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

Chapter 188 The Bear Digs a Hole

Thanks to the protection of the naturally low temperatures, polar bears have enough time to digest this rare feast.

The enormous humpback whale, known as a moving island at sea, is said to feed back to the ocean upon its death, but by chance, it has also nurtured another creature from the land.

It's hard to imagine that such a colossal creature could be devoured in such a short time.

Only a massive spine remains on the shore. The waves that had accompanied it throughout its life, never leaving, gently caress the departed son of the sea as if with endless reluctance. The cold wind howls, and the desolate emptiness is filled with a profound sense of awe.

Guo Mi stood on the shore, gently patted her spine with her paws, and closed her eyes slightly. It seemed as if the long, ethereal call of a humpback whale could be heard from afar.

The little bear didn't understand what she was doing, but just sat obediently beside her, looking up at her.

After a long while, Guo Mi opened her eyes and said with a smile:
"I'm going to go to bed."

Upon arriving at the prepared cave, the bottom was piled with dry grass and fallen leaves that had been painstakingly gathered, and the air was filled with a faint, slightly damp, earthy fragrance.

This was the warmest and most comfortable bed she could create for herself under the limited conditions.

The passage in this cave connects to another cave.

Long ago, humans dug deep cellars to store ice for use in the summer.

Guo Mi also followed the example of ancient human wisdom and made such a simple "ice storage".

The ground was already permafrost, and she went to great lengths to store large amounts of ice and snow inside, just to stock up on food for the bear cub.

Standing at the entrance of the cave, Guo Mi looked at the little bear, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.

Logically, this should be a good opportunity for the little bear to learn how to survive the winter and hunt. Unfortunately, the increasing drowsiness, which is relieved by food, tells her that she cannot escape hibernation.

The little guy will have to spend the winter with her in the cave.

The salmon seemed to understand what she wanted to say and confidently stated:
"Guo Mi, go to sleep. We can protect ourselves!"

Fishbone stood beside him with a determined look in his eyes and gave a heavy "hmm".

Guo Mi's heavy mood eased slightly. She had said enough these past few days, so there was no need to repeat herself. She simply whispered her advice again:
"Don't stray too far from the cave unless absolutely necessary, and come back as soon as you're out."

After receiving an affirmative answer from the little bear, the three bears, one big and two small, slowly crawled into the cave, and the entrance was quickly covered by the heavy snow blown in by the north wind.

Guo Mi lay on the soft, withered leaves, curled up, and buried her head in her arms.

It seemed like a long time had passed in the darkness, and her breathing became long and calm.

The salmon brought its mouth close to Guo Mi's face and sniffed gently, calling out in a very soft voice:

"Guo Mi, Guo Mi?"

The fishbone peeked out from behind her, stretching its neck in anticipation. The salmon called out a few more times before turning around and whispering:

"Guo Mi is really asleep."

Worried that the bear cub would have to stay in the cave for a long time, and that the narrow cave would be too cramped and boring, Guo Mi specially dug the cave wider, enough for the bear cub to move around inside.

To accommodate a hibernating bear and two cubs while ensuring the entrance wouldn't collapse, and to dig another passage inside, Guo Mi spent a long time just choosing the location.

While digging the tunnel, I almost forced myself to change careers and become an architect. I wished I could take my brain out and shake it hard to shake out all my meager architectural knowledge.

Fortunately, she succeeded in the end.

The two bear cubs walked around in the cave, but soon stopped. Although the cave did allow them to move around, the limited space meant they could only take a few steps. It was better than nothing, but not very interesting.

Fishbone lay down next to Guo Mi and yawned:
"Let's sleep with Guo Mi."

The salmon also lay down:
"That's a good idea. Maybe when we wake up, Guo Mi will be awake too."

So, accompanied by Guo Mi's long, deep breaths, the two bear cubs slowly closed their eyes and gradually drifted off to sleep.

……

What woke the little bear was a distinctive and rapid breathing sound. The salmon was the first to open its eyes and nudged the fish bone with its paw. The fish bone quickly opened its eyes as well.

The unfamiliar breathing was heavy and rapid, quite distinct, seemingly coming from the cave entrance, as if it would burst through the thin layer of snow that concealed the cave entrance at any moment!

The two bear cubs looked nervous.

They were all too familiar with that breathing sound; there was only one animal in the Arctic that made that sound: the polar bear.

The bear's scent wafted through the snow; it was unfamiliar, unlike any bear scent they had ever smelled before, and it was thick and strong.

It's a male bear! A male bear I don't know!

The little bear instinctively shrank behind Guo Mi, but soon the salmon stumbled out and stood in front of the sleeping Guo Mi:
"Guo Mi is asleep. It's our turn to protect her now."

Fish bones also emerged, and the two little creatures were tense, staring intently at the entrance of the hole.

So anxious were they that they even began to fantasize about a giant bear head smashing through the snow at the entrance of the cave, baring its sharp teeth and ferocious eyes as it crawled in!
Two young hearts pounded with nervousness!

The urgent sniffing grew more intense and closer, and the sound of bear paws pounding in the snow was so clear that the little bear's heart was in its throat!

One second, two seconds...

Then, the sound stopped at the cave entrance!
Everything fell silent; time seemed to stand still, and the air became heavy and stifling.

The little bear held its breath.

suddenly!

A huge claw broke through the snow and reached into the hole!

Then came the other claw!
This bear seems to have discovered a treasure hidden in the snow!
His two paws dug around, and then he eagerly stuck his head in. When he saw the two poor bear cubs in front of him, his cloudy eyes suddenly lit up!
That was the sight of the food's glistening surface!
The salmon and fish bones tried to raise their claws to drive the big head out of the hole, but to little avail!

The male bear was eager to squeeze its fat body into the hole, but when it stretched its two paws and head in at the same time, it was blocked by its body and could only pull backward with force!

When they realized it was unlikely to work, they simply gave up and squeezed back in, hoping to finish their meal first and then figure out how to get out.

The noise disturbed Guo Mi's peaceful sleep, and she turned over and let out a groan.

Only now, driven mad by hunger, did the male bear realize that there seemed to be more than two cubs in the den. His gaze fell on the sleeping giant furball, and he stared intently, as if pondering whether to continue.

Overwhelmed with tension, Fishbone didn't care about anything else and took the opportunity when he stopped to bite the wet nose!

The male bear let out a miserable cry, struggled backward with all its might, and finally broke free from the cave entrance, falling flat on its back in the snow!
The two bear cubs huddled together, still shaken, staring wide-eyed out of the cave.

Hearing the angry roar of the male bear outside, the salmon swallowed hard, its voice trembling:
You shouldn't have bitten him.

Guo Mi once said that when facing a powerful opponent, if you cannot deliver a fatal blow, these minor injuries will only become a trigger for them.

If the male bear might have been wary of Guo Mi just now, he probably wouldn't let them go now.