The rain outside grew heavier, and the sky became increasingly dark.

The cave entrance, already obscured by bushes, was now even gloomier due to the dimming light. Apple Bear stared at the fuzzy head suddenly shoved into his face, his black, shiny eyes showing a rare hint of confusion.

Ye Yunian waited for a while but didn’t feel Apple Bear grooming him, so he nudged his head closer again. When Apple Bear still didn’t respond, Ye Yunian stuck out his tongue and licked Apple Bear’s ear, then pawed at his own head as a clear hint.

He couldn’t have made his intentions more obvious, right?

This time, Apple Bear understood. Without hesitation, he stopped grooming himself and started licking Ye Yunian’s fur instead.

Ye Yunian, thoroughly enjoying the attention, even turned over, exposing his belly. The cave was dry, and the two pandas huddled together, feeling exceptionally warm. Before long, a wave of drowsiness hit.

The rain outside wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, so might as well take a nap!

Ye Yunian was very relaxed about it all. He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep, resting his head on Apple Bear’s soft belly.

Apple Bear paused in his grooming when he noticed the steady breathing of the little panda in his arms. He slightly leaned back, still half-reclining, and tapped his still-damp head with his paw. Perhaps he wondered why he had groomed this little stranger before himself. But he didn’t ponder for long. March rains weren’t cold for pandas, but leaving the rainwater on his fur could still be at risk of getting sick..

Apple Bear didn’t know what illness was, but he understood that it wasn’t good to leave himself wet.

By the time Apple Bear had finished drying himself, Ye Yunian had rolled off him in his sleep. Apple Bear adjusted himself into a more comfortable position, lay close to Ye Yunian, and closed his eyes.

The light rain continued well into the evening before it finally stopped.

When Ye Yunian woke up, he felt a little hungry. He turned his head and saw that Apple Bear was awake too, already standing up and seemingly preparing to go out to find food.

Ye Yunian was hungry, but he didn’t feel like moving. He glanced at his bag in the corner and called out to Apple Bear.

Apple Bear, who had already reached the cave entrance, paused and then walked back over to Ye Yunian when he heard the call.

Ye Yuenian grabbed the bag with his mouth and dumped all the apples onto the ground in one go, along with five or six bamboo shoots.

As a human at heart, Ye Yunian still had the habit of hoarding food whenever possible, despite his new panda form.

Apple Bear stared at the apples and bamboo shoots on the ground, then looked back at Ye Yunian, clearly puzzled.

Ye Yunian had already started munching on a bamboo shoot, but seeing that Apple Bear wasn’t eating, he felt confused too.

Huh?

Did Apple Bear expect him to feed him?

Oh well, Apple Bear had been such a good bear. Ye Yunian supposed he could pamper him a little.

So, Ye Yunian, with the bamboo shoot still in his mouth, walked over to Apple Bear and placed the shoot in front of him. He then nudged it toward him with his paw.

The gesture was exactly the same as when Apple Bear had used bamboo shoots to trade for apples earlier.

Apple Bear now understood Ye Yunian’s intention. But it was precisely because he understood that he was even more confused.

In Apple Bear’s mind, Ye Yunian was a little panda who cared a lot about food, especially bamboo shoots, which he loved. During their time together, Ye Yunian had shared a lot of food with him—bamboo stalks (which Ye Yunian didn’t like), apples (when he had too many), and occasionally bamboo leaves—but he had never shared his precious bamboo shoots.

Pandas can think, but their thoughts are somewhat limited. Apple Bear couldn’t fully grasp why Ye Yunian was suddenly offering him bamboo shoots, but it didn’t stop him from feeling genuinely happy.

Apple Bear sat next to Ye Yunian and accepted the offering.

Ye Yunian had no idea that Apple Bear had gone through such mental gymnastics. He just saw that Apple Bear accepted the bamboo shoot and happily sat down to enjoy his own.

Unfortunately, Ye Yunian hadn’t stored many bamboo shoots, so it wasn’t long before both pandas had finished eating them.

With no more bamboo shoots left, the two pandas silently moved on to the apples.

The remaining apples left by the base staff were quickly eaten, and yet neither of the pandas was fully satisfied.

Looks like they’ll need to go out for food after all.

Ye Yunian licked his lips and slowly stood up, just about to signal Apple Bear to head out when a piercing cry echoed from the valley.

Ye Yunian flinched in fear and instinctively hid behind Apple Bear.

Apple Bear’s expression didn’t change, but Ye Yunian could tell that he had become more alert. His ears perked up, listening intently to the sounds outside.

Pandas have highly sensitive hearing and can detect sounds from miles away with perfect clarity.

It was precisely because of this acute hearing that Ye Yunian became even more anxious when he realized that a group of creatures, not just one, was approaching.

Could it be… wolves?

The thought alone scared Ye Yunian half to death.

But wolves wouldn’t typically attack pandas, right?

After all, pandas are bears, and besides, he wasn’t alone—he had Apple Bear with him.

Though Ye Yunian knew he was weak in a fight, Apple Bear was clearly no pushover!

With that thought, Ye Yunian calmed down a bit.

As long as he stuck with Apple Bear—wait, where was Apple Bear going?!

It seemed Apple Bear had determined something and shot out of the cave in a flash.

Ye Yunian watched in shock as Apple Bear disappeared into the bushes, running toward the forest.

???

You’re leaving me behind?!

No way!

Without hesitation, Ye Yunian took off after Apple Bear, heart pounding and mind racing. Why couldn’t they just stay safe in the cave? And why was Apple Bear running toward those approaching creatures—whether wolves or something else?

Ye Yunian was practically crying inside, but he didn’t stop running.

After all, staying alone in the cave was even more terrifying!

It’ll be fine. Apple Bear is strong. I just have to trust him.

Ye Yunian had no idea how long he ran, but as the sky darkened, the unfamiliar, menacing scent drew closer. At last, Apple Bear stopped in his tracks.

The overwhelming, threatening aura made Ye Yunian’s fur stand on end.

From a distant hill, several low growls echoed. Ye Yunian looked over and saw seven or eight red-haired dogs chasing a deer.

These so-called “red dogs” were commonly known as dholes—fierce, wolf-like creatures that roamed the forests in packs.

Dholes were about 90 centimeters long, stood about 40–45 centimeters tall, and weighed no more than 30 kilograms. But what made them dangerous was their pack mentality, with groups ranging from as few as three to as many as thirty. Their ferocity meant that nearly any forest animal could become their prey.

When food was scarce, dholes would even dare to hunt pandas.

As soon as the dhole pack noticed Apple Bear and Ye Yunian’s presence, the leader of the pack growled a warning.

Hunting a single panda was a risky endeavor, and dholes generally avoided confrontations with large bears. As long as the panda didn’t interfere with their hunt…

Suddenly, Apple Bear lunged like an arrow, heading straight toward the deer.

Wait, what?! Apple Bear, why are you charging in like that?!

Both Ye Yunian and the dhole pack were stunned.

Most wild pandas, timid by nature, would steer clear of dholes even if they could fight them off. But this was the first time the pack had ever seen a panda boldly rush in and steal their prey!

In a mere second of confusion, Apple Bear had already sunk his teeth into the deer’s throat.

Ye Yunian was on high alert, and without thinking, ran over to Apple Bear as fast as he could.

As the evening light faded and Ye Yunian moved through the bushes, the dhole pack hadn’t noticed him at first. But now, with a second panda joining the scene, they were utterly bewildered.

The deer was their catch, and it was about to be snatched away right before their eyes. Naturally, the dhole pack wasn’t happy about it.

Although Apple Bear looked strong, he was only one panda. The pack figured they could still overpower him and reclaim their prize.

But now there was another panda?

This second panda was noticeably smaller.

Still, a panda’s bite force was ranked fifth among all animals, just behind polar bears, tigers, brown bears, and lions. A single swipe from a panda’s paw could knock a dhole out cold.

One panda was hard enough to deal with. Two? Even a pack of dholes had to reconsider.

Finally, after a brief standoff, the lead dhole called for a retreat.

Ye Yunian, trembling with fear, watched as the pack quickly vanished into the forest. Only when their scent had completely faded did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Turning around, Ye Yunian was ready to give Apple Bear a piece of his mind.

Why would you hunt a deer when there’s perfectly good bamboo in the forest?!

Sure, you succeeded, but—huh?

A chunk of fresh red meat, torn from the deer, was placed in front of Ye Yunian by Apple Bear.

Ye Yunian tilted his head in confusion.

Apple Bear, seeing that Ye Yunian didn’t understand, pushed the piece of meat closer to his mouth, then put the meat on the ground pawed at it gently, clearly offering it.

Ye Yunian looked at the meat on the ground, then back up at Apple Bear’s dark, gleaming eyes.

Wait a minute… Was this whole thing not about Apple Bear wanting to eat the deer himself? Did he hunt this deer for me?

Suddenly, Ye Yunian remembered the time in the bamboo forest when Apple Bear had offered him the bamboo rat meat. Could it be that Apple Bear thought Ye Yunian didn’t like bamboo rat meat, so he had hunted a deer instead, just to give him something more to his taste?

Ye Yunian stared blankly at Apple Bear.

He had noticed before that Apple Bear was a very handsome bear—his big, round face was clean, his fur pristine white, and his appearance so striking that he could easily be a dream bear for anyone who saw him.

But now, this handsome bear wasn’t just grooming him and keeping him warm. He had even risked fighting off the dhole pack to hunt food for him. What’s more, after successfully taking down the deer, Apple Bear didn’t eat a single bite himself. Instead, he tore off a piece of meat and offered it to Ye Yunian.

At this moment, Ye Yunian’s eyes were on the verge of tearing up!

Overwhelmed with emotion, Ye Yunian leapt at Apple Bear, rubbing himself against the larger bear’s body and letting out happy “mewing” sounds.

Apple Bear, with the piece of meat in his mouth, once again pushed it toward Ye Yunian.

This time, Ye Yunian didn’t refuse.

After all, this was a special gift that Apple Bear had gone through all that trouble to get for him!

Even if the meat didn’t taste good… huh?

Ye Yunian took a bite and blinked in surprise.

The meat was actually… kind of sweet?

His eyes brightened, and he let out another happy chirp toward Apple Bear.

It was delicious!