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

Chapter 27 The Vigilant Mother Bear

The moment the mother bear saw Guo Mi, she became highly alert, her muscles tensing and her fur bristling as she growled at her.

Guo Mi ran a few steps and stopped when she saw her like this, and did not go any further.

Sometimes, going too far beyond your social circle won't make the other person feel closer to you; it might even have the opposite effect.

She tilted her head, deciding to greet the mother bear first, just to be on the safe side; it would be even better if she could talk to her!
"Hello……"

Guo Mi stopped speaking halfway through her sentence and stared blankly at the person opposite her.

Behind the mother bear, who seemed intent on attacking, a small white head suddenly appeared, its innocent little eyes staring at her with bewildered eyes.

Seemingly noticing that Guo Mi was also looking at him, he mischievously winked at her, raised his little paws to touch his ears, and then hid back behind his mother bear.

The series of events took only a few seconds, but Guo Mi was absolutely certain that she hadn't seen wrong—there was another bear cub hiding behind the mother bear!
This surprised her, after all, this was the first mother bear with her cubs she had seen since arriving in the Arctic!
The little creature looked a bit bigger than the salmon and fish bones, probably a few months older than them, but it hid too quickly, and she couldn't see it clearly.

Guo Mi looked at the mother bear, cleared her throat, trying to appear as harmless as possible, and spoke in a gentle voice:
"Hello, I'm a new bear here. I'd like to ask if I can hunt with you?"

Polar bears do not have a sense of territory, so this lake is unlikely to be the territory of a female bear. If they can discuss it properly, it is possible for them to share the lake.

If we could learn some other ways to obtain food from the mother bear, that would be even better!

Guo Mi thought for a moment and decided to add more leverage to her position:

"I can share some of the fish I caught with you!"

Her gaze was sincere, and she did her best to convey her harmlessness to the mother bear.

Unfortunately, the other party did not seem to receive her "harmless message". Instead, it took two steps back and raised its front paws to taunt Guo Mi!

The mother bear roared continuously, signaling an attack towards Guo Mi!

Judging from this, it seems unlikely that I will grant her request.

Helpless, Guo Mi could only take two steps back, trying to get as far away from the mother bear as possible.

This is actually quite understandable behavior, since no mother bear would allow an adult bear to get close to her cubs.

Guo Mi sighed, realizing that she had been indulging in some wishful thinking.

Should we try again?

She thought for a moment, then turned around and called out. The salmon and fish bones emerged from behind the rock where they were hiding and stumbled to Guo Mi's side.

If it's a mother bear with cubs, wouldn't it look less threatening?

Guo Mi sat down, firmly protecting the two bear cubs behind her to prevent the mother bear from suddenly attacking.

Coincidentally, the two little cubs, just like the little bear cub from before, were hiding behind her, only peeking out their little heads, curiously looking at the other side!

As soon as the two bear cubs appeared, the mother bear opposite her froze, staring at the two cubs for a long time as if in disbelief. Then she gently sniffed them, as if trying to confirm something.

Guo Mi was also taken aback. Could it be that the other side knew these two little bears?
The mother bear quickly revealed the answer; she finally spoke, her voice hoarse and full of doubt:

"This is Kaya's little bear, why is it here?"

Her scrutinizing gaze fell on Guo Mi.

Mother bears generally do not let their cubs leave their side. This situation occurs either because hunting is inconvenient or because they encounter danger and want to use themselves as bait to ensure the safety of their cubs.

The scenario of a bear cub following another adult bear would never happen!
She looked around, trying to find Kaya, but saw nothing, not even a trace of her scent!
The mother bear's scrutinizing gaze towards Guo Mi intensified. Fearing unnecessary misunderstanding, Guo Mi quickly explained:
"Kaya is dead, and now I've adopted two bear cubs."

"you?"

The mother bear clearly didn't believe her words; her suspicious gaze was almost tangible, as if she should drill two holes in Guo Mi's body.

It's practically as if they've written "Guo Mi is the thief who stole the bear cubs as food reserves" all over the bear's face!
Guo Mi felt even more helpless. She knew how incomprehensible it was in the bear world to adopt a bear cub, and it was inevitable that she would not be trusted.

She lowered her head, met the two bear cubs' innocent eyes, and asked:
"Do you know this... uh, this Aunt Bear?"

The salmon tilted its head, repeating in confusion:
"Aunt Xiong?"

Guo Mi fell silent. Well, it seems that such a term doesn't exist in the bear's society.

She changed her tune:
Do you recognize this mother bear over there?

The salmon looked at the mother bear opposite it and said blankly:

"do not know."

Then he smelled it again, and after a moment said uncertainly:
"But the smell is somewhat familiar; I feel like I've smelled it before."

The mother bear listened to the question-and-answer session between Guo Mi and her cub, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes.

Is Kaya really dead?

The thought of this possibility brought a faint, almost imperceptible sadness to her eyes, but it quickly vanished, replaced by a sense of familiarity.

In the Arctic, a land with a harsh climate year-round, the howling north winds and the dwindling food supply quickly lead to fierce competition and battles, with death often following closely behind.

Even polar bears cannot escape it.

All bears eventually perish in this wilderness, their bodies buried by ice and snow, or slowly rotting away, until even their bones are gradually corroded until nothing remains.

She couldn't help but glance at Guo Mi again.

This female bear doesn't look like a polar bear; she's ridiculously round, and I don't know where she came from.

The two bear cubs seemed to know her very well, and it was obvious that they had been living together for some time, so it didn't seem like they had been forcibly taken away or tricked.

Meeting the curious eyes of Guo Mi and the two bears, one large and one small, the mother bear suppressed her suspicions and said briefly:

“Before winter, I spent some time with Kaya. Then, after the cub was born, we had a brief encounter.”

Guo Mi's doubts were resolved; it turned out they had only met briefly once.

No wonder the little bear didn't remember. If it weren't for the polar bear's gift of smell, it probably would have forgotten the scent altogether.

But since the mother bear is willing to say these things, does it mean that her vigilance is not as high as before?
Guo Mi regained her hope and decided to ask again:
“We can enjoy this hunting ground together. Don’t worry, I will never hurt your little bear.”

Unfortunately, the answer was still a rejection this time.

The mother bear's doubts about Guo Mi were not dispelled, no, they would never disappear!
These two cubs were just the offspring of a mother bear she knew. Although she was willing to talk to this strange bear, it didn't mean she could let an adult bear get close to her cubs!
……

The mother bear eventually left with her cubs.

Watching the two figures, one big and one small, walk away into the distance, Guo Mi felt extremely regretful. She had originally wanted to discuss the parenting guide with the person opposite her.

(End of this chapter)