POLAR BEAR ARC CHAPTER 9

On the sturdy arm, there was a faint sensation, barely even painful, just the feeling of the other bear's mouth 'holding' it.

Otis looked down, puzzled at the little polar bear gnawing on his arm. Was he hungry?

Or was he teething?

Those were the only two possibilities Otis could think of.

Young polar bears have a long process of tooth growth. At a little over a year old, their teeth are not very long or sharp and only reach their peak state around five years old.

During this teething process, young polar bears like to chew on things.

Including food, they chew on everything they see.

Otis calmly pulled his arm away, quietly waiting for the young bear to imitate his water-shaking action. But Qiao Qixi remained still. Otis thought he didn't know how and planned to demonstrate again...

This time, Qiao Qixi wouldn't let him get away with it. Instead of being harmed, he would strike first, giving Otis a taste of being splashed.

Unfortunately, Qiao Qixi was too short to splash water in Otis's face. His 'attack' could only reach Otis's lower body.

Otis shook his limbs. With his simple and pure mind, he couldn't possibly know that the little bear was being mischievous. As a male polar bear, he rarely lowered his head to nudge the young bear forward with his snout.

He seemed to be afraid the young bear would fall into the water again if he stayed behind.

This suited Qiao Qixi just fine. He also felt it was not wise to walk behind Otis.

The air carried the scent of blood, and Qiao Qixi followed it to the prey Otis had dropped. Great, after swimming for so long, he was starving.

Biting into the prey, Qiao Qixi realized he had been too careless.

This hard chunk of ice nearly broke his baby teeth.

The prey Otis brought back had already frozen into an ice block. It made sense, considering it had been carried from quite a distance.

After returning, some time had passed, and the food had frozen.

Qiao Qixi grimaced at Otis. Oh, the downside of not being able to talk, he couldn't accurately express his complaints.

Seeing the young bear's reaction, Otis was just curious why he wasn't eating.

Couldn't bite it?

Without a word, Otis dutifully tore open the prey, revealing some unfrozen meat inside. It definitely didn't taste as good as freshly hunted prey.

Otis tore off the unfrozen meat and gave it to Qiao Qixi. Having passed through Otis's mouth, it had thawed quite a bit.

The remaining frozen food, Otis ate without any issue.

Polar bears have iron stomachs. They can eat food even if it's frozen solid like steel during times of scarcity.

Leaving a pile of remains, they moved on, unlikely to return to this spot.

The Arctic Circle was vast, and they roamed new environments every day, keeping things exciting.

Under Otis's guidance, Qiao Qixi rarely saw other predators besides seabirds and 'food.'

No other polar bears, arctic foxes, or arctic wolves, for instance.

That's because Otis deliberately avoided these predators and, in turn, these predators also avoided Otis.

This wild life gave Qiao Qixi the illusion that he could walk around the Arctic Circle with confidence.

As long as food was sufficient, life wasn't bad.

One day, after a meal, Otis took Qiao Qixi for a walk along a melting ice shore.

Smooth stones, polished by the sea, dotted the sandy shore.

In the blink of an eye, it was already June.

On the beach, small shellfish scurried around, creating a bustling illusion.

Qiao Qixi was very interested, observing them closely. If there was a display screen above his head, it would say: This one doesn't taste good, this one is too small, this one is so cute...

Suddenly, a wave rolled in.

The sound of the waves caught Qiao Qixi's attention.

He looked up and saw something floating in the water, resembling a yellow plastic bucket.

Qiao Qixi quickly ran over, chasing the yellow plastic bucket and grabbing it in his mouth before the tide took it away.

Oh, it was a sturdy, short, wide bucket used by fishermen. Qiao Qixi happily carried it back to Otis.

Otis glanced at the bucket and didn't react much but seemed happy for Qiao Qixi finding a toy he liked.

Why was it just a toy?

Qiao Qixi thought. This bucket had many uses.

When not used for storage, it could be worn as a hat or used to carry tasty things.

Although it didn't rain in the Arctic, it did hail. Qiao Qixi thought this bucket would be very useful.

So, carrying the bucket, Qiao Qixi walked a bit and tried putting it on his head. It fit well enough.

However, it wouldn't work for Otis, whose head was too big for the cute little bucket.

As the temperature rose, Otis led the young bear north, chasing the last bit of coolness before the peak of summer.

In summer, food was only available along the shore.

Inland, there were rocks and shrubs. Occasionally, starving polar bears would eat some plant roots and berries.

Otis never found summer particularly difficult when he was alone. Going without food for a day or two was normal for him.

But now, he had Qiao Qixi, a young polar bear still growing.

Otis had to change his habits, ensuring there was at least fish even if they couldn't have meat at every meal.

Today was a day without meat. Otis arrived at a shallow sea, dove into the water, and gracefully swam to a reef, waiting for a hunting opportunity.

Beluga whales often swam in groups in shallow waters. They might be aware of the polar bear nearby but showed no fear.

The patient polar bear quietly crouched on the reef, turning his head to watch the restless sea.

The deep blue water surged constantly, giving Qiao Qixi a sense of danger. He hesitated, unsure if he should follow and learn.

But he feared disturbing Otis's hunt if he went over.

Otis had been crouching for a while now. The belugas playing nearby occasionally surfaced to breathe, spraying water from their blowholes.

Qiao Qixi, with the bucket on his head, sat on the shore, watching Otis with mixed feelings.

Watching polar bear documentaries, seeing them waiting in the water for fish seemed adorable.

Now, it just made him feel heartache.

Not wanting to be a burden, Qiao Qixi started walking downstream.

What's the world's most omnivorous animal?

Humans, of course.

There was so much to eat along the shore, and it was all delicious.

Without Otis watching, Qiao Qixi ran back to the reef.

In human impressions, reefs were dangerous, visited only at low tide for tasty finds.

Polar bears had no such concerns. They could dive, and their heavy bodies wouldn't be easily swept away by the sea.

Qiao Qixi loved the reef, where he could find sizable scallops.

Arctic scallops are famous, especially those from Norwegian waters, renowned worldwide.

However, many waters prohibit fishing, and the limited delicacies leaving the Arctic each year are enjoyed by a fortunate few.

Unaware of this, Qiao Qixi found some scallops, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and even a few large shrimp, a pleasant surprise.

Otis didn't like the taste of oysters but didn't mind shellfish.

However, shellfish were too small for a polar bear, just enough for a small snack.

Otis only ate them occasionally for a change.

Qiao Qixi gathered some scallop meat in his bucket, eating things Otis didn't like himself.

For example, sea urchins, which were large in the Arctic and covered in spines. These guys probably never imagined they'd be eaten by a polar bear.

Similarly, Qiao Qixi never imagined he'd eat such creatures.

And they were quite tasty.

Indeed, these ingredients were top-notch delicacies, highly sought after by gourmet chefs.

Then there was the octopus washed up by the tide, looking quite appetizing with its blue rings.

Despite never seeing a real blue-ringed octopus, its deadly reputation was well-known.

This cute yet dangerous creature was highly poisonous. Qiao Qixi instinctively kept his distance.

Meanwhile, Otis, who was hunting belugas upstream, knew Qiao Qixi was back at the reef enjoying his snacks. Though it was a bit strange, he wouldn't interfere.

As the sea surged, Otis finally found a perfect opportunity.

He plunged into the water, creating a splash as he and the beluga dived deeper.

Incredibly, polar bears have explosive power, swimming faster than belugas.

When Otis resurfaced, he had the prey in his mouth, blood spreading and coloring the surrounding water.

Otis dragged the prey back to shore, where Qiao Qixi, with his bucket, obediently returned.

Their catches placed together, Qiao Qixi's haul seemed insignificant.

But he didn't feel bad about it. Today's catch included some large shrimp, which Otis might like.

Just as Otis didn't mind raising a young bear picked up along the way, he didn't mind eating what the young bear brought.

The scallop meat and shrimp in the bucket were quickly eaten. Next was the main course.

Otis didn't pamper Qiao Qixi as he did before. Even young bears need to learn survival skills. If he couldn't join the hunt, he should at least learn to tear open prey.

Qiao Qixi sensed something different about Otis today. Usually, it was time

to eat, but Otis just crouched there, watching him.

What's the deal...

Qiao Qixi thought he hadn't been disobedient or wandered off today. He had come back at mealtime, right?

Looking at the beluga on the ground, Qiao Qixi seemed to understand. Otis wanted him to tear it open?

Indeed, Otis had always done it for him, so it was normal for him to worry if he could do it himself.

To show he wasn't incapable of tearing open prey, Qiao Qixi, under Otis's watchful eye, bit and tore open the beluga's belly.

Otis made a low sound, which Qiao Qixi interpreted as praise.

Qiao Qixi was embarrassed: "..."

No need for that.

Beluga meat was excellent, fatty but not greasy. Unlike tasty but cloying seal meat, Qiao Qixi could eat more of the mild-flavored beluga.

Once Otis confirmed the young bear could open prey himself, his 'stern father' image vanished, and he continued to help tear the prey.

Qiao Qixi watched Otis prepare chunks of boneless meat for him, thinking about Otis's rare teaching moment earlier. He suddenly felt Otis wasn't suited for raising young.

If not for the young bear's own understanding, relying on Otis would never lead to independence.

But then again, Otis was male and didn't have the maternal instinct to raise young.

The fact he was being raised at all was good enough.

Thinking of this, Qiao Qixi affectionately nuzzled Otis's face, licking the blood from under his eyes.

This area was hard to clean by oneself.

Otis paused his eating, reciprocating in the same way. However, his strength was much greater, nearly knocking Qiao Qixi off balance.

Revised ✔