POLAR BEAR ARC CHAPTER 5

Otis, who was on Qiao Qixi's mind, indeed felt no discomfort in his surroundings. Unlike Qiao Qixi's awkward hunting methods, Otis targeted seals and even tusked walruses.

Because they had a lot of meat.

One successful hunt would be enough for a hearty meal.

Polar bears aren't accustomed to hiding their leftovers. They usually leave after a feast.

The bloody smell easily attracts other polar bears, and if spotted, a fierce battle ensues.

Fighting isn't cost-effective, so well-fed polar bears choose to leave their prey.

They clean the food scraps off their bodies to avoid leaving a strong scent that could reveal their whereabouts.

You can usually tell how well a polar bear is doing from its appearance. If it's clean and well-rounded, it's doing well.

If it's dirty and disheveled, it's not doing too well.

Otis, though not as pristine as Qiao Qixi, was about 80% there, with quite clean fur.

The calm and composed Otis succeeded in his first hunt after release, catching a 100-pound ringed seal, which he couldn't finish in one meal.

Guarding the half-eaten prey, Otis licked his mouth and looked up, his expression bearing the typical polar bear bewilderment as his eyes scanned the ice.

Perhaps he was alert for any nearby unfamiliar polar bears.

Or maybe he was looking for something.

The nearly two-month stay at the rescue center had left an impression on this polar bear.

But as time passed, he would forget those two months.

In terms of intelligence, polar bears are not lacking; otherwise, they wouldn't be the rulers of the ice.

But their intelligence is only reflected in survival skills. They aren't sensitive to information unrelated to survival.

They have stopped evolving, with limited intelligence and no significant intellectual displays.

Scientists believe that aside from instinctive reactions, polar bears rarely show innovative behavior.

Qiao Qixi didn't know much about polar bears and didn't realize the rescue center was closely monitoring his actions back in the wild.

Compared to other polar bears' movements, Qiao Qixi's data seemed odd. No polar bear lives as regularly, circling a few breathing holes daily and sleeping in the same spot.

Qiao Qixi needed a sense of security, and staying in familiar places gave him that.

He considered this area his territory.

But staying there too long would leave a strong scent, deterring marine animals from coming to his breathing holes.

So his plan of freeloading failed, and Qiao Qixi had to expand his hunting grounds.

Wild food wasn't as concentrated as at the rescue center, and since returning to nature, Qiao Qixi hadn't had a full meal.

Always half-hungry, he had to work hard to avoid experiencing true hunger.

It was quite alarming.

If only he had fishing nets, Qiao Qixi sometimes thought, but even with nets, he had no hands to use them.

So it was just a fanciful thought.

After living as a polar bear for a while, Qiao Qixi sometimes forgot he was once human. Everything felt so surreal, blurring past and present reality.

Who knows?

Occasionally, Qiao Qixi would encounter a sunbathing seal on the ice, like now, and his first reaction was how cute the seal looked.

Then he wondered what it would taste like.

Surprised and then delighted by his thoughts, Qiao Qixi felt he was on his way to becoming a cold-hearted seal killer.

The nearby seal also noticed Qiao Qixi's presence, rolled over, and continued sunbathing, showing the greatest respect to the young polar bear.

This seal was quite arrogant.

Feeling slighted, Qiao Qixi bared his teeth and thought, "I'll eat you sooner or later."

A week passed after this vow.

Always half-hungry, Qiao Qixi had lost a lot of fat.

But he still looked clean and neat, not like a bear with a bleak future.

Maybe because he had an adult's soul, he felt life and death weren't worth obsessing over, but elegance was a must.

In May, the wind on the ice of the Arctic Ocean turned gentle.

Spring's north wind had passed, replaced by the east wind, which would prevail through the summer.

Just as Otis was about to forget the little polar bear named Alexander, an east wind brought him a familiar scent.

Otis was eating when he smelled it. Memories of Qiao Qixi were strongest during meals.

After half a month back in the wild, he rarely thought of the rescue center, remembering only the little polar bear.

Even those memories were fading, as polar bears don't retain irrelevant information.

Maybe they'd remember each other if they met again, but during their long separation, they wouldn't.

Otis sniffed the faint scent brought by the wind, lifted his head, and sniffed the air. But the scent was too faint after dispersing over 100 kilometers.

Even a polar bear with a keen sense of smell couldn't glean much from it.

Otis stared blankly for a while, or maybe he was thinking hard; their expressions were too easily misunderstood.

On the internet, people once wondered if polar bears knew they were so cute.

Of course, they didn't.

Cute-looking polar bears are actually fierce beasts, capable of attacking humans, drones, moving cameras, and more, with indiscriminate destructiveness.

Otis caught a whiff of the little polar bear's scent in the wind, then continued eating.

"Otis left his territory after half a month."

"Look, he's heading towards Alexander's habitat."

Seeing Otis's movements via the GPS tracker, the staff were astonished.

Was it a coincidence or intentional?

It was unbelievable, so they had to speculate.

Alexander hadn't migrated far, so at this rate, Otis could find him in less than a week.

How to say?

This reunion was something to look forward to.

But could two wild male polar bears really travel together?

While excited, they couldn't help but worry.

Otis moved continuously on the ice, stopping only to hunt.

At his pace, he could travel about 25 kilometers a day, give or take 5 kilometers.

He often stopped to sniff and confirm directions but often felt confused, as not every breeze carried the little polar bear's scent.

If he strayed even a little, he'd miss Alexander.

Experienced polar bears are very sensitive to wind direction, using all available data to confirm their path.

Otis, less than five years old, had only lived alone for two years, so his experience was limited. But he was smart and cautious.

In theory, with the hard summer approaching, he should be storing enough fat instead of wasting time searching for a little polar bear.

Was he really looking for Alexander?

Two days later, as Otis got closer to Alexander's range, it became clear that he was indeed searching for Alexander.

As their distance shrank to within 60 kilometers, everything became easier.

But then a new situation arose: an adult male polar bear entered Qiao Qixi's territory.

A distance of 60 kilometers or less is unsafe. A male polar bear smelling a young one might track and hunt it.

This was possible.

Living in his territory, Qiao Qixi had no idea he was facing a dire survival crisis. He was planning when to muster the courage to hunt a cute seal.

Of course, with a polar bear's senses, when the scent of an unfamiliar male bear appeared within 10 kilometers, he finally felt the danger approaching.

Great, just as his food crisis was unresolved, a new challenge emerged.

Qiao Qixi certainly wouldn't challenge a fierce adult polar bear with his small frame.

He wisely abandoned his territory and ran.

A polar bear can run 60 kilometers in an hour, but that's for adults. A young bear like Qiao Qixi would be exhausted after 5 kilometers, especially on an empty stomach.

It was like death mode.

Otis kept moving on the ice for five days, sensing more and more of the little bear's scent, confirming he was on the right track.

But within the other bear's range, he smelled another adult bear, making him hesitate.

Polar bears have no natural enemies; their only threat is other powerful bears. Instinct urged Otis to leave, regardless of his strength, to avoid meeting another adult bear.

He hesitated briefly on the ice but was ultimately swayed by the stronger scent of the little bear.

A gust of wind brought Otis good news.

He started running in one direction.

Running at full speed was exhausting, only done when hunting.

Long-distance travel like this was something he hadn't tried in a long time.

Only in his childhood, following his mother, did he traverse mountains and valleys like this.

Qiao Qixi focused on the scent of the unfamiliar male bear. Since it was upwind, he knew the bear was tracking him.

Damn bear.

Exhausted after running 10 kilometers, Qiao Qixi saw a cluster of icebergs ahead, possibly a visual cover.

As a well-educated human now chased by a bear, he felt helpless and ridiculous.

Qiao Qixi decided to use his intellect, but when he rounded the iceberg, he was stunned. Another polar bear!

Damn.

Feeling hopeful just moments ago, Qiao Qixi now tasted despair. He didn't give up running but was too exhausted.

He couldn't handle it, surrounded and outmatched, he conceded.

His short bear life seemed at its end. If there was a next episode, see you then.

Otis saw the familiar little polar bear and slowed down, exhaling white breath, but still looking fierce.

Qiao Qixi: "Heaven is jealous of talent."

But he didn't run anymore; 10 kilometers was his limit.

The little bear sat on the ice, radiating an aura of "come what may."

Once again, no need to obsess over life and death, but elegance was a must!

Otis approached, growling lowly, full of warning.

But it wasn't aimed

at the little bear; it was for the unfamiliar adult male bear.

Qiao Qixi's "polar bear sensory system" found the sound frequency familiar, like he'd heard it before, but his human thoughts disrupted his analysis.

After all, he didn't think Otis would harm him...

Wait, Otis?

Revised ✔