Deep affection knows no origin; remember the polar bear's love for you.

Chapter 10 Digging a Hole
She didn't know how long she ran, but even when Guo Mi was exhausted, she still forced herself to keep going for a while until she could run no more.

To her surprise, the other bear cub was very persistent and kept following her all the way!

Guo Mi, carrying the little male bear in her mouth, searched left and right with her eyes. Finally, she found a protruding rock, her eyes lit up, and she led the two bear cubs to hide under the rock.

After putting down the teddy bear, she felt her mouth was sore and numb, and her limbs were so tired and heavy that she could only stand there with her mouth wide open, panting for breath.

This little male bear doesn't look very big, but carrying it for so long must have been hard work. The mother bear taking care of her cub must be really tough.

As soon as Guo Mi put the little male bear down, it ran to hide behind its older sister, its little face pressed against her furry back, its eyes tightly closed.

The two bear cubs still seemed to be shrouded in the shadows from before.

Guo Mi was also still shaken by what had just happened. If it weren't for the suspended ice layer, she didn't know what would have happened in the end.

Only just now did she have a direct feeling of the male polar bear's size and weight dominating her. It was definitely not something that could be overcome by skill; the only way to fight back was to use her brain.

Lost in thought, I suddenly felt a warmth at my feet. Looking down, I saw that two little fur balls had come closer to me again.

The larger one lowered its head and apologized softly in a voice trembling with tears:
"Sorry……"

She paused, then continued haltingly:

"We're so sorry, we didn't mean to bring the male bear to you."

As the little bear spoke, he began to cry and started recounting everything that had happened:
"We just wanted to follow you and use your scent for protection, but that bear suddenly appeared. We were terrified and didn't know where to run, so we instinctively followed your scent. We're sorry..."

The bear was just a chance encounter with them and had no connection to them. In the end, it not only didn't attack them, but also took them to see their mother one last time.

Instead, they brought a terrifying male bear to her side.

The two little bears were too ashamed to look up at Guo Mi, and could only whimper softly in apology.

Guo Mi never thought of blaming them.

The encounter between these two bear cubs and the male bear is like a child in the human world encountering a human trafficker who wants to kill for money.

It would be very difficult for such bear cubs to survive in the icy wilderness; they simply haven't given up on themselves and are just trying their best to survive.

Guo Mi sighed softly and said gently:

"It's okay, don't be afraid, I don't blame you."

Although the world of bears is cruel, she is not just a simple bear; she once lived in this world as a human.

Human beings are not only driven by the pursuit of profit and the ruthlessness of the means, but also by humanistic care and cultural inheritance.

She didn't initially intend to raise the two bear cubs, but that doesn't mean she would stand by and watch them die.

Since she was once a human being, how could she abandon the virtues that humans possess and only keep the bad things?
Guo Mi lowered her head, rubbed her forehead against the heads of the two little bears, and said softly:
"You were brave to fight for your lives instead of giving up when faced with danger. Don't despise yourselves for choosing to persevere."

"This kind of perseverance is what you need to survive; don't deny it."

Her reaction was unexpected; there was no blame, no yelling, only encouragement and comfort.

The two bear cubs, terrified and like frightened birds, looked up at her blankly, their eyes brimming with tears, as if their whole bodies were enveloped in an indescribable warmth.

The older bear cub then noticed Guo Mi's ears, which were stained red with blood, and stammered:

"But, but your ears..."

Guo Mi then remembered that her ear was injured. Hmm, it was probably because it was too cold. She couldn't feel any pain in her ear anymore, only a numb feeling.

She twitched her ears, then said nonchalantly:
"It's nothing, just a minor injury. I'm lucky to have only suffered this little injury after encountering a male bear!"

As she spoke, she leaned closer to the teddy bear and asked with a smile:

"Am I awesome?"

The two little bears stared blankly, then murmured:
"sharp."

They were truly remarkable. Their mother was killed by the male bear, yet Guo Mi was able to fight that incredibly strong bear to a standstill and even lead them to safety.

Guo Mi was satisfied and continued:
"You all should be like me from now on, never give up easily, and strive to live on, understand?"

The two little bears behaved obediently:

"I understand." "I get it."

...It feels so familiar, like my mother is still by my side.

After comforting the two bear cubs, Guo Mi looked up at the sky.

Unbeknownst to us, the sun had slowly climbed to the other side of the sky and was gradually sinking into the distant snow-covered mountains.

Night is about to fall again.

Guo Mi sighed; going hungry today was inevitable.

However, we should prepare early before nightfall to at least reduce the cold.

She stood up and searched around the base of the rocks, repeatedly raising her front paws and then slamming them down to test the thickness of the snow and the texture of the soil.

After searching around, I finally found a suitable spot with soil that was neither too soft nor too hard.

Guo Mi took a deep breath and began to dig with both paws!
It must be said that bears have natural advantages over humans.

For example, right now, Guo Mi's strong and powerful bear claws make digging holes much easier than human hands!

Before the sun had completely set, a cave large enough to accommodate Guo Mi had already fully appeared!
Guo Mi looked at the sky and decided to dig the hole a little deeper. She also went to find some withered, soft branches and leaves to stuff into the hole.

Unfortunately, plants in the north generally have smaller leaves due to the cold, unlike the broad and expansive leaves of rainforest plants.

Otherwise, Guo Mi even considered finding two leaves like these to block the entrance to the hole!
She crouched down and crawled inside, her paws tentatively exploring the withered branches and leaves at the bottom of the hole, sniffing the air with a hint of disdain.

These branches and leaves are still too hard, far less comfortable than the hole she dug in the forest. Moreover, the hole is entirely made of permafrost, and half of it is even ice and snow, which greatly reduces the comfort level!

However, considering the short time it took to dig the hole, the level of completion is already quite remarkable for Guo Mi.

Guo Mi poked her head out of the hole, wanting to call out to the two bear cubs, but found that they were still tightly embracing each other, watching her from afar.

She was silent for a moment, then pulled her head back and touched her nose with her paw:

Well, she's probably still a stranger to these two bear cubs. Forcing them to spend the night with a stranger like her would probably be another form of psychological torture for them.

She's already dug such a hole, she probably doesn't need to use the teddy bear to keep warm anymore, right?
As for those two little ones...

Polar bears are actually quite resistant to the cold; some of her Arctic photography friends used to take pictures of polar bears lying in the snow and falling asleep instantly.

Well, although the photos only show large bears, the two cubs should be able to keep each other warm.

With this thought, Guo Mi felt at ease and comfortably lay down on the grass mat in the cave, curling up her body into a very safe "bear ball," and sighed contentedly.

It feels so good to have a home!
As the last rays of sunlight were obscured by the snow-capped mountains, the frigid night once again enveloped the Arctic!

A biting wind howled and swept in, stirring up icy dust on the snow, its mournful howls echoing through the air.

A chilling coldness rushed into the cave entrance, climbing up Guo Mi's claws like vines, and then covering her entire body.

The soil in this hole is okay, but the location is extremely poor!

At night, the cold wind blows in from the outside, making the insulation ineffective and the temperature not much different from the outside.

Guo Mi began to drift into a state of lucidity within illusion and slumber within reality, but her sleep was extremely restless and she felt uncomfortable all over.

My body even started to ache from the intense cold!
It seemed as if something was covering the entrance to the cave amidst the swirling mist, but only for a fleeting moment.

Guo Mi's body, which had just stretched out, stiffened again instantly.

But soon, two warm, furry things suddenly pressed against her, their heat continuously transferring to her body and dispelling the chill that had been bothering her.

Something started licking the wound on her ear.

Guo Mi twitched her ears, her tightly curled bear paws gradually opened, and she embraced the two small furballs in her arms, finally able to drift off to sleep.

Tips
What should you do if you get lost in freezing weather and don't have enough warm clothes?

The answer is:

Dig a hole like Guo Mi!

Don't worry that digging a snow cave will make it colder; it's actually the same as an Eskimo igloo, which can provide some insulation!
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(End of this chapter)