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

Chapter 28 Pleasant Pond Life

After the polar bear mother and cub left, Guo Mi and her two little furballs enjoyed the entire lake all to themselves again!
After catching a few fish to fill her belly, she led the little bear toward the hole they had dug at the beginning!

Anyway, in the end, a rogue male bear would suddenly appear inside, so Guo Mi stopped being so fixated on digging new holes.

She came up with a better idea!

From the time Caesar first appeared in the cave and fell fast asleep until now, excluding the cave that Guo Mi used to "fight the ground bear" and the cave that was collapsed at the beginning, she has dug a total of six more caves near the lake!

These holes, both in their location and the soft, dry grass lining them, are excellent places to live!

Most importantly, Caesar can only find a maximum of three holes in a single day!

Taking into account the lazy nature of male bears, this number will be reduced to two!

Guo Mi plans to take the little bear back into the cave and then have them sleep in different places each day!

This would greatly reduce the chances of her encountering Caesar. Even if Caesar smelled her scent in the cave, she wouldn't return to the cave the next day!

By letting the two little furballs sniff around a distance from the hole, they can safely identify the hole where the male bear leaves the least scent. The chances of Caesar finding them while they are sleeping are extremely slim!
This way, she could prevent Caesar from attacking the two bear cubs while she was asleep, and also enjoy the fruits of her labor.

The hole she dug absolutely cannot be allowed to go to that big, strong bear!
Three days passed peacefully without Caesar appearing again. Guo Mi felt the method was effective and relaxed her vigilance slightly.

She still took the bear cub to the lake to catch fish every day; there was no way to avoid it, as they needed to eat.

The mother bear appeared again with her cubs that day, but she only saw Guo Mi with the two little furballs by the lake from afar and did not approach them. Instead, she left with her cubs.

Guo Mi sighed inwardly and did not make any further moves.

At this time, remaining silent and doing your own thing is far more useful than disturbing the polar bear mother and cub.

Two days later, the polar bear mother and cub reappeared around the lake.

This time they did not leave. The mother bear brought her cubs to the opposite side of Guomi and the two little furballs, separated by an entire lake.

This is a very safe distance!
Although they were still far apart and unable to speak, this meant that the mother bear was becoming less wary of them.

Guo Mi was already very satisfied with the result.

She led the two bear cubs to catch fish on this side of the lake, maintaining a safe distance and keeping within boundaries, so the polar bear mother and cubs lived peacefully with them.

However, Guo Mi's eyes couldn't help but glance over there, and she quickly discovered that the polar bear's method of catching fish was completely different from her own!
The mother bear left her cubs on the shore, then jumped into the water and quickly began to dive!
The polar bear's massive body appeared quite agile in the water, turning and floating leisurely.

However, agile movements cannot compensate for the difference in size; the fish in the lake are far more nimble than the polar bear's massive body!

It is undoubtedly difficult for a mother bear to catch a fish that is much smaller than herself in the water; it always takes a lot of time.

After a long time, she finally managed to grab a fish and climb ashore. She placed the small fish in front of the bear cub, shook her fur, and seemed to be preparing to rest for a while before continuing.

Guo Mi was amazed by how long the mother bear could hold her breath underwater each time!

After watching the mother bear swim, she tried to go into the water, but she couldn't resist and pulled back before her paws were even halfway in!
There was no way around it; it was just too cold. If the paws stayed in the icy water for too long, the biting chill would seep through the fur and into the body, as if it were trying to penetrate the bones.

Guo Mi had to give up, but was once again amazed by the polar bear's adaptation to the cold.

While Guo Mi was paying close attention to the polar bear mother and cub, the mother bear opposite her also became very curious about her hunting methods.

This was the first time she had ever seen such a fishing method.

That strange bear simply puts its nose on the water's surface, and in no time it can use its paws to swat fish out of the water!
The fish seemed to appear out of thin air in front of her, and they were incredibly fast, much faster than when she went into the water to catch them!

The little bear cub ate the fish very quickly, devouring the entire fish in the blink of an eye. He sat beside his mother, watching with her as they piled the salmon and fish bones that Guo Mi had shoveled onto the lake. His little eyes shone with longing as he licked the remaining blood from his lips.

The mother bear noticed the cub's appearance, and her eyes showed more hesitation as she looked in Guo Mi's direction.

Guo Mi was directing the two bear cubs to work when Salmon suddenly trotted over, looking at her expectantly with his beady eyes:
"Guo Mi, you said last time that I could learn how to catch fish from you!"

Guo Mi immediately remembered that there was indeed such a thing.

The salmon can now quickly process the fish she slaps ashore without having to stun them, which means she can definitely learn more.

Guo Mi would never hesitate to teach a studious little fellow.

She brought the salmon to the lakeside, carefully explained the key points of catching fish, and added at the end:
"You're still young, and your claws aren't as strong as mine, so you might not be able to catch big fish. Therefore, when you're swatting fish, try to choose the smaller ones. Although they don't have much meat, they're easier to catch!"

The little bear listened attentively to Guo Mi's instructions, eager to give it a try, and then...

It fell into the water!
Almost in the blink of an eye, Guo Mi only had time to hear a crisp splash before all she could see was a high spray of water!

In the blink of an eye, the little bear, soaking wet, was already splashing its little paws in the water, trying its best to stick its head out of the water, looking like it was struggling desperately!

Guo Mi was completely dumbfounded. She reached out her paw to try and scoop the bear out, but found that she couldn't. The bear had already thrashed far away on its own!

Finally, he could only grit his teeth, close his eyes, and leap into the water after her!
The polar bear mother and cub on the opposite side were also stunned, just watching the huge fur ball splash up a huge spray of water on the surface of the water, and then disappear without a trace!

Fishbone was frantically darting around nearby, craning its neck to look underwater from the shore, and calling out incessantly.

Only then did the mother bear belatedly realize what was happening, her eyes widening in astonishment:

Can't that little cub and that strange bear swim?

This possibility is extremely slim for polar bears, considering that their main food source is seals, and not being able to swim means that the possibility of hunting seals is almost zero!

The mother bear was somewhat taken aback, but seeing the little cub jumping around on the other side, she couldn't help but feel anxious and sat on the bank, looking worriedly into the water.

Time passed slowly, and just as the mother bear was getting restless and wanted to go into the water to take a look, a huge bubble suddenly rose from the lake, and then a wet head with a bear cub on it emerged from the water!

With the salmon on her head, Guo Mi struggled to paddle towards the shore, finally managing to climb ashore with all her might!

The salmon was put back into the snow. It didn't look scared, just a little confused.

Guo Mi's fur was soaked in ice water. When the wind blew, she gasped for breath and trembled so badly that she could barely sit up.

Just as I was about to force myself to stand up and shake my fur, a voice suddenly rang in my ears:
"These two little rascals can't swim?"

Guo Mi was stunned for a moment, then turned her head and saw that the mother bear had brought her cubs close at hand. Her eyes were filled with undisguised surprise.

The mother bear still held her cubs tightly behind her, her gaze complex as she looked at the shivering Guo Mi. Her eyes held a multitude of emotions, and finally she whispered:

"You have to teach the two bear cubs to swim, and you have to be able to stay in the water for long periods of time. In the Arctic, bears that can't swim can't survive."

As if it were just to say that, the mother bear turned and left with her cubs without waiting for Guo Mi's reply.

Guo Mi stared blankly down at the equally wet and bewildered salmon, and took a deep breath.

Image from documentary:

Polar Bear: Ice Detective

I'd like to gather your opinions. Do you find the inserted images jarring? If so, I'll only post photos of the environment in the future.
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(End of this chapter)