POLAR BEAR ARC CHAPTER 42

                                    

                                          

After sharing the food in the bucket, both polar bears still felt unsatisfied. This was perfectly normal—those fish were merely a snack to tide them over after more than a month of sleep.
The taste was quite good, though.
Qiao Qixi then took a closer look at Otis, checking if the month of hibernation had caused him to lose weight. The answer was yes. Even though their bodies consumed the minimum energy during hibernation, they still lost some weight, a phenomenon that would be more pronounced in other polar bears. However, since both of them had large body masses, they could afford the loss.
Perhaps feeling bad that the little bear had lost weight, Otis, after eating the gift, went out and caught more fish.
Over the next few days, they lingered in the bay, resting and recuperating. Then, as in previous years, they began their slow journey along the coast toward the cliffs suitable for diving into the sea.
The way polar bears moved—always so leisurely—made it hard to imagine how incredibly fast they could run when necessary.
Having left their tracks everywhere, the route had become quite familiar and secure. Otis, who had transitioned from being just a companion to a much closer presence, provided Qiao Qixi with a sense of security and belonging.
To put it bluntly, he really enjoyed his current life.
Apart from the scarcity of food during the summer, everything else was fine.
As he had mentioned before, despite making eight navigational errors on the way here, he still longed to take the lead on the return journey. Otis, being indulgent, had no objections and allowed him to swim ahead once again.
In the dead of night, with no drones to spy on them, there would be no one to laugh at his mistakes—though it also meant losing an opportunity to redeem himself. There were pros and cons.
Once in the water, Alexander felt everything was just right: the water temperature, the climate, the way his limbs moved through the water—it all felt effortless.
As for fears about the dark or ghosts, he was now a grown-up polar bear. He had already overcome that hurdle.
He could handle it.
Maybe it was because he felt no pressure, or maybe it was just good luck, but Alexander performed excellently on the return trip, only making two mistakes.
Qiao Qixi thought, 'What's there to be proud of?'
Thank goodness there was no drone to record it. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a redemption but rather adding to his list of embarrassing moments.
The sound of water splashing was particularly noticeable in the stillness of the night.
Qiao Qixi and Otis, already ashore, looked over to see a strong polar bear emerging from the water. The bear was about the same size as Otis, with similarly pristine white fur.
Upon closer inspection, the bear had a powerful aura and a dignified appearance.
Seeing a well-fed polar bear after a tough summer was comforting to Qiao Qixi, who had grown used to seeing skinny and scruffy polar bears. It was nice to know that some polar bears, like them, had managed to survive the summer in good condition.
Thanks to its strong physique, this bear looked like an excellent hunter.
The bear, now on land, shook off the water and seemed to notice a nearby gaze.
It turned to look at Qiao Qixi.
Of course, what it saw was not a little bear but a clean and cute sub adult male polar bear, exuding a faint male scent that contrasted sharply with the aggressive, strong scent of the mature male polar bear nearby.