While walking against the wind, Qiao Qixi almost fell asleep several times, especially when he tripped over the snow and fell to the ground. He desperately wanted to just sleep there.
However, seeing Otis stop and wait for him every time, even seriously walking back to stay by his side, Qiao Qixi, no matter how sleepy, couldn't bear to keep dawdling.
Maybe it was because they were back in the wild; seeing Otis again, Qiao Qixi found that the Otis in the rescue center was far less enthusiastic and friendly than the free Otis in the wild.
At least, the Otis in the rescue center never showed such gentle patience.
In the polar day, the sky was always bright with the glaring sun, making it hard to tell what time it was.
But Qiao Qixi's biological clock told him it should be nighttime, definitely time to sleep; otherwise, he wouldn't be so tired!
He didn't know how long they walked until Otis finally found a suitable place to sleep and stopped.
Following behind, Qiao Qixi kept his head down, walking forward until he bumped straight into Otis, falling on his butt. Then he couldn't get up again.
He fell asleep on the spot.
The place Otis found was sheltered from the wind, easy to defend and hard to attack, a good spot for sleeping.
In the past, Otis always slept alone in such visually hidden corners, enjoying the freedom of single life. Now he had a young polar bear to care for, one he had picked up himself.
A little tag-along.
No animal in the entire polar region could understand what this independent polar bear was doing.
Preparing food for the summer?
Even Otis might not be able to explain his actions clearly. His ability to process information was limited, but his care for Qiao Qixi was indeed unusual.
Part of Qiao Qixi's curled-up body was still exposed to the wind. Otis considerately lay beside him, using his large back like a small mountain to block the wind from behind.
Sleeping Qiao Qixi enjoyed the warm sunlight while avoiding the wind.
Despite their thick, transparent fur and black skin, polar bears had a sophisticated insulation system and weren't afraid of the cold. Instead, they feared heat.
Like now, Qiao Qixi, feeling hot under the sun, flipped himself into the shade—Otis's embrace—resting his head on Otis's arm.
This type of little bear liked the sun but feared heat, and Otis's belly was the perfect cool spot.
They slept until the date advanced by a day.
Other polar bears, waking up, worried about their next meal.
But Qiao Qixi was different.
He woke up, yawned widely, and still feeling sleepy, chose to stay in Otis's arms, lazing around.
Having had poor sleep quality lately, he wanted to catch up on rest now that he could.
However, here, Otis was the boss. He seemed to have his plans, so Qiao Qixi groggily got up to follow him.
Hmm, this direction?
Qiao Qixi smelled the scent of the sea in the air, indicating they were moving towards the shore. Did Otis fancy the little cuties by the shore?
A trip to the coast had long been due, but Otis delayed his plans to find Qiao Qixi.
After a full meal and a good sleep, Otis seemed to have regained peak condition.
These days, neither Qiao Qixi nor Otis had rested well, constantly searching for each other.
That long nap was very comfortable for Otis.
Now he was hungry, leading Qiao Qixi towards the coast and looking for food along the way. But luck wasn't on their side; no food came their way.
Otis abandoned the idea of foraging along the way and headed straight for the shore.
From a distance, Qiao Qixi heard the sounds of seabirds and the tide.
In May, the ice hadn't completely melted, and on the exposed volcanic rocks, a group of walruses basked in the sun.
Qiao Qixi, watching those fat fellows from afar, had a bold idea but wasn't sure if he should share it with Otis.
Walruses had sharp tusks, and he wasn't sure if they were just for show. Still, he thought better of it.
Unbeknownst to him, Otis did have his eyes on the walruses but knew they were tough to catch and required waiting for the right opportunity.
After observing the walruses, they slowly moved downstream to a shallow area full of rocks. Seabirds stood on the rocks, flying away as they approached.
Qiao Qixi saw that the rocks were covered in bird droppings.
But that wasn't the point. The point was, why were they here? Were they so desperate?
Foraging for oysters and shells?
Well, when hungry, polar bears do eat such things.
They might even use stones to crack open shells.
Following Otis into the shallow water, Qiao Qixi couldn't resist the temptation and grabbed a large oyster from the water.
Otis, hearing the commotion, turned back to see Qiao Qixi holding something. He recognized it as an oyster but knew it was hard to eat.
Difficult in every sense of the word.
He hadn't brought Qiao Qixi to find shells but to forage for seaweed growing on the rocks.
Polar bears occasionally eat seaweed, which is good for their health.
As cubs, mother bears would take them to eat it, forming a habit over time.
Otis hadn't eaten it in a long time, as seaweed wasn't tasty, but genetic memory told him it was beneficial.
Just as Qiao Qixi was figuring out how to open the oyster, Otis took it from him and gently tossed it into the water.
Then he handed him some seaweed.
Qiao Qixi: "??"
Bear brother, come on.
Even if we can't afford walrus, we still have oysters, right? We don't need to eat seaweed!
Little polar bear turned his head away, clearly disliking the taste of seaweed. Otis, being very patient with the cub he picked up, fed him three times.
After the third attempt, Qiao Qixi had to ponder Otis's motivation for forcing him to eat seaweed.
It couldn't be a polar bear quirk.
After thinking it through, he suddenly realized it was for nutritional balance. Even polar bears knew to consume algae regularly.
Feeling embarrassed, he opened his mouth to accept the seaweed. The slippery texture was quite refreshing. If it were seasoned with vinegar, chili, and garlic, it would be delicious.
The green seaweed he just ate was probably wakame, and the purple one must be nori. The latter was more delicate in texture but harder to gather. Otis preferred to give him large pieces.
Once, he even brought a large bundle of kelp, which startled Qiao Qixi. No, you can't raise kids like this.
Qiao Qixi quickly shook his head, still thinking about the oyster Otis threw away.
Seeing Qiao Qixi pick up another oyster, Otis didn't stop him this time, instead looking for a suitable tool to open it.
But this wasn't necessary. A polar bear's claws were perfect tools; with enough force, the oyster would open easily, as it couldn't withstand a bear's strength.
By the time Otis found a handy rock and stood up to smash it, he saw that Qiao Qixi had already opened the oyster.
Oysters in May were plump, making it the last month to enjoy them.
In the harsh Arctic climate, oysters grew particularly large to adapt. Animals here seemed to grow larger.
The oyster Qiao Qixi opened was much larger than those grown in temperate climates, almost as big as his bear paw.
Qiao Qixi drooled over the plump oyster meat, imagining its delicious taste. But he held back, offering the delicacy to Otis.
Just as little bears didn't like seaweed, Otis didn't like oysters, eating them only when food was scarce in the summer.
Otis turned his head away, trying to refuse the young bear's offering.
But he hesitated.
Didn't like it?
Or was he letting him eat first?
Thinking about the abundance of oysters, Qiao Qixi decided it didn't matter who ate first.
So he didn't hesitate.
Standing in the water on his hind legs, a unique polar bear skill, Qiao Qixi could walk upright, even fight this way.
Holding the oyster with his paws, he tilted his head back and devoured the plump meat.
The taste was as he imagined—fresh and tender, far superior to farmed oysters.
Arctic oysters were delicious.
Smacking his lips, Qiao Qixi used his sharp claws to scrape the remaining meat from the shell and ate it.
Otis also ate some seaweed, then walked upstream, occasionally glancing at the walruses, seemingly planning his next move.
He would look back at Qiao Qixi, who was busy with the oysters, not following to disturb him.
Catching a walrus required the right timing and location. If a cub were around causing trouble, they would go hungry.
Otis was smart, finding something fun for the young bear to buy himself time for a peaceful hunt.
Initially, Qiao Qixi picked at any oyster he found, but later, he compared and chose only the largest ones.
These delicious snacks could keep him busy all day.
Hmm? Where's Otis?
As he worked, Qiao Qixi realized his companion was missing. He immediately dropped the oyster shell and ran towards the shore.
From a distance, he looked like a white furball running, with his fat jiggling. Without enough fat reserves, this visual impact couldn
't be achieved.
Running like this, Qiao Qixi was just too upset that he had focused on eating and didn't notice when his partner left.
Did Otis leave?
Qiao Qixi was anxious and a little hurt. Was Otis so heartless to leave after just one day together?
He thought his appetite wasn't too big.
And he was pretty cute, right?
Feeling dejected, Qiao Qixi suddenly saw Otis dragging a large walrus into view.
He paused, his bad mood quickly disappearing. Good, Otis hadn't left; he had just gone hunting.
Thinking about it, taking him along would have hindered the hunt, so Otis left him nearby with something fun to distract him.
Initially, Qiao Qixi thought male polar bears wouldn't be good caregivers. Now, it seemed he was doing quite well.
Moving towards each other, they soon met at the shore. Otis released the walrus and licked the blood from his mouth. He pinned the walrus down, tore it open, and bit off the fattiest part of its belly.
This operation looked effortless for him, tearing open the walrus's tough skin with just a flick of his head.
He placed the fatty belly meat in front of Qiao Qixi, his eyes watching him, exerting a silent but overwhelming pressure to eat.
Feeling the pressure, Qiao Qixi obediently lowered his head to eat, but after one bite, he frowned. This wasn't meat; it was pure fat.
Very greasy.
Qiao Qixi didn't want to eat more, eyeing the walrus's back meat instead. He didn't want the belly; he wanted the tenderloin.
Seeing him stop eating, Otis looked confused and worried.
In the next moment, the little bear walked to the walrus's back and started gnawing at it.
Otis: "..."
Indeed, polar bears have preferences for their prey, but they usually favor the fattier parts. All polar bears did, without exception.
Otis picked up the belly meat and tried to feed it to the young bear again, instinctively knowing that enough fat intake was crucial for survival.
Of course, Qiao Qixi refused, thinking the tenderloin tasted better.
Revised ✔