mother bear found herself unexpectedly reunited with one of her older offspring. The memory was vivid, but she was confused by the scene before her.

The scent and her memories told her that this was her son, a male. But now, he was accompanied by another young male bear, clearly not a female. Was he hunting? No, she could see that her son was licking the younger bear's face, an affectionate gesture far from aggressive.

So the mother bear hesitated, uncertain.

After finishing their honey, the two satisfied bears finally noticed their surroundings. Otis had already sensed the presence of the mother bear and her cub, but since the scent was familiar, he wasn't on guard. Besides, he had no particular feelings about it, even if it was his mother.

Qiao Qixi noticed the mother bear as well. He considered himself lucky—he always seemed to run into cubs. Here was another one, a cute lone cub this time.

As they exchanged a glance with the mother bear, Otis broke eye contact first and continued on his way, leading Qiao Qixi.

Oh well, it was nice to see cute cubs, but they were off-limits. With a hint of regret, Qiao Qixi turned away and followed Otis, his little yellow bucket still empty.

At first, Qiao Qixi trotted along cheerfully, humming a tune. But after a while, he noticed something was wrong with his face—it was numb, and even his eye was affected.

He reached up with his paw and felt his face. It was swollen.

His left eye squinted into a slit as he whimpered in discomfort. Otis stopped, took a look at his cub, and noticed the swelling.

"Ugh, ugh..." Qiao Qixi whimpered, his big eyes misty.

Some polar bears might never experience getting stung by a bee, like Otis, who had no idea what was wrong. But from the cub's whining, he could tell Qiao Qixi was uncomfortable, so he licked his nose gently in an attempt to comfort him.

Otis might not know how to solve the problem, but he figured a good meal might help.

He could already smell the scent of prey nearby—a mix of various animals that could only mean food was close. Taking Qiao Qixi's little bucket in his mouth, he continued forward.

Qiao Qixi, realizing that his fake crying wasn't getting him more sympathy, gave up the act and curiously looked back. It seemed the mother bear and her cub were still nearby, perhaps heading in the same direction.

Qiao Qixi found the idea of having other bears as neighbors appealing, as long as they didn't fight.

As they rested again, the mother bear and her cub caught up and passed them. The mother bear looked at Qiao Qixi a few times before moving on.

Why?

Maybe she was staring at his swollen face, Qiao Qixi thought, feeling a bit embarrassed as he hid behind Otis. The realization made him self-conscious, and he figured it wasn't his good looks that caught her attention but his lopsided, swollen face.

Annoyed, Qiao Qixi decided it was time to move on. They picked up the pace and soon passed the mother bear and her cub again.

Wait, something didn't add up. Why wasn't this mother bear keeping her distance from Otis? And why wasn't Otis avoiding her? The whole situation seemed strange.

Then something happened that really sparked Qiao Qixi's imagination. As Otis passed by the mother bear, she extended her neck and sniffed his rear.

Uh, what...?

Everyone knows that in the animal kingdom, sniffing someone's rear is a pretty forward move.

Love—what else could it be?

Qiao Qixi couldn't think of another explanation, though he never would have guessed that the mother bear was just trying to confirm her son's identity.

Otis seemed completely unfazed, though, which fit his serious and mature personality. He didn't avoid the mother bear, but he didn't pay her any extra attention either.

Too bad, thought Qiao Qixi. Wrong time, right bear.

As they continued, Otis noticed something was off—his little polar bear wasn't following him as closely as usual. Instead, he was watching the mother bear with interest.

But the mother bear was far from friendly. She growled softly at the unfamiliar young bear, warning him to keep his distance.

Otis wasn't having it. He put down the bucket and approached the mother bear, seemingly to negotiate.

Qiao Qixi's heart raced as he quickly rushed to rescue his little yellow bucket, not wanting it to get damaged.

If anything happened to that bucket, Otis would have to answer for it!

Revised ✔