POLAR BEAR ARC CHAPTER 25

After spending considerable time together, Qiao Qixi, who had now fully adapted to life as a polar bear, became increasingly sensitive to the body language of his kind. He was certain that his interpretations of Otis's actions were not just figments of his imagination.

However, some of the meanings seemed so complex that even Qiao Qixi found it hard to believe that Otis was actually conveying those thoughts.

He could only trust the simpler interpretations, like the one happening at this moment: Otis was using his eyes to ask if he should continue grooming him.

Qiao Qixi shivered and quickly shook his head, signaling that he'd had enough. *No more,* he thought. The warm, wet, and forceful licking was something he didn't want to experience again today—or even for the rest of the week.

Thus, the dramatic "running away from home" episode ended with more bark than bite. Qiao Qixi licked his paws and then struggled out of Otis's embrace, suddenly remembering something important.

"Wah wah wah!" he whined, thinking of what had happened to his little yellow bucket. He transformed into a little ball of worry and rushed over to the spot where it had fallen—a narrow pit in the rocks.

The pit didn't look deep, but there was no easy way to climb down.

Otis immediately followed, responding to the little bear's cries with a deep, resonant rumble, akin to the best subwoofers in the human world, intending to soothe him.

Looking down at the unfortunate little yellow bucket, Otis seemed to "share" the bear's concern. He bent down to lick Qiao Qixi's ear before stepping into the pit.

Qiao Qixi blinked, lying at the edge of the pit, nervously watching as Otis went to retrieve the bucket.

Fortunately, Otis's large size made the task easy for him. With a few steps, he lowered his head, grabbed the bucket in his mouth, and then backed out of the pit, holding the bucket in his mouth as he looked at Qiao Qixi.

Seeing that the bucket was safe and sound, Qiao Qixi felt a surge of joy. He was just about to happily take the bucket and thank Otis for his help when, before he could do anything, Otis turned and started walking back toward their resting spot, still holding the bucket.

*Huh? Otis?*

Qiao Qixi hurried after him, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation. That bucket was his private property, something Otis usually wouldn't touch unless Qiao Qixi was too lazy to carry it himself and made Otis do it.

But now, without any prompting, Otis was being so diligent. Was this his way of showing he was sorry?

It had taken Otis twenty-five minutes to catch up to Qiao Qixi, but at this slower pace, the walk back would take much longer. Feeling the hunger pangs after not having eaten for a while, the little polar bear looked longingly at the distant sea.

As they passed by the mother bear's territory again, they received two watchful gazes.

When Qiao Qixi had left earlier, he hadn't dared to greet them. But now, with Otis as his backup, he confidently stared back, though his gaze softened when it fell on the cub.

Qiao Qixi mumbled to himself, *If your mom wasn't watching, I would've petted you bald already,* just like how Otis was always grooming him.

What took half an hour to leave now took an hour to return—a mess of his own making. The little bear, now feeling tired and hungry, thought lying down was the only way to feel comfortable.

So today's learning objectives had to be postponed, and Qiao Qixi excused himself by blaming the physical and emotional toll he had endured.

As he lazily lay under the shade of the trees, staring up at the brilliantly blue sky, he picked at his paws and glanced at Otis, who was busy hunting. *Life as a bear isn't so bad when you have a powerful bear looking after you,* he mused.

*Shameless, aren't you?* a voice in his head questioned, *But what if one day Otis gets sick and can't get up? Could you take care of him the way he takes care of you?*

These two soul-searching questions immediately made Qiao Qixi feel guilty for lounging around and doing nothing.

With a determined shake, he got up, fluffed his fur, and decided to go learn some hunting skills from Otis.

On the water, Otis was slowly moving, searching for a good spot to wait for prey. The sudden approach of the little bear, who should have been sleeping, caught his attention, and it was clear he was puzzled—or rather, he didn't want Qiao Qixi to join in on the hunt.

Two bears hunting together didn't necessarily increase the chances of success.

The naive little polar bear didn't pick up on Otis's reluctance and insisted on joining in, even though he was short enough that the water nearly covered his head.

To keep his nose above water, Qiao Qixi had to stand on a rock, balancing on two legs, which was much more tiring than using all four.

Otis, unable to chase the little bear away, sniffed the air in resignation, seeming to accept the tagalong.

Hunting wasn't a game—failure meant going hungry.

If Otis had just a bit of the mother bear's ruthlessness, Qiao Qixi would already be yelping back on the shore where he belonged.

But Otis indulged him too much, willing to risk a failed hunt rather than shoo him away.

Luckily, Qiao Qixi was well-behaved, staying still in the water, doing his best to blend in. He was, in this respect, a good student.

The only part of him that moved was his eyes.

The little polar bear's big, innocent eyes followed the fish swimming below, his pupils dilating and contracting with excitement. Occasionally, he would sneak glances at the massive bear next to him, admiring Otis's strong, imposing figure.

Otis was fully focused on the water, his expression serious and intense—so cool and domineering.

Only at times like this did Qiao Qixi think of Otis as the king of the ice, exuding an aura of wild power.

*Hmm, if I'm secretly watching Otis, does Otis secretly watch the little cub next door too?* Qiao Qixi wondered.

Once that thought crossed his mind, he couldn't focus on the fish anymore. Instead, he stared at Otis, watching him every second.

One minute, two minutes... ten minutes passed.

The test results came back as expected: Otis, when hunting, was so focused that he didn't spare Qiao Qixi a single glance.

*Impressive, Otis,* Qiao Qixi thought.

So, Qiao Qixi watched Otis, while Otis watched the belugas, and time quietly slipped by.

After the previous failed hunt, and now with the little bear's distraction, Otis was even more cautious, not wanting to fail again.

Only when a 100% sure opportunity presented itself did Otis make his move.

Qiao Qixi wasn't just staring at Otis because he was infatuated; he wanted to observe any signs before Otis attacked and understand what circumstances prompted the move.

Even though he kept his eyes fixed on Otis, when the bear lunged into the water, Qiao Qixi felt as if he had missed a few crucial frames. Before he knew it, Otis had already clamped down on a beluga.

The unfortunate beluga struggled mightily, its large tail thrashing about. But that wasn't the worst of it—somehow, the battle had moved right next to Qiao Qixi, and the poor little bear got smacked by the beluga's tail!

*Whap!* It was louder than the time his mom slapped him as a kid.

*Thanks a lot!*

Dazed by the sudden tail attack, Qiao Qixi found himself knocked into the water, gulping down a few mouthfuls of the salty, bitter sea.

The taste was awful.

Flailing around in the water, trying to get his bearings, he witnessed Otis ruthlessly tearing into the beluga. The sight of those sharp white fangs sent chills down the little bear's spine.

He was profoundly relieved that he wasn't Otis's prey.

Qiao Qixi wasn't in a hurry to surface. Instead, he boldly swam closer and, while the beluga was still alive, decided to practice his hunting skills by taking a bite of his own.

Belugas were slippery in the water, and only sharp teeth could grip them properly.

Seeing Qiao Qixi's actions, Otis blinked in the water. A moment later, he loosened his grip, letting the half-dead beluga go.

As everyone knows, marine animals can still swim a fair distance even after death, so as soon as Otis let go, the beluga took off.

With his teeth still latched onto the beluga, the little polar bear was dragged along!

Suddenly finding himself in this situation, Qiao Qixi surprised himself by not panicking. Instead, he clung tightly to his prey, refusing to let go. His performance was already commendable.

But as a future top-tier bear, his standards had to be higher.

Qiao Qixi pushed himself to overcome his fear of deep water, stretching out his limbs and paddling furiously, trying to counter the beluga's escape.

The tug-of-war between them finally reached a stalemate after Qiao Qixi gave it everything he had.

Now it was a matter of whether the little bear could outlast the beluga or the

other way around...

However, such life-and-death struggles weren't in the cards. A white figure swam over and delivered a fatal bite to the beluga.

As Otis bit down, his eyes remained focused on the floundering little bear.

Qiao Qixi couldn't quite describe his feelings—perhaps it was the sting of being underestimated.

*So what if you're an expert hunter? So what if you're bigger and stronger?!*

Qiao Qixi glanced at Otis, thinking, *Just wait until I grow up and become as strong as you! You'll see.*

When the beluga finally stopped struggling, the little polar bear, using the water's buoyancy, managed to drag it to the surface, though it took a great deal of effort.

Otis, acting as a guide, simply watched the little bear work, refraining from helping with the heavy lifting.

However, once they left the water's buoyancy behind, the beluga's weight became too much for Qiao Qixi to handle.

When Otis surfaced, he saw the poor little bear straining, his muscles nearly bulging as he tried—and failed—to haul the prey ashore.

"Wah wah wah..." The little bear immediately started whimpering, turning back to seek help from the larger bear.

Otis squinted slightly, swimming over.

For some reason, Qiao Qixi felt that Otis was in a good mood—perhaps because he was being asked for help?

When Otis reached the little bear, he first licked his nose before grabbing the prey and dragging it to shore.

The ease and grace with which Otis accomplished this filled Qiao Qixi with envy.

After all, in the world of polar bears, cuteness doesn't hold a candle to strength.

After all that effort, it was finally time to eat. Qiao Qixi shamelessly sniffed the beluga's body, sniffling out the seawater from his nose, and thought to himself that he had contributed to this meal.

*Impressive, impressive.*

Feeling rather pleased with himself, Qiao Qixi looked up at Otis with a bit of pride, much like a schoolboy who had just aced his exams and was eager to show his parents.

Otis looked back at him warmly, then bent down to lick the blood from the beluga's wound. The action suddenly struck Qiao Qixi as strangely intimate.

*Wait, is Otis treating me like an appetizer?!*

If it had happened once, Qiao Qixi might have brushed it off as overthinking. But after it happened several times, where Otis would stare at his adorable face while eating meat, it made him pause and ponder deeply.

*So Otis doesn't dislike looking at me after all?*

It seemed that Otis only avoided looking at him during hunts because the situation didn't allow for it.

*Oh no,* Qiao Qixi thought, feeling his cheeks flush under Otis's intense gaze. He quickly lowered his head and focused on gnawing at the beluga's back.

Otis sniffed the air and then, undeterred, tore off a piece of fat to feed to Qiao Qixi.

*...* *Seriously?*

The sight of that fatty piece of meat instantly dispelled any atmosphere, leaving only the grumblings of a picky little bear.

Perhaps because this beluga was larger, they didn't manage to finish it.

About a quarter was left.

Otis kept tearing off chunks of meat and offering them to the little bear.

To be honest, Qiao Qixi was on the verge of being stuffed to the point of vomiting. He looked at the unfinished beluga on the ground, burping and thinking, *It's like he's blaming me for not finishing the whole thing.*

But wasn't it because they had just eaten two days ago? Naturally, they weren't as ravenous as they would have been after a week of starvation.

Qiao Qixi buried his face in his paws, pretending to be dead. *I can't eat anymore—not a single bite.*

Otis held the meat in his mouth, clearly in no rush. He had all the time in the world.

He occasionally looked around, twisting his neck, only to try feeding the little bear again.

*Damn it!*

Qiao Qixi's dreams were filled with a sense of bloated fullness, and he sincerely vowed that if he could, he would donate ten pounds of his fat to help a starving bear in need.

Although he had filled his own belly, Qiao Qixi hadn't forgotten that many polar bears on this continent were still hungry.

Not every bear was as strong and capable as Otis. The fact that he was doing well was merely a stroke of survivor's luck.

Every year, some polar bears struggled, while others managed to get by.

Sticking with Otis meant Qiao Qixi was among the lucky ones.

As the saying goes, *Even if you're well-fed, don't forget those who are still hungry.* Every time Qiao Qixi patted his round belly, he couldn't help but worry about the other polar bears.

Then he would pray for the summer to end quickly.

*Please don't let the temperature rise any further.*

Even Otis was getting sluggish from the heat, clinging to him for warmth, making even Qiao Qixi feel the heat.

There were many others praying for the summer to end, all genuinely concerned about the living conditions of the Arctic animals.

The highest temperatures were just around the corner.

On the coasts of Greenland, herds of sea lions basked in the scorching sun.

With their massive size and sharp teeth, even a starving polar bear passing by wouldn't dare to approach them, even though sea lion pups would be the perfect remedy for hunger.

Single polar bears that hadn't found a summer refuge yet wandered aimlessly, looking utterly helpless.

Whether it was the scorching heat or hunger.

Rescue organizations on the island had already helped some of the more severely affected polar bears this summer, and barring any unexpected developments, they would be released in the winter.

After a long day, it was finally time to clock out.

The forum member who frequently posted about Otis and Alexander shared some updates about their recent work.

Fellow enthusiasts were eager for any news, and through the posts, they learned about the latest developments.

Some of the polar bears they had been following, whose situations were not looking good, had been rescued by the organization—what a relief.

But what they were most eager to see were the latest updates on Otis and Alexander.

What were those chubby bears up to on the coast?

A new thread was needed for their story, of course.

#Otis is Teaching Alexander How to Hunt#

The moment everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived. The poster was pleased to announce that Otis had finally started teaching Alexander how to hunt.

It was no small feat.

Before, Otis would have preferred to chew the meat for Alexander.

As for how he was teaching, everyone was left in a state of confusion and shock after watching the video.

These seasoned wildlife documentary viewers couldn't recall ever seeing a mother bear teach her cubs this way.

: What Otis is doing doesn't even count as teaching—it's more like hunting with a kid in tow because he has no choice.

: Why do I feel like Otis is just going through the motions?

: Is this it? Can I confidently say he's not seriously teaching the little bear?!

: Honestly, in today's video, Otis came off a bit "gay." If they weren't both polar bears, I'd think he was flirting with the little cub.

: But seriously, Otis is so doting!

: Alexander sneaked off to play and got caught by Otis, hahaha.

: If I may, with a mentor like Otis, Alexander will never amount to much.

: Sigh, I can only say that a doting father spoils the child. PS: I know they're not actually father and son! Don't argue with me (dog head for protection).

: Hi, what does "dog head for protection" mean?

: Seeing "dog head for protection," I know this must be a fellow from my homeland, hahaha.

: Jokes aside, everyone should take this seriously. Alexander is already two years old. It's clear that male polar bears have no parenting instincts. Alexander should have been raised by a mother bear.

: But where would you find a mother bear to raise Alexander at this point? It's already a rare occurrence for two unrelated polar bears to stick together.

: Given their situation, they can only take it one step at a time. Let's hope Alexander proves to be resilient. When I see Otis feeding him meat, I have no hope left. Shrug. It reminds me of grandparents raising kids.

: Otis's strengths are also his weaknesses.

: Poor Alexander, stuffed until he falls asleep.

: No, he might actually have eaten himself to sleep, hahaha.

No one expected that, in addition to solving the problems of heat and hunger for the polar bears, they would also need to address this... unconventional parenting issue.

Everyone in the polar bear community forum was well aware that a male polar bear had taken in an unrelated cub but wasn't raising him by normal standards.

No hunting lessons, no chores—just chasing him around to feed him... overly indulgent.

It was worrisome.

If this continues, even after ten years, the little polar bear won't be able to survive on his own.

He'll just become a bear who lacks hunting skills and has an overly innocent and naive personality.

In short, a spoiled brat of a bear.

Funny as it may be, it's actually a serious problem.

Revised ✔