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

Chapter 122 The Cub's Hope

The climate in the far north is unique.

Puddles formed by heavy rain, melting snow, or dew are stagnant water without roots, trapped in low-lying terrain.

Over time, the decaying roots of plants, the proliferation of microorganisms, animal carcasses, mosquito larvae, and the fishy smell of algae...

The cacophony of smells was overwhelming and hard to ignore. In addition, the surrounding area was mostly rotten, withered grass, and there were hardly any memorable landmarks. It was a huge challenge for the young bear to get out of there!

This is why Guo Mi wasn't discovered even though she was so close to them.

After circling twice more, the two bear cubs began to disagree.

The salmon thought that walking in one direction would always lead them out of the puddle, but the fishbone thought that this method would lead them completely off course, and then they wouldn't know where they were.

Fishbone bent down to collect those scents from the blades of grass:

"Guo Mi's scent is very faint, while ours is much stronger, which means we've been going in circles!"

The salmon lowered its head to sniff, and muttered something under its breath:
"That seems to be the case."

She suddenly looked at the fish bones, laughed, and said happily:

"Fishbone's sense of smell is much more sensitive than mine. It seems we'll have to rely on you if we want to get out!"

The generous praise made the sensitive little bear shyly lower his head slightly, and the salmon nudged him.

"Quick, quick, we can get out of here as soon as we find Guo Mi's scent!"

If they had been wandering in the puddle for a long time, the scents they left behind would have overlapped, making it impossible to distinguish them.

However, Guo Mi didn't follow them around in circles, so as long as they found the scent Guo Mi left behind, they could get out!

When the two little bears disagreed, Guo Mi got nervous, fearing they would start arguing. However, things didn't go as she expected.

As Guo Mi watched the two bear cubs split up to search for the scent she had left on the grass, she realized she had underestimated the two little furballs; they were far more mature than she had imagined.

Just as I was feeling relieved, I suddenly heard Fishbone mutter something with a hint of doubt:

"Why does the scent of Guo Mi suddenly smell so strong here?"

The giant furball, acting suspiciously, felt a jolt of fear. She realized that the little bear had unknowingly gotten quite close to her, and quickly retreated away, trying to avoid making any noise by brushing against the grass.

The salmon turned its head and saw the fish skeleton standing there, sniffing hard with its nose tilted back. It asked curiously:
"what's wrong?"

Fishbone turned around and said somewhat uncertainly:
"Guo Mi's scent has suddenly become much stronger..."

The smell lingering in the puddle is at least two days old. The wind would have carried away much of it, so it shouldn't be possible for such a strong smell to remain.

The two little bears seemed to realize something at the same time. Even though they knew it wasn't a good thing, they couldn't help but look around with expectant eyes.

The salmon couldn't help but take two steps forward and tentatively called out:
"Guo Mi? Is that you?"

Fishbone looked around expectantly, hoping to see that familiar figure.

Unfortunately, the surroundings were empty, with nothing but the soft rustling of the wind through the grass.

The little guy was a bit disappointed, but he still didn't give up and darted into the surrounding bushes, looking around and calling out as he went:

"Guo Mi?"

The salmon followed into the grass, searching everywhere for Guo Mi.

Guo Mi hid in the distance, changing her position from time to time. She heard the two little bears calling her several times and wanted to go out, but in the end she forced herself to hold back.

She knew that although she had been protecting the bear cubs, she wasn't actually a good mother bear. Arriving in a new place, just trying to survive with two cubs had already taken a lot of her energy. In an unfamiliar environment, she was only a half-baked individual, struggling to survive every day, spending most of her time searching for food, and before she knew it, a lot of time had passed.

They didn't specifically teach the bear cubs more hunting skills, they didn't teach them to be independent, and they didn't teach them how to survive in the wild.

She thought there was plenty of time, and she could personally guide them step by step to gain those experiences.

But he forgot that he was a bear that hibernates.

"To truly understand something, one must put it into practice."

No amount of talking can compare to trying it yourself.

Winter was approaching, and Guo Mi was already feeling tired. When Little Bear tried to persuade her to leave, this thought suddenly popped into her head.

So in the end, she chose to use this "forced growth" method to make the bear grow up quickly.

On the other side, the salmon and fish bones, who had been searching in vain, gradually stopped, looked at each other, and then gave a bitter laugh.

The salmon looked listless.

"It seems we were overthinking it."

Fishbone's eyes were wet as it stared intently at the water that had just covered its paws, letting out a soft sob, but quickly stopping.

He hadn't forgotten what his sister had told him:

Can't cry.

The salmon took a deep breath and, perking up, said:

"Alright, we've already wasted a lot of time. Let's hurry up and find a way out, or the last bit of Guo Mi's flavor will disappear."

The fishbone ears twitched, and suddenly it said in a hoarse voice:
"You smell like Guo Mi."

The salmon paused for a moment, then laughed:

"You have it too."

The scent of Guo Mi lingered on them, as if she were still by their side, protecting them and keeping them company.

The two bear cubs rubbed against each other; the lingering scent of fruit juice on their bodies was their last comfort and the support that spurred them to persevere.

Finally, as evening fell, the little bear successfully navigated through the large puddle, which had the strongest sense of environmental homogeneity and the most chaotic scent, by relying on the faint scent it left behind.

The salmon's claws landed back on the dry soil, its gaze sweeping over the low bushes before turning to the skeleton and whispering:

“I recognize these trees, so I should be able to tell which way to go. The further we go, the weaker the scent of the fruit will become. After walking a while, the scent should disappear completely, and then we’ll have to rely on ourselves.”

This bad news weighed heavily on Fishbone's heart, but he chose not to let his bad mood affect the salmon, forcing a smile:

"It's okay, as long as we're together, we'll definitely get back!"

The salmon spoke with a firm and resounding tone:

"Yes, once we return to the snow mountain, we'll definitely be qualified bears capable of living independently!"

Becoming an excellent adult polar bear is a cherished dream for every polar bear cub.

The little bear fantasized about becoming a strong, agile adult bear, skilled at hunting like Guo Mi, and his sadness was lessened considerably.

For them, Caesar may be an insurmountable figure, but Guo Mi, who has always been by their side, is the person they yearn to become!
The little guy even gave up his rest time, setting off under the starlight and moonlight, preparing to travel through the night!
Little did they know that the giant fur ball they longed for had never left them, its gaze always fixed on them.