Why Do All the Beasts Want Me?

Chapter 12

Compared to other polar bears, Audiss and Qiao Qixi were the luckiest of the lucky.

Previously, during their two months at the rescue station, they had consumed enough food to make their bodies strong and plump.

Secondly, humans had chosen a suitable release location for them, where there were not only abundant food resources but also less fierce competition.

However, as the temperature rose day by day and glaciers gradually melted from south to north, polar bears had to risk chasing after the un-melted ice to obtain more fat and energy.

Only when there was very little ice left on the sea surface did their adventure truly begin.

The ice in the north had all melted, leaving only some small islands, which were barren and desolate in summer, with no food for survival.

At that time, polar bears would swim to the southern coast, and although they would go ashore and pass through some islands along the way, the distance between the two places was still terrifying.

It would take a swim of two to three hundred kilometers at the shortest, and up to five hundred kilometers at the longest.

Many years ago, the ice on the Arctic Ocean would not completely melt until late July, which was very friendly, meaning that polar bears had enough time to store energy for the summer.

However, with the rise in global temperatures, this year, the time left for them had been reduced by a full month.

At this very moment, this was the last piece of ice.

Every day, Qiao Qixi would hear the sound of ice cracking and icebergs collapsing, and then regretfully look at those chunks of ice drifting away, feeling melancholic, because only on the ice could they hunt Seals.

Fortunately, their mission for this year was already complete; they could migrate south after finishing this Seal.

However, the polar bear guarding the shore was clearly not so lucky; it did not look as strong as Audiss, and its fur was yellowish, appearing to be at least over ten years old.

Qiao Qixi was a little worried about that polar bear, wondering if he had stored enough fat.

But how to put it, he could only offer spiritual support, like this.

After all, he was still a consumer, and even he needed Audiss to support him, so where would he have extra food to help other polar bears?

Just as Qiao Qixi had worried, the smell of food indeed attracted another Bear Mama with cubs.

He wondered if it was the same family of three they had encountered in the coniferous forest before; the Little Bear looked only about two months old, and it was hard to imagine that in about half a month, they would have to cross the sea with their mother and migrate south for food.

If the Little Bears were lucky enough to survive the first year, then they would have to go back and forth with their Mama about twice in the future, then engrave this memory in their hearts and pass it on to their own children, or go back and forth alone.

Just now, facing the over ten-year-old polar bear, Qiao Qixi felt pity, and now facing the Bear Mama with cubs, Qiao Qixi also felt very sorry for them.

“If only I were a butcher shop owner,” he thought.

Although the temptation of food was hard to resist, the Bear Mama with cubs knew that she did not have the conditions to snatch food from a Male polar bear’s mouth; that was wishful thinking.

Thus, the smart Bear Mama quickly took her children out of Qiao Qixi’s line of sight and went to other places to forage for food.

As the family of three left, a familiar cracking sound came from the nearby ice.

This meant that the ice-covered sea surface had shrunk by another portion.

On Qiao Qixi’s side, he felt the entire ice floe shaking, clearly they were in the melting reserve.

What to do now?

Qiao Qixi looked at Audiss, his round, innocent eyes writing: “Buddy, should we make a run for it?”

It’s not too far back to shore now, there’s still time.

Audiss lay on his side on the ice floe, only stretching his neck to look at the polar bear on the opposite shore that was getting further and further away from them, but otherwise, he had no other reaction.

His calm gaze seemed to say: “It’s just a spontaneous trip, look how scared you are.”

Seeing his little companion so calm, Qiao Qixi, sitting on the ice, thought, “The ice is drifting, and you’re drifting too.”

After waiting another two minutes, they were even further from the shore; it seemed to be the last chance to decide.

Qiao Qixi thought: “Are we really not going?”

It seemed so; Audiss seemed to have his own ideas and didn’t care about the drifting ice floe, even holding his head and continuing to sleep, clearly a fierce bear capable of great things.

But then again, if he did this, then they would only have one choice: as soon as the ice floe melted, they would immediately embark on the journey south.

The Little Polar Bear, who was freeloading off Audiss, had no concept of migrating south, and therefore did not know that a two to three hundred-kilometer swimming marathon awaited his chubby self.

The optimistic Little Polar Bear retrieved his little yellow bucket to prevent it from rolling into the sea.

In mid-June, this Arctic ice sheet, which was about to completely melt, gathered the attention of a large number of Arctic researchers.

Well-made drones conducted aerial photography over the Arctic twenty-four hours a day.

By chance, a drone captured a very interesting scene.

In the vast sea, on a huge ice floe about ten meters wide, there were two polar bears, as well as a half-eaten Seal, and, to be precise, a yellow plastic bucket.

People found this scene somewhat amusing, for no reason, just a strange sense of humor.

“These two polar bears are quite white and plump,” a researcher exclaimed, “Didn’t they say that this summer’s polar bears would be particularly tough? The photos I saw before, they all looked so disheveled.”

“They are quite white and plump,” a young voice said, “These are the best-looking polar bears I’ve seen this year. Let’s show them to the professor.”

The professor saw the photo, pushed his glasses, and exclaimed with a laugh, “Who photoshopped this? Trying to fool me.”

The young man said, “It’s not photoshopped, it’s real.”

The professor was stunned, pointing to the larger one and saying, “This is a Male polar bear. Look at its weight; it must be at least six or seven hundred kilograms.”

The young man nodded, “I can see that.”

“You see nothing,” the professor criticized, pointing to the smaller one, “This is an immature Little Bear, about two years old. Logically, it hasn’t left its Bear Mama to live independently yet.”

“This big, it should be more than two years old, right?” the young man interjected.

“In any case, it’s still a Little Bear,” the professor said, “It shouldn’t be with an adult Male polar bear. Have you ever seen a Male polar bear raising cubs?”

That’s why he suspected the photo was photoshopped by the young man.

“That’s true,” the young man scratched his head, “But Professor, this photo is definitely not photoshopped. It was really taken by our drone. If you’re interested, we can continue to track these two polar bears.”

“Hmm, they’re drifting on the sea, looks like they’re preparing to migrate south,” the professor speculated.

“That should be it,” the young man nodded.

After a serious discussion, the young man posted the picture on an internal forum, which immediately sparked many comments.

: Hahaha, these two polar bears are amazing, they even travel with food.

: Nothing else matters, bringing food is the most important.

: Oh, this clearly shows they know how to live. Look at their white and plump figures, hahaha.

: What’s with that little yellow plastic bucket?

: Marine litter, thought-provoking.

: Although the picture is full of humor, it also makes us ponder.

: polar bears have it so tough, staying in the Arctic and having to live with human trash.

Humans never dreamed that the little yellow bucket was the Little Polar Bear’s private property.

If he picked it up, it was his.

Qiao Qixi also never dreamed that he would suddenly be forced to debut, and his beautiful photos would spread among Arctic researchers.

And he was also forced to participate in a real bear show.

As an extraordinary Little Bear, he wanted to keep a low profile, but his strength did not allow it.

Speaking of which, when people see a lone polar bear helplessly on an ice floe gazing at the boundless ocean, they feel lonely, desolate, and helpless, and a sense of melancholy and sadness arises from their hearts.

So, in another scenario, when people see two white and plump polar bears, snuggled on a sturdy ice floe, enjoying the breeze, sunbathing, and eating Seal meat...

Melancholy and sadness?

Non-existent.

Because they are two, they have a companion, they have food, and they are white and plump.

They weren't saying it, but some people live worse than bears.

Why say that?

According to the latest aerial footage, the adult polar bear and the immature Little Bear are indeed companions, not predator and food reserve.

At first, people were quite worried, wondering if the smaller one was the larger one’s food reserve.

Then they found out, no.

The adult polar bear was very good to the Little Bear.

Yes, after the ice floe drifted on the ice for more than ten hours, Qiao Qixi woke up from a hazy sleep, feeling that sleeping on a drifting ice surface was quite comfortable.

He woke up and felt hungry.

Qiao Qixi rubbed against Audiss, who was lying beside him. He didn’t know if Audiss was hungry.

“Hello, want to eat some Seal together?”

Audiss squinted, licked the Little Bear wriggling in his arms, then rested his head on the other’s body and continued to sleep soundly.

Qiao Qixi was resigned; if he wasn’t hungry, was the cub not hungry either?

The strong Little Bear, determined to eat, struggled to crawl out from under the thousand-pound pressure, and crawled to the Seal to eat the meat.

Audiss looked at Qiao Qixi, rested his head on his paws, and continued to sleep. It wasn't because Audiss was very sleepy.

He was just conserving energy, reducing unnecessary physical exertion, because there was a tough battle ahead, and he had to maintain his physical condition.

When polar bears enter a state of localized deep sleep, they can go without eating, drinking, or defecating.

Audiss was in this state.

However, Qiao Qixi didn’t know this. He ate until he was seventy percent full and then stopped, wanting to leave the remaining food for Audiss.

After eating his fill, the Little Polar Bear licked his mouth and looked around, then bristled instantly, “Knock!”

Surrounded by sea on all four sides.

It’s over, it’s over, Qiao Qixi started to feel leg cramps.

Oh my, when the ice floe under their feet melts, can they reach the shore?

Qiao Qixi immediately measured the area of the ice floe, then bristled again, “Knock!” It seemed to be half the size it was when they started.

In other words, in at most ten more hours, the ice floe under their feet would completely melt away.

Yes, if the ice floe got any smaller, it wouldn't be able to support their weight, and even if it didn't completely melt, they wouldn't be able to stay on it.

Qiao Qixi looked at the increasingly small ice floe and quickly bit the Seal, dragging it towards the center point. This was important property, and also the little yellow bucket.

Audiss, wake up quickly!

Qiao Qixi yelled in his heart, “Wake up and eat the Seal, or it’ll fall into the sea!”

At this moment, in the aerial footage, a round Little Polar Bear was busy on the ice floe.

He was seen dragging food for a while, then retrieving his little bucket, then running to the adult polar bear to act spoiled...

Qiao Qixi: “Tui, I’m sending an alert!”

Author’s note: Bear adventure story~