POLAR BEAR ARC CHAPTER 17

                                    

                                          

The relatively dry sea breeze hardened the surface of the whale meat, making it tough on the outside and tender on the inside, giving it a jerky-like texture. It had a unique taste.
Jerky? Qiao Qixi's eyes suddenly widened as he had a bold idea. Since they couldn't finish the whale meat, could they tear it into pieces and dry it, making it into convenient and storable whale jerky?
It seemed feasible.
Unlike the somewhat timid bear family of three, Qiao Qixi and Otis weren't afraid. Their imposing presence alone intimidated many other polar bears. Even though some of the larger bears eyed them warily, they didn't dare to make a move.
Otis didn't even bother glancing at the other polar bears. He occupied their previous eating spot and was in charge of passing the meat. Since he wasn't too hungry this time, he ate with much more grace, not wolfing down his food. He assumed Qiao Qixi was hungry and had dragged him over to eat.
But that wasn't the case.
Qiao Qixi used his little yellow bucket to transport pieces of whale meat, placing them on a nearby flat rock to dry. All the other polar bears were gathered around the whale, so there weren't any thieves to steal his private stash.
Under the drone's camera, the little round and agile bear was seen busily moving back and forth on the beach, exuding a hardworking and industrious spirit. People watching were shocked and incredulous when they saw the cub spreading the meat on the rock.
This was a behavior indicative of storing food, something polar bears typically didn't do. While many animals, like squirrels, bees, and even alligators, had the instinct to store food, polar bears did not. They usually didn't store food for more than two days. Maybe the cub would finish his stash within two days, which would be considered normal.
People decided to keep observing.
Otis had an enormous appetite. In truth, the food Qiao Qixi was transporting was just a small portion. Qiao Qixi simply wanted to make some different snacks for himself and wasn't even sure if Otis would like them.
Speaking of Otis, he also noticed the cub's odd behavior. As usual, he didn't understand it but didn't comment. Maybe the cub had invented a new game, and he was happy to go along as long as Qiao Qixi was happy.
Besides, he had nothing else to do. Apart from eating and sleeping, Otis had plenty of free time, just like when he was a bachelor, spending his days full and well-rested, often idly wandering around.
In winter, he would wander on the ice or find a good vantage point to doze and enjoy the wind for half a day. In summer, he preferred not to move. If he could find a cool place to hide, he would hardly come out.
Since having the cub, his life had changed quite a bit. This summer, there would be fewer chances to laze around. Gone were the days when he could close his eyes and three months would pass in a blink. The energetic and lively cub could only sleep for a few hours at a time.
Having eaten his fill, Otis licked his sharp teeth and continued to extract meat until Qiao Qixi was tired of his 'game.'
Playing with food wasn't allowed by mother bears. For example, the cubs next door didn't have that luxury. Their mother would urge them to finish eating quickly and then lead them to a safe place to rest.
Driven by the intimidation from other bears, the mother bear reluctantly brought her cubs to a spot near where Otis had taken over. The sight of a larger, stronger male polar bear startled her, filling her with fear.
But the next second, she saw the foolish cub with the little bucket, seemingly disturbed by their sudden appearance, freezing mid-step and turning to look at them.