Why Do All the Beasts Want Me?

Chapter 13

It was only when people saw the aerial footage that they realized the plastic bucket hadn't appeared on the ice floe for no reason; it belonged to the Little Polar Bear.

Oh, this...

Everyone was surprised; they hadn't expected that wild polar bears would carry their favorite items with them, especially during their southward migration.

One can only say, it's too cute.

It's very rare for this Little Polar Bear to maintain its lively and cheerful nature despite such harsh living conditions.

This also indirectly proves that the adult polar bear leading it must love it very much, providing it with excellent care and protection.

People observed that the large polar bear had not eaten, at least not since they first began aerial photography of the two polar bears.

The ice floe melted and shrank bit by bit, and the large polar bear remained quietly lying in the center, only occasionally lifting a paw to swat the mischievous little bear when disturbed by it.

"He is conserving his strength," the professor said. "After all, the ice floe is about to melt, and they will soon have to endure a several-hundred-kilometer ocean marathon, which will exhaust almost all of his energy."

"Moreover, he's carrying a little bear," a young man discussing with the professor said with some concern. "Can a Male polar bear really bring a little bear ashore successfully like a mother bear?"

The professor shook his head: "This is probably the first case in nature, so we must track it closely."

Meanwhile, Qiao Qixi belatedly noticed that Audiss always refused to eat, even after more than ten hours had passed.

Normally at this time, Audiss, with his large appetite, could eat two or even three meals, as long as there was enough food.

But now he wasn't eating.

Qiao Qixi was quite worried at first, wondering if Audiss was sick.

So he forcibly pried open Audiss's eyelids and found his eyes were normal, with no bloodshot whites or cloudiness, very deep and agile, just a little helpless, with a tendency to roll his eyes.

Sorry.

Qiao Qixi first ruled out the possibility of Audiss being sick. Exhausted from the ordeal, he curled up beside Audiss, leaning against him, pondering why Audiss wasn't eating.

Would Audiss, as an animal, be like himself, wanting to leave the limited food for the other party?

Ah...

He knew he shouldn't speculate on an animal's thoughts using human reasoning, but as soon as he thought of this possibility, Qiao Qixi's mind wouldn't stop, concocting various scenarios that moved him to tears.

Just, how could he be so fortunate to receive Audiss's selfless care?

In the harsh wilderness, everything is pure and clear; there are no transactional relationships between animals, so Audiss wasn't being good to him to gain something in return.

Thinking these thoughts, Qiao Qixi sniffled twice, his resolve growing stronger: he would diligently hunt Seal in the future to provide for Audiss in his old age, repaying Audiss's kindness.

There was still half the food left, and Qiao Qixi felt sure he wouldn't finish it before the ice floe melted.

He thought for a moment, then tore off a piece of Seal meat with his mouth and offered it to Audiss.

Audiss: "..."

Poor Audiss had planned to rest, but unfortunately, the little bear he raised was full of energy and needed his company too much.

Alright, Audiss, who had boundless patience for the little bear, opened his eyelids, took the meat the little bear offered, and then brought it to the little bear's mouth, coaxing him to eat.

Qiao Qixi: "..."

When he saw Audiss take the meat, he was quite happy at first, but then Audiss didn't eat it; instead, he gave it back.

Is he really not hungry?

The Little Polar Bear pouted, backing away step by step, indicating he wouldn't eat. Not only that, he dragged the entire Seal in front of Audiss.

He made various sounds and pawed the ground, signaling Audiss to eat.

Audiss didn't quite understand Qiao Qixi's behavior. There wasn't much food left; wouldn't it be better if he ate it himself?

However, Audiss doted on the little bear he raised. To make the little bear happy, even though he no longer needed to eat frequently, he lowered his head and ate to show the little bear.

Qiao Qixi had no idea he was being humored by Audiss. He felt relieved when he saw Audiss finally willing to eat.

For their last meal, they finished the remaining Seal meat.

It's worth mentioning that as the temperature rose, the remaining Seal meat did not freeze.

The texture was still quite good.

The aerial footage of the Little Polar Bear pushing the Seal carcass into the sea was captured perfectly. As expected, this photo was discussed with great relish by people.

: A clever little guy, this reduces the weight on the ice floe.

: Goodness, tie me up quickly and let him come to school!

: Aww, he's really too cute~

: Look how busy the Little Polar Bear is; he's the busiest one on the whole journey.

: Logistics department.

Five hours after eating, the ice floe finally could no longer bear the weight of the two polar bears, showing subtle signs of sinking.

Audiss jumped into the sea first and swam for a while in front of the ice floe. During this time, Qiao Qixi remained on the ice floe.

However, he had already put on his little yellow bucket, ready to join the ocean marathon at any moment.

When the ice floe could no longer support Qiao Qixi's weight, he pushed off with his legs and leaped into the sea, following closely behind Audiss, officially beginning their southward migration.

Their progress was updated on the Arctic researchers' forum.

The Little Polar Bear also jumped into the sea, his little yellow bucket on his head particularly eye-catching.

In the returning aerial footage, the view from high above overlooked the vast ocean. As far as the eye could see, there was only the boundless blue sea.

Two white-with-yellow dots, one large and one small, floated on this sea.

Compared to the vast, surging, and terrifying ocean, these two polar bears appeared so tiny and fragile.

People couldn't help but feel worried and anxious for them.

How they wished these two polar bears could have a smooth journey and successfully reach the land on the other side of the ocean.

Before jumping into the sea, Qiao Qixi didn't know he would have to swim hundreds of kilometers.

And he was fortunate he didn't know, so there wasn't much psychological pressure.

Of course, it wasn't about swimming hundreds of kilometers in one go; during the journey, they would pass some islands and stop to rest for a while.

With luck, they might even find some supplies.

It must be said that polar bears' sense of direction is truly astonishing. They firmly remember the route they swam with their mothers during their cubhood, and for the rest of their lives, they follow this route every year.

Instances of getting lost are rare.

Qiao Qixi was a polar bear with amnesia. Without Audiss's guidance, he would surely have died this year, because he didn't even remember the migration route.

Fortunately, Audiss was there, swimming ahead to lead the way.

Qiao Qixi had not had many opportunities to go into the sea, and generally speaking, his swimming skills were quite average. Now, to catch up with Audiss and not hold him back, he had to improvise and figure out ways to swim faster.

For example, the freestyle technique that humans have developed, which is the fastest swimming style.

Combining it with a polar bear's physical conditions, he imagined himself as a free fish—though there probably isn't any fish with such a plump, rounded body.

Killer Whale.

But Killer Whale have very streamlined bodies; they swim incredibly fast.

Ocean sunfish.

Actually, Qiao Qixi never understood why ocean sunfish, which are measured in 'chunks,' haven't gone extinct yet.

Is it because their meat isn't tasty?

That's why they can just stay still in the sea, waiting to die.

He was a little envious.

With the scorching sun overhead, the polar bears' heads felt quite hot, while their bodies submerged in the seawater were much cooler.

Could this be considered a state of 'ice and fire'?

Audiss's swimming speed was neither fast nor slow; he was probably afraid the little bear couldn't keep up. Occasionally, he would look back, just like his mother in his memory used to do for him.

Fortunately, Qiao Qixi didn't fall behind; he kept up quite closely.

The first island they passed was 50 kilometers away. This was the first time Qiao Qixi had swum so far in one go, and he felt extremely tired.

After they got ashore, his legs were trembling, and his body was shaking.

Even Audiss's steps were slow, somewhat unusual, which showed how arduous this journey was.

This island was barren, with no plants at all, indicating it had previously been covered in ice.

Now that the ice had melted, only barren sand and stone remained, lacking the conditions for plants to grow.

Because the temperature here was still very low, even in summer, it would remain around 10 degrees Celsius.

The polar bears couldn't find food here; it could only serve as a temporary rest stop to recover their strength.

Was there really no food?

It seemed so, otherwise Audiss wouldn't have just found a spot to lie down and rest.

And not only did he lie down himself, but he also embraced the Little Polar Bear. If he could speak, he would probably comfort the exhausted little bear in his arms: "Go to sleep, you won't be hungry once you're asleep."

Qiao Qixi: I don't believe you.

Alright, Qiao Qixi also had no energy to fuss. Almost the moment he lay down, he fell into a sweet dream.

Embraced by Audiss on the island, after an unknown period of sleep, Qiao Qixi finally slowly woke up.

He heard the rushing sound of the tide, and the sea level seemed to have risen a bit compared to when they first came ashore.

Much of the Arctic ice had melted, turning into water that flowed into the sea.

The little bear beside him was looking around, and Audiss was also awake, though he didn't seem to plan on getting up immediately to continue their journey.

He blinked, then leisurely closed his eyes again.

This was excellent, Qiao Qixi thought. Then let's stay here a little longer.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and the polar bears' southward migration couldn't be completed in a day either.

No rush, no rush.

The two lazy bears cuddled together, sleeping soundly, which greatly amused the researchers conducting the aerial photography.

Aren't polar bears afraid of heat?

As summer approached, the temperature on the island was probably around 15 degrees Celsius, a relatively mild temperature.

The polar bears under the sunlight would occasionally feel hot, but certainly never cold, and definitely wouldn't cuddle with a companion for warmth.

And this Male polar bear they were tracking was truly eye-opening; he seemed to love this little bear immensely, his affection overflowing the screen. Some of his actions and thoughts made humans feel warm and loving.

: He's truly a good big brother.

: Or maybe a good dad.

: You know, a dad's fur isn't usually this new. This one's fur is very white; he looks quite young.

: My goodness, where were these two bears filmed? I think I know them.

One comment caught everyone's attention. The person who posted it was an employee of the wildlife rescue station on Greenland.

He occasionally browsed the forum.

: May I ask who you are?

: An employee of the Greenland Wildlife Rescue Station. I've rescued many polar bears.

: Okay, let's connect privately. If your identity is confirmed, I will send you the coordinates.

By exchanging information, they confirmed the origins of these two polar bears: they were indeed Audiss and Alexander, who had returned to the wild more than two months ago.

From then on, these two polar bears gained names on the forum.

It turned out the big bear was Audiss, and the little bear was Alexander. They were neither father and son nor brothers; one could say they had no blood relation.

They had simply been rescued together a few months prior and were temporary neighbors.

Knowledgeable individuals on the forum happily stated that age and time could not hinder these two polar bears from forming a deep friendship. After returning to nature, they quickly found each other and had been living together ever since.

: Ah, this story is too cute, too heartwarming.

: The bears are proving with their actions that even a 'flash marriage' can be very happy.

: Thank you, Alexander, for meeting Audiss. Thank you, Audiss, for taking care of Alexander. They will have many more summers together~

: This is the happiest story I've heard this year.

: So Audiss is less than five years old? That makes me a little worried. Will he leave Alexander next spring?

: Perhaps not. Audiss is a special polar bear.

: Alexander is also very special. I like his self-styling, ha! He's a cool and cute boy.

In his dreams, Qiao Qixi received many compliments from all over the world, a peak he had never experienced even when he was human.

Author's note: w