It’S A Cat, Adopted By A Wolf Family? [EN]: Chapter 19

I picked up the pencil again. Since Theo was just as kind to me as Deon, I was going to be fair and grant Theo’s request as well.

I plopped down on the chair and started copying the letters onto the paper.

“Theo… Brother… Best.”

“Malangson, you were just writing silently a moment ago!”

Deon looked at Theo with obvious envy. Theo shrugged and blew on the piece of paper I had gifted him to dry the ink.

“Kitty is good at copying. It’s not as crooked as I thought?”

“I’ll get better if I practice.”

“Yes, you should. Your brothers will be leaving on a long journey soon, so you can’t not know how to write letters.”

Theo said that with a very sad look on his face. Deon also looked at me with affectionate eyes, holding back his words.

Are Theo and Deon going somewhere far away? I felt a prickling at the tip of my nose and mumbled.

“Um, when are you leaving? Are you going far away…?”

“Ugh, I’m already worried about leaving you behind.”

“Wolves go to learn how to fight when they reach a certain age. It’s a long way off, though.”

“……”

They were looking at me so affectionately, as if they were leaving tomorrow, but it’s going to be in a few days. You’re both more emotional than me, a baby kitten.

“I’ll practice writing quickly. By the time you two leave, I’ll be an adult, so I’ll be able to write long letters.”

“Yes. So no one suspects that someone else sent it, be sure to put a Malangson paw print on every letter.”

“That’s a good idea. It’ll look like you wrote it no matter who sees it.”

They both smiled contentedly again. They must really like my Malangson paws.

Theo handed me a book he had brought.

[Letter Textbook – For Baby Wolves]

Judging by what he said, it seemed like he had cherished it since he was a child.

“I’ll write in it cleanly and return it to you.”

The book had slightly more difficult words listed in large print than the ones Karis had written for me. I guess I’m supposed to learn letters by tracing these.

“Thank you, Brother Theo. First, I’ll learn the letters by looking at the letter Karis wrote for me, and then I’ll trace the ones in here.”

“Okay. Be careful not to get calluses on your Malangson paws.”

“It’s good to work hard, but your health always comes first.”

They said that and stroked my head. I sat at my desk for a long time, tracing the basic letters from beginning to end.

‘It’s all sinking into my head.’

I can already hear and speak, so if I quickly learn how to read and write, I’ll be able to write wonderful letters too.

“But what do you do at a tea party?”

I suddenly wondered. What should I do there? Theo and Deon thought for a moment, ‘If it’s a tea party for socializing…’ and then told me.

“You’ll drink tea in a place like a glass greenhouse. It’ll be decorated with lots of bright flowers.”

“Since it’s the first time introducing Kitty, I think we’ll have a dinner together too. After the meal, we might dance impromptu.”

I love dancing!

My eyes sparkled as I focused on the explanation that followed. Theo told me that it wasn’t a large-scale ball, so we wouldn’t be dancing on the dance floor I had seen before, but since there would be music, you never know.

“If we dance, what kind of dance will we do?”

“If we dance, a waltz? Kitty is young, so maybe a stomp.”

“Waltz? Stomp?”

All the dances Deon mentioned were ones I didn’t know. I felt sad at the thought that I wouldn’t be able to dance the dance I liked and was best at.

‘I see. The wolves don’t know the Meow Dance…’

Living as a wolf meant that I couldn’t freely do the Meow Dance, where I put out my tail and ears and sway my body.

Even though I can stand on two feet and do the Meow Dance for 6 seconds in my cat form, if I moved like that, everyone would know I was a cat.

It was inevitable, so I said bravely.

“Waltz and Stomp must be wonderful dances.”

“Waltz and Stomp. We’ll teach you, so don’t worry. You’ll use them someday, even if it’s not this time.”

Theo said kindly. I felt better quickly and imagined the tea party as I continued to scribble letters.

“Don’t you sing songs?”

“Kitty, are you good at singing?”

“A little. I sang whenever I was bored.”

When I said that demurely, Theo and Deon’s faces filled with anticipation. They asked, their eyes sparkling.

“You played while singing songs. You must be good at it?”

“I like the song ‘Silent Night, Holy Night’ the best. I can even harmonize when we sing it together.”

“Harmonize too?”

“Yes! Everyone would sit on the wall and wait for their moms.”

Deon was ecstatic, saying, ‘Sitting side by side? It’s cute just imagining it.’

“We sang songs while tapping our tails to the beat. Then, when it was time for my friends’ moms to come home, only my voice was left, so I could practice even better.”

“……”

“Mom always came home the latest with a tired face, but she said she felt energized when she heard my song.”

I was so happy when we held hands and went home together. I smiled contentedly, but somehow the atmosphere became somber.

“Kitty. Let’s sing songs with your brothers later.”

“Yes, Malangson. We’re good at howling, so we can add some harmony.”

“That’s a wonderful idea!”

It would be really happy if the three of us stood side by side, holding hands, and sang songs. My brothers will be with me even after the sun goes down.

I imagined the fun tea party and wrote down the letters.

* * *

The next morning, Theo and Deon came to me as I was getting up early and practicing writing.

“Brothers, aren’t you studying today? What about the training at the training grounds?”

When I asked, Theo and Deon raised their chins slightly as if they had been waiting for it, and said confidently.

“We took care of that while our Kitty was sleeping.”

“But you’re usually sleepyheads.”

“Ahem. Sleepyheads? That’s what we were until yesterday, but not from today. We woke up early to spend the daytime with Malangson.”

They said that and stared at me intently. They had faces that seemed to be asking for praise. I said I was happy and took both of their hands, one in each of mine.

Malang—

They were satisfied and led me somewhere.

“Let’s practice for the tea party today.”

“We ordered a lot of snacks too.”

“Yay—! Okay!”

They headed to the glass greenhouse, occasionally raising their arms at the same time. Holding onto their hands, I could jump very high.

After jumping a few more times, we arrived at the glass greenhouse.

If you looked up at the ceiling, you could see the blue sky and clouds floating leisurely, and the surroundings were filled with brightly blooming flowers.

The three-person tea set on the table was neatly arranged, and there were three trays filled with pretty desserts, as if my brothers had ordered them a long time ago.

“You can’t be a true wolf unless you know how to enjoy tea time.”

Theo said that and sat me down in my seat. The chair legs were long, so my feet didn’t touch the ground.

If it were this height, I, a cat, could jump up in one go. It made me laugh to think that wolves thought someone had to pick them up.

‘Wolves are kind of cute too.’

When Theo and Deon sat down in the remaining seats, it felt like the tea table prepared for three people had finally found its owners.

My gaze naturally went to the trays filled with sparkling desserts.

“Ahem, Lady Kittia. You shouldn’t stare at snacks like that in a real situation.”

Theo said with a smile. It seemed like they were going to train me as if it were a real situation. Deon, who was always in a crooked posture, was also straightening his back.

“Do I have to hold back even if it smells delicious?”

“Yes, you do. Snacks are just a simple accompaniment to tea, and tea is prepared for conversation.”

“So, in the end, conversation is important?”

“Smart. Go ahead and try it.”

A world where you can’t eat snacks unless you talk. Is a tea party a scarier place than I thought?

Theo and Deon looked at me like prim and proper noble ladies and waited. As I thought of a suitable conversation topic that wolves could relate to, my eyes soon sparkled, and I spoke like a lady.

“It’s almost shedding season, is everyone brushing diligently?”

“Pfft! Ah, sorry. It’s too cute. Keep going.”

Deon said, suppressing a laugh. I made a pouty face and said to Deon.

“Lady Deon. It’s rude to laugh at another lady at a tea party.”

“Lady? Ah, am I a lady? Yes. I’m sorry, Lady Kittia. It’s definitely rude to laugh at a cute baby wolf.”

“You can’t treat Kitty like a tiny one at a tea party either.”

“It’s too cute to do that…”

“I won’t let you touch my Malangson paws.”

“Ah, I understand. I’m sorry. Don’t be angry.”

Deon became polite. Theo chuckled and looked back and forth between us before saying in a high voice.

“Lady Kittia. Thank you for arranging this meeting today. The invitation was very pretty, wasn’t it? Did you write the letters yourself?”

It was a very delicate question that recognized that I was working hard at writing.

In an instant, I became happy, not even realizing that my cat ears might pop out, and smiled brightly.

“That’s right! I wrote it. Did you see the Malangson paw print I put inside? I put plenty of fragrant oil on my palms every night to make a pretty paw print, so I’m really glad you liked it!”

I was so excited and happy that Theo chuckled. Ah, that’s right. I was in the middle of a tea party.

“Lady Kittia. You shouldn’t get excited or talk fast when drinking tea.”

“Hing……. But Brother Theo, what if wolf ears pop out during a real tea party?”

“Hmm……”

Theo looked at Deon for a moment as if he was in trouble. Deon also tapped the table with his fingertips before opening his mouth.

“Malangson is a baby wolf, so it might happen… but just in case, should we wear a hat?”

“But if my ears suddenly pop out, the hat will shake. Everyone will think I’m hiding a bird’s nest in my hat.”

It would be very nerve-wracking if only my ears popped out.

“Um, but won’t the other attendees show their ears?”

“Maybe? Great wolves only show their wolf ears when their hearts are greatly moved.”

Theo and Deon said with proud smiles.

“That’s right. That’s why they say that when you meet a partner you want to spend your whole life with, your wolf ears inevitably pop out.”

“Ah……!”

That’s right. Wolves are said to live with one person for their whole lives. I imagined the wolves falling in love at first sight and smiled.

“That must be so cute! Will anyone fall for me?”

When I said that, Theo and Deon’s expressions darkened rapidly. They said almost simultaneously with determined faces.

“Fall for you? How scary is that word to a wolf……”

“We have to make sure that misfortune doesn’t happen. Especially Eden Weavis, never him.”

They made pouty faces as they thought of someone.