Hibernation is a very good word.
For the little hedgehog, it is also known as "little death".
This is also the only way they can survive for several months in the frigid environment.
In her previous life, Xu Qiaoqiao probably never imagined that she would one day enter a hibernation period, because winter is really cold, whether in the south or the north. Generally, when this season comes, Xu Qiaoqiao most envies two kinds of animals: one is those that hibernate, and the other is those with super thick fur.
She belongs to the former category, while Jun Qi belongs to the latter.
Time flies. During the months that Xu Qiaoqiao hibernated, Jun Qi returned to his habits from when he was single, going out late and returning late every day. Except when he was sleeping, he would be careful not to linger around Xu Qiaoqiao.
The cold climate led to a shortage of food resources, forcing Jun Qi to hunt birds or steal human food, something he had done many times before.
After Jun Qifei returned, he looked at the slightly arched hill by the moonlight and suddenly felt a little lonely. Normally, the little hedgehog would definitely come and bother him.
But now, it's cold and desolate; apart from the sound of wind and snow in my ears, there's nothing else.
Last time Xu Qiaoqiao hibernated, she woke up in early February. So at the beginning of this year, at the end of January, Jun Qi started to look forward to it, hoping that the little hedgehog would wake up.
However, this time he was destined to be wrong and his expectations were in vain. Xu Qiaoqiao slept straight through March, just like her usual hedgehog.
The warm sunshine heralds the official return of March. The snow and ice on the mountains gradually melt, gathering into streams that flow downhill, eventually reaching the river where the ice has not yet completely melted.
Winter is coming to an end, and beautiful spring is on its way.
As the weather warms up in spring, hedgehogs, who are particularly sensitive to changes in the surrounding weather, are stimulated to enter a state of awakening.
Hormones cause their fat stores to continuously generate heat, the hedgehog's heartbeat begins to accelerate, and its body temperature continues to rise. These characteristics all indicate one thing: it's time for you to get up.
This awakening phase can last for several hours.
The boot-up speed is quite slow.
Xu Qiaoqiao felt that she was awake, but not fully awake. She could sense that it was daytime outside and that it shouldn't be raining, because the dazzling sunlight shone on her through the gaps in the leaves.
It's warm and sunny; is it already spring?
Xu Qiaoqiao vaguely thought that she could feel the temperature around her starting to warm up, which was completely different from when she went into hibernation. It was at least ten degrees Celsius.
She slowly opened her eyes, feeling the flow of blood in her body. It was a wonderful feeling, indescribable, but very comfortable, especially with the temperature just right.
Xu Qiaoqiao felt her limbs gradually regaining strength. She had completely awakened from hibernation. She first brushed aside the leaves to look around and see if Junjun was by her side.
Spring brings a renewed sense of life to all things, and the Frost's Descent has become a memory.
Xu Qiaoqiao woke up by chance; the earth had shed its white color and was now covered in a bright green, the sky was a clear blue, and everything was so beautiful.
"Chirp chirp".
Xu Qiaoqiao quickly noticed the enormous creature lying next to her. Its feathers were as messy as ever, clearly indicating that it hadn't been groomed in a long time.
It should be afternoon now, the hottest time of day, and also the time when Jun Qi is sleeping the most soundly. In another two or three hours, Jun Qi will wake up from his sleep.
In fact, they hadn't seen each other for four months, but for Xu Qiaoqiao, it felt like only yesterday; the long hours of sleep had left her mind foggy.
Junjun, do you miss me a lot, hmm?
Xu Qiaoqiao moved onto Jun Qi's bed, kissed his feathers, and her eyes showed excitement. Another year has passed. It's great that we can see each other again.
However, I feel like my legs have no strength left.
Xu Qiaoqiao took a few steps and found that her legs were shaking. This was not a good thing, because she had not eaten for a long time and now desperately needed food and water. This was also her first task after waking up.
During winter, hedgehogs lose about 40% of their weight.
Isn't this the easiest way to lose weight?
But where could she find food and water on this cliff edge? Hedgehogs don't have wings and can't fly.
Fortunately, hedgehogs are omnivores and can eat anything. In addition, since tender green leaves started to grow on the branches, they were very fresh, and Xu Qiaoqiao could smell their intoxicating aroma.
The habits that Xu Qiaoqiao had instilled in Jun Qi were now proving very useful.
There are still some fresh leaves in the little nest, which will last for now.
Xu Qiaoqiao crawled around the leaves and slowly began to chew. She had been fed by Jun Qi all year and had eaten all kinds of food. Leaves and grass were the most common food for her.
But at this time, it can replenish the energy that Xu Qiaoqiao needs.
Xu Qiaoqiao chewed on a leaf, her eyes fixed on Jun Qi, as if she wanted to see everything she hadn't seen in a while.
There was some melted ice water in the recessed stone trough next to her. Xu Qiaoqiao didn't mind and put her mouth to it to drink. Because the opening of the stone trough was not very big, she had to stick out her tongue to lick the water clean.
After finishing with the leaves and water, Xu Qiaoqiao finally felt her mind clear up.
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