Why Do All the Beasts Want Me?

Chapter 6

He lifted his head and sniffed the air vigorously. Due to the wind direction, Qiao Qixi mostly smelled the scent of the unfamiliar Male polar bear.

However, there was also a faint, familiar scent, one from his memories of Audiss.

Is it really Audiss?

Qiao Qixi wanted to trust his judgment but also didn't quite dare to, mainly because why would Audiss be here?

Or were they released very close to each other?

Within just two minutes, Qiao Qixi experienced despair and then a revival. He let out a sigh of relief, hoping it truly was Audiss.

Soon after, Audiss arrived in front of the Little Polar Bear, panting tiredly from the continuous running.

Even so, he stared intently at Qiao Qixi, his gaze deep and sharply assertive, seemingly very interested in Qiao Qixi.

But Qiao Qixi wasn't afraid. Confirming that it was Audiss coming for him, he was overjoyed beyond words. Even though his limbs were still weak, he couldn't help but pounce towards him.

Audiss!

“I missed you so much!” Qiao Qixi cried out excitedly in his heart. Oh, by the way, ever since he became a polar bear, he found himself thick-skinned and sturdy; bumping into obstacles or doing somersaults didn't hurt at all.

What's more, Audiss was fluffy, so bumping into him just felt comfortable. Only when his nose hit the ground did he feel anything.

Glancing at the Little Polar Bear face-down on the ground, Audiss lowered his head and nudged him over.

“Thank you,” Qiao Qixi was about to say, “Thank you for helping me turn over.”

However, the next second, Audiss nudged him again, this time with force, causing the round Qiao Qixi to roll far across the ice.

“No way!”

Qiao Qixi: “Audiss!”

Dizzy from rolling, Qiao Qixi prayed, “Dear God, please, don't tell me this is Audiss's way of expressing happiness.”

Although Audiss was unusually lively, honestly, no one liked such a celebratory ritual!

Lying dazed on the ice, unable to tell directions for a while, Qiao Qixi eventually got up by himself. Despite his aversion to Audiss's celebratory method, he still happily trotted back to him.

“Yo-hey, Audiss!”

“Ha-hey, Audiss!”

Qiao Qixi was so happy. He rubbed against Audiss endlessly. For such an exciting reunion, he actually wanted a hug!

Given the lack of conditions and the high probability that Audiss wouldn't cooperate, he settled for the next best thing: using his paws to hug one of Audiss's paws.

Audiss's forepaws were thick enough, and Qiao Qixi hugged them very happily.

Looking down at the furball hanging on his forearm, Audiss's gaze was deep, perhaps with a hint of helplessness. Who knew?

Perhaps not driving him away was his attitude towards Qiao Qixi.

After a brief emotional connection, Audiss returned to a vigilant state, lifting his head to sniff upwind.

His actions caught Qiao Qixi's attention. Was he worried about that invading polar bear?

Indeed, the scent in the wind grew stronger. Perhaps that polar bear, like Qiao Qixi just now, was upwind and couldn't smell a strange polar bear nearby.

The joy of reunion almost made Qiao Qixi forget that he was still being hunted.

But he really couldn't run anymore, and looking at Audiss, he didn't seem to have any intention of running away with him either.

Since that was the case, Qiao Qixi didn't move recklessly.

Audiss, with his rich experience in wilderness survival, knew better than him how to face what came next.

Running for long periods in the sunlight can cause a polar bear's body temperature to soar; it needs to lie on the snow to cool down.

So Qiao Qixi witnessed the famous scene of a polar bear on a glacier: Audiss rested his head on a snowy slope, vigilantly observing his surroundings, while his body sank into the snow, leaving only a round, large backside exposed.

Qiao Qixi, whose eyes were narrowed by the wind, yawned beside him. Then he realized he was not only tired and sleepy but also hungry.

The Little Polar Bear, young enough to still need his mother's feeding, let out a cry. At over a year old, his voice was still that of a cub, tender and soft.

Audiss's ears twitched, but he remained focused on recovering his strength.

At this moment, the unfamiliar polar bear that had been tracking Qiao Qixi appeared in Audiss's field of vision.

The snow slope blocked Qiao Qixi's figure, so the strange polar bear only saw Audiss, an adult Male polar bear, which made it stop, its eyes a little confused.

After all, he was tracking a Little Polar Bear.

Even if there was an adult bear with a cub, it should be a female bear with a cub!

This unfamiliar polar bear was likely in a state of confusion.

He stood in the wind, observing for a moment, and as expected, chose to turn and leave.

Hunting a lone Little Polar Bear is effortless, and most polar bears would do so, but when there's an adult bear protecting a cub, they might as well hunt Seals instead.

Therefore, polar bears are highly intelligent in survival skills, understanding how to weigh pros and cons. It seems all their intelligence is applied here.

Audiss seemed to have recovered his strength, stood up and shook the snow off his body, then led Qiao Qixi away from the spot.

Qiao Qixi didn't even know a bear had been there.

He was hungry, trotting to catch up with Audiss, and his cries of need caught Audiss's attention.

However, finding food on the ice in a short time was impractical.

So, when their next meal would be, remained an unknown.

Audiss used his keen sense of smell to diligently search for food. Along the way, he passed a breathing hole that excited Qiao Qixi, but he did not stop.

“Audiss!”

Qiao Qixi looked at the breathing hole with some regret, unsure whether to continue following him. He was truly hungry.

Audiss walked a long distance before realizing Qiao Qixi had fallen behind. He stopped, turned to look around, and waited.

Seeing this, Qiao Qixi's emotions were a mix of feelings. He no longer cared about the breathing hole and quickly trotted to catch up.

Perhaps he had a plan in mind!

Looking at the Little Polar Bear who had caught up, Audiss continued forward, his pace sometimes fast, sometimes slow, occasionally changing direction.

Soon, Qiao Qixi knew what he was doing: he was flanking a Seal, accurately predicting which hole it would emerge from, then rushing down to hunt.

polar bears, though appearing clumsy, actually have explosive power not inferior to Lions or tigers. They are very agile fat creatures.

Most importantly, they are very strong; one paw strike can knock out an opponent.

Qiao Qixi witnessed a polar bear hunt for the first time, but he only saw Audiss chase a Seal and plunge into the water, unable to see what happened underwater.

He only knew that after about 10 seconds, the water's surface surged with splashes, and Audiss powerfully dragged the Seal ashore in his mouth.

The enormous creature shook the seawater off its body on the shore, then used both its paws and mouth to tear open the Seal's belly. This action looked incredibly effortless and graceful when he did it.

Without eating hundreds of Seals a year, he wouldn't display such proficiency.

By then, the transparent fur around Audiss's mouth was already stained with fresh blood, making his entire face appear quite ferocious.

After tearing open the Seal, he turned his head to call Qiao Qixi, summoning him quietly.

Qiao Qixi met those eyes and once again marveled at how beautiful they were.

Dark and bright, both pure and innocent, yet full of wildness.

Innocence because animals don't have too many complex thoughts; their world is simple. And wildness is innate; only strength allows survival in nature.

The combination of the two was quite striking.

Qiao Qixi's stomach rumbled with hunger. He slowly approached, and Audiss tore off a piece of meat for him with his sharp teeth, seeing him stare blankly at the meat on the snow, wondering what he was thinking.

The polar bear, considered to have limited intelligence by scientists, tore that piece of meat in half again. The scene was bloody, but Qiao Qixi was unexpectedly not afraid.

“Thank you, Audiss.” He couldn't speak, and a polar bear's vocalizations are very limited. Expressing affection could only be like a Little Polar Bear fawning over its mother, which felt awkward.

Audiss also had a cubhood and was not unfamiliar with this sound, but he was not a female bear. Perhaps he didn't understand why Qiao Qixi was making such a sound to him.

This was Qiao Qixi's first time eating Seal meat. He lay down, held it with his paw, and took a bite. How to describe it? The texture of Seal meat was excellent, and it was rich in fat, 100 times tastier than sea fish.

Therefore, given the conditions, polar bears would only choose mammals like Seals as their prey.

Sea fish were only chosen as food to fill their stomachs when absolutely necessary.

Audiss watched Qiao Qixi begin to eat, then tore several more pieces of meat for Qiao Qixi. He only began to eat himself after seemingly confirming that there was enough food to fill the Little Polar Bear's stomach.

Just like his fierce hunting style, his eating speed was also very fast.

Clean and efficient, he first ate the richest fatty parts. The Seal's fat would be converted into his own fat, stored to a certain amount, allowing him to get through the lean summer.

Sometimes polar bears can even go the entire summer without eating.

Qiao Qixi was exposed to such rich fatty meat for the first time. To be honest, it was a bit greasy, but he tried to eat as much as possible; there was no hesitation.

Even so, some was left over.

Audiss, who was already cleaning his paws, lowered his head, picked up the Little Polar Bear's leftover food, and ate it without any trouble.

After the tiring journey just now and now a full meal, the comfort, safety, and feeling of fullness made Qiao Qixi drowsy.

But he hadn't cleaned his mouth and paws yet, so he roused himself to wash his face.

The enormous polar bear, who had long since tidied himself, stood up and looked back at the furball about to fall asleep on the snow. After a moment of hesitation, he let out a low growl.

Sleeping here was not a wise choice; the bloody scent of the Seal might attract other polar bears.

Qiao Qixi finally woke up. He rubbed his eyes with his bear paws, still very sleepy, and followed Audiss ahead.

On the rescue station staff's computer, the two monitored targets moved slowly together, meaning they eventually met, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, they would remain together for a long time in the future.

People speculated that the two polar bears would separate next spring, as that's when Audiss would enter adulthood and experience his first estrus.

According to instinct and habit, he would abandon the Little Polar Bear and go off alone to find a single female bear to mate with.

However, by that time, the Little Polar Bear would have also grown up.

People sincerely hoped that during this year, Alexander could learn enough survival skills from his elder predecessor.

They also greatly appreciated the kind and steady Audiss, who was willing to take on the responsibility of a mother bear, unexpectedly caring for a Little Polar Bear who had lost his mother's protection.

Author's note: Audiss: What does 'kind and steady' mean?

Qiao Qixi: Taking careful care of me, and without expecting anything in return.

Audiss: Hmm, then I'm not kind and steady.