POLAR BEAR ARC CHAPTER 23

The gentle sea breeze blew softly, rustling the leaves of the low bushes along the shore.

It was an ideal time for a nap, but after only seven hours of sleep, far short of Qiao Qixi's usual wake-up time, he was roused by the sounds of a scuffle.

Opening his eyes, he saw Otis still lying peacefully beside him, fast asleep. This meant that Otis wasn't involved in the commotion.

Otis might have heard the noise too, but his white ears remained perfectly still, indicating that he had tuned out the external disturbances.

Always curious about what was happening around him, the little bear lifted his head to look in the direction of the noise. He soon spotted the mother bear sparring with her cub.

To be precise, it seemed she was training her cub in combat techniques.

It's often said that a polar bear's greatest enemy is another polar bear, so naturally, a young bear must learn how to fight its kind—an essential survival skill.

The mother bear Qiao Qixi observed was quite fierce, showing no mercy as she swung her large paws, sending the little bear flying with a few hefty swipes. Qiao Qixi winced at the sight, his heart aching with empathy.

*Ouch, doesn't that hurt?* The cub is still so small, and their size difference makes it clear that it's no match for the mother's strength!

Qiao Qixi couldn't bear to watch. He wondered if this harsh treatment was typical of all polar bear mothers, or if this particular mother was just exceptionally tough. What about father bears?

With his still swollen face, Qiao Qixi trembled, filled with a growing sense of unease. Although he wasn't fully rested, the sound of the cub being tossed around kept him from falling back asleep.

Perhaps it was because of a sense of kinship with the other young polar bear that he couldn't shake off the fear that Otis might one day treat him the same way.

*Learning to fight is essential, sure, but does it have to involve being thrown around like that?*

At that moment, Otis woke up, likely stirred by the surrounding noise. His eyes still held traces of drowsiness, making him appear more harmless than usual, with none of the intimidating aura of the Arctic king.

Otis's first reaction upon waking was to tighten his embrace around Qiao Qixi, pulling him close before licking the fur on his head. Only then did he fully wake up.

Having been used as Otis's cuddle pillow for days, Qiao Qixi was well accustomed to Otis's wake-up routine. Normally, he would be uncooperative, but today, disturbed by the sounds of the cub being disciplined, he unexpectedly leaned into Otis's embrace, seeking comfort.

*Hey, Otis, the mother bear next door is roughing up her cub,* Qiao Qixi wanted to say, hoping to convey, *I'm so obedient, cute, and I eat so little—you'd never want to do that to me, right?*

Usually, if Qiao Qixi didn't snuggle with Otis, he'd end up getting licked three times a day. But now that he was actively seeking affection, he was promptly rewarded with a thorough, affectionate licking.

After some time, with both of them covered in each other's saliva, Qiao Qixi finally relaxed, feeling reassured that Otis had accepted his affectionate overtures. At least for now, there seemed to be no risk of him being tossed around like the unfortunate cub next door.

The contrasting treatment served as a wake-up call for Qiao Qixi. He realized that practicing survival skills needed to be prioritized.

They hadn't practiced before because they were always on the move, hungry, and lacking the conditions to do so. Besides, Otis hadn't shown any inclination to teach him how to hunt. But now that they had the opportunity, it was time to get serious.

The little polar bear took his first step towards learning how to hunt. He got up, stretched, and moved away from Otis.

Still sleepy, he made his way to the water's edge under the scorching sun, stretching his arms and legs to warm up a bit.

Whether or not he succeeded, he needed to be prepared.

Qiao Qixi wouldn't admit it, but the thought of diving into the water to catch a beluga whale made his legs tremble. It was a high-stakes challenge.

It was normal to be scared, and there was no shame in admitting it.

Standing at the shore, he stared at the churning sea for a while. He felt he needed to mentally prepare himself.

After a long pause, he finally extended a paw, carefully stepping onto the rocks scattered in the water, gradually making his way toward the center of the sea.

Slowly, the water level rose, reaching halfway up his arm. At that moment, he turned around and was startled to see Otis quietly watching him from behind.

*Wait, was I so nervous that I didn't notice him following me?*

Qiao Qixi thought Otis had probably followed to ensure his safety, worried that he might accidentally drown or get dragged under by a beluga.

*Ugh,* Qiao Qixi sighed internally. *Fine, if you're here to watch me embarrass myself, so be it.*

The little polar bear turned back to the sea, trying to clear his mind of all unnecessary thoughts. He focused on one goal: hunting.

As the king of the Arctic, polar bears possess incredibly sharp senses, with a keen sense of smell that can pinpoint where prey is located.

Right now, he didn't need to rush to find the prey. Instead, he needed to lower his presence, to blend in, and wait for the moment when the prey passed by. Then, he would strike with explosive force and grab the prey.

So the first thing the little polar bear had to learn was patience. This process could take half an hour, or it might take an hour or even longer.

Compared to a regular polar bear, Qiao Qixi, with his human rationality, didn't lack endurance for waiting.

His biggest issue wasn't a lack of patience but rather finding the belugas swimming in the water too adorable.

*Ugh...*

Blending in wasn't difficult for Qiao Qixi. Soon, belugas were swimming past him, their backs spraying little fountains of water.

When the sunlight hit, small rainbows even appeared—utterly magical.

Watching the live belugas up close, the little polar bear was utterly entranced, his eyes wide with fascination. The large polar bear behind him likely found it puzzling that he hadn't made a move despite such a perfect opportunity.

*Does he need a demonstration?*

Otis, who was crouched behind, looked at the little bear's back, then at the belugas swimming in the water. His gaze seemed to say: *I knew you wouldn't know how to do it.*

No expectations, no disappointments.

Otis looked up at the sky.

A drone flew across the clear blue sky, catching Otis's attention for a brief moment before he refocused on the little bear trying to learn how to hunt.

Finally, unable to hold back any longer, Otis reached out a paw and gave the little bear a nudge on the back.

Qiao Qixi felt the pressure building. *Okay, okay, I'm going to try!*

He knew he had been stalling for too long, but he just couldn't bring himself to attack.

What was he supposed to do about it?

The first time always required a bit of psychological preparation. With Otis's silent urging, Qiao Qixi finally got ready to take the next step.

*Sorry, little beluga, but here I come!*

Just before lunging, Qiao Qixi felt confident that his aim was good. He might not be 100% sure, but he was confident he could at least get close.

In reality, as soon as he lunged, the beluga was already gone, leaving him to embrace nothing but the empty water.

After swallowing a few mouthfuls of seawater, he resurfaced, looking dejected as he gazed at Otis perched on the rock, feeling pitiful.

Fortunately, Otis didn't seem to mock him. Instead, the big bear's response was rather warm, as he lowered his head to lick the water from Qiao Qixi's head.

What Qiao Qixi didn't realize was that a young polar bear's first attempt to catch a beluga had a nearly 0% success rate.

Even Otis, back in the day, hadn't managed to succeed on his first try. It wasn't easy to become independent.

After shaking off the water from his head, the little polar bear climbed back onto the rock, determined to try again. He analyzed the reasons for his earlier failure: he had moved too slowly, alerting the beluga before he could even touch its tail, which was a bit embarrassing.

Otis returned to his previous position, patiently watching over the young bear as he practiced hunting.

*Actually...*

The wind blew, and the waves rolled.

On Qiao Qixi's sixth attempt to dive into the water, he once again came up empty. This time, not only did he miss the beluga, but he also felt it ram into his side, causing him to somersault in the water. His paws flailed on the surface before he finally managed to right himself and float back up.

*...*

*If polar bears could cry, the sea level would have risen by now,* Qiao Qixi thought, feeling utterly defeated.

*Wah...*

Otis had no idea that the little bear had just been bullied by a beluga.

Sensing Qiao Qixi's signal of distress, Otis seemed to decide it was time to end the session.

He jumped into the water, wrapping his

strong arms around the little bear and guiding him back to shore.

Qiao Qixi felt the signal to stop and, after his initial frustration, was left feeling ashamed.

*Ugh, six times! I tried six times and didn't catch a single beluga.*

The only contact he'd had was when the beluga had bumped into him. How could he face Otis now?

All he could do was flop onto the shore and play dead, avoiding Otis's concerned gaze. Qiao Qixi figured Otis must see him as... a completely hopeless case.

Nothing but a weakling.

*So embarrassing.*

But apparently, that wasn't the case. Once they were back on shore, Otis remained patient, gently licking Qiao Qixi's fur, showing no signs of being disappointed by his repeated failures or the beluga's bump.

The fact that Otis still treated him with the same tenderness as before, as if Qiao Qixi were a precious little bear to be cherished, made him feel even more determined to improve and not waste Otis's affectionate care.

For now, they would put the hunting lessons on hold. Qiao Qixi needed to reflect on today's failures and try again another day.

It was a reasonable plan.

After his fur had dried halfway in the sun, Qiao Qixi stood up again, a look of determination in his eyes as he faced Otis. He wanted to try some free sparring.

*Big move!*

But so what?

The countless failures and humiliations from earlier had ignited a strong desire for self-improvement in Qiao Qixi.

If he didn't want to remain a failure, he would have to endure being tossed around.

He was scared.

But it didn't matter.

The freshly groomed little bear glanced around before slowly stepping back a few paces, mapping out a sparring area.

But then came the question: *Should I start by launching a surprise attack on Otis?*

Or should he let Otis know that he was about to initiate a fight?

Lacking experience or any precedent to follow, Qiao Qixi solemnly locked eyes with Otis for a moment, hoping that Otis would catch on to his intent.

Then, Qiao Qixi lowered his center of gravity, let out a couple of growls, and kicked up some dirt with his hind legs before charging forward.

Otis, who had been basking in the sun with his eyes half-closed, opened them wider and wider as the little bear came closer.

Never in his wildest dreams had Qiao Qixi expected Otis to react the way he did when he charged at him at 60 kilometers per hour.

Without thinking, Otis stood up and opened his arms, perfectly catching the charging bear ball.

At the moment of impact, when Qiao Qixi crashed into Otis's chest, he realized just how sturdy Otis was.

*How solid was his base?*

Simply put, the few hundred pounds of bear missile traveling at 60 kilometers per hour couldn't even budge Otis.

Was there no justice in the world?!

Otis's overwhelming strength only highlighted Qiao Qixi's own weakness, leaving him feeling a mix of frustration and despair.

He couldn't help but lash out, slapping Otis's chest with his paws.

It's said that a bear's paw swipe can deliver a force of several dozen kilograms. Even if his small paws only had half the strength, it should have been enough to give Otis some discomfort.

But what happened next didn't follow Qiao Qixi's expectations at all. His little bear paws didn't seem to hurt Otis in the slightest. Judging by Otis's expression, it didn't even look like he'd been attacked.

The large polar bear simply squinted his eyes, his dark pupils quietly observing the little bear's playful swipes.

After a while, Qiao Qixi came to a rather troubling realization: *Does Otis not even realize I'm trying to fight him?*

Or perhaps Otis thought it was just playful roughhousing?

*Either way, it's possible.*

*Ah, this...*

Qiao Qixi felt utterly defeated, his swollen cheek throbbing in pain.

Since his bear paws couldn't hurt Otis, he decided to try biting. With a fierce look in his eyes, he tilted his head and bit down on one of Otis's arms.

He bit down with a bit more force than when he was just gnawing on things!

But not enough to break the skin.

The little bear's sharp teeth did cause a tiny bit of pain.

Otis's eyes twitched slightly, and his gaze became even more intense, perhaps tinged with a hint of confusion.

Qiao Qixi rolled his eyes, suddenly realizing he had forgotten to growl.

From his observations, he knew that polar bears always roared at each other before they fought. It was an essential step in the process.

"Roar!" Qiao Qixi mimicked the roar, lowering his body and letting out a fierce-sounding growl at Otis.

He waited for a response.

Otis's eyelids twitched again, giving the impression that he was pondering something. Then, in a sudden shift of demeanor, he lowered his head and let out a deep, resonating roar at the little bear.

"!!!"

The low-pitched roar reverberated around them, louder and more intense than any high-quality sound system Qiao Qixi had ever heard, vibrating deep within his heart, even his very soul.

His immediate reaction was sheer terror, his fur standing on end.

By the time Qiao Qixi came to his senses, he found himself sitting on the ground, his chubby legs trembling ever so slightly.

The physical and psychological dominance of an adult polar bear over a cub was clear and undeniable.

Even though Qiao Qixi had the soul of an adult, he couldn't control his body's instinctive reaction, showing clear signs of fear.

He was initially furious at himself for his cowardice, thinking it was unfair that Otis could be so intimidating. But then, he realized that there was a significant difference between polar bears.

In other words, Otis was definitely one of the strongest ones.

With that in mind, it seemed only natural that he had been so easily intimidated by Otis's roar.

Sitting on the ground, Qiao Qixi's thoughts were all over the place, not noticing the shadow looming over him. Otis had been watching him for quite some time, his gaze filled with concern.

Perhaps Otis had sensed Qiao Qixi's desire to improve. If he were a good parent, he would have had 100 ways to train the little bear to become strong.

But Otis might not be a perfect parent.

He was just a male polar bear without a natural instinct for parenting.

However, Otis knew far more than most male or female polar bears.

Other polar bears might never deliberately scare a young bear until it puffed up its fur, only to soothe it back down gently.

But Otis would.

He had quietly watched the little bear fail at hunting, then carried him to shore, and then scared him with a terrifying roar when the little bear wanted to practice fighting skills.

Finally, Otis gently licked his fur, holding the terrified, exhausted little bear as they fell asleep together.

Revised ✔