It’S A Cat, Adopted By A Wolf Family? [EN]: Chapter 114

Two days later, early in the morning.

The training grounds of Gridwolf Manor buzzed with activity as the foxkin prepared, armed and ready. At the forefront stood Cleed, dressed in the formal attire of a Clan Head, mirroring Jackal’s own regalia.

‘He truly embodies the Foxstein Clan Head now.’

Standing before everyone, he looked every bit the leader. The sight of him shaking hands with Jackal, Clan Head to Clan Head, almost brought tears to my eyes.

“Cleed Foxstein, I wish you good fortune.”

“Glory to the alliance. Thank you for everything until now.”

Karis also shook Cleed’s hand and gave him an encouraging pat on the back. The reality of Cleed’s departure began to sink in, causing a familiar tingling in my nose.

‘No, I can’t cry again today. I’ll really earn the title of crybaby.’

I clenched my Malrang [Magical energy-infused] hands tightly, fighting back the tears.

“Milady, I’ll be heading over to the leopards then. I’ll see you again soon.”

Cleed said this and embraced me tightly. If Jackal hadn’t intervened with a firm, ‘That’s enough,’ he might have remained like that indefinitely.

I hesitated to let go, finding it hard to believe that the friend who had been by my side since my arrival at Gridwolf Manor was actually leaving.

‘Cleed is finally going to confront the leopards.’

That must have been his driving goal ever since the leopard attack scattered the foxkin.

Even though I knew this was a positive step for Cleed and all those who considered the leopards their enemies, a sense of emptiness washed over me.

The foxkin’s eyes gleamed with determination, reminiscent of the wolves who had accompanied Hogwood on his missions. Many had undoubtedly been waiting for this moment.

‘I hope everyone returns safe and unharmed.’

Even knowing the impossibility of such a wish, I couldn’t suppress the prayer.

*Pat―*

With a graceful flick of his wrist, Cleed conjured a long staff. Accompanying it was a cloak bearing the Foxstein Clan’s crest.

I had only encountered these symbols in textbooks during Eden’s classes, never in person until now.

‘I suppose he kept the staff hidden until now because it symbolizes his position as Clan Head.’

The crest on the cloak was clearly inspired by the staff Cleed now held.

“It suits you, Cleed.”

“I saved it for this day. I’ll keep this inside.”

Cleed slightly lifted his cloak, revealing the fox tail charm I had crafted for him.

…Looking at it now, it resembled a short carrot more than a fox tail, but I decided to keep my thoughts to myself, seeing how much Cleed seemed to cherish it.

“Cleed.”

I stepped closer, held the small fox tail charm in my hand, and infused it with mana, just as I had done with the Malrang handkerchief.

A considerable amount of mana flowed into the charm.

“Milady, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard? You were training until late yesterday.”

“I am overdoing it, perhaps. It’s not a great power, but use it for someone you love.”

Adding that it held a special power and would undoubtedly be helpful, Cleed smiled brightly.

“Thank you, Milady. I definitely will.”

It was his usual, genuine, and kind smile.

* * *

“Alright, let’s wrap it up for today.”

“Thank you, Sir Elliot.”

I bowed and gathered my bow. My speed in creating arrows and firing them with Gridwolf’s bow had improved, but it still wasn’t at a level that would be truly effective in combat.

‘There’s no way the Goddess shot this slowly.’

Just as I was contemplating a relaxing walk through the catnip field to lift my spirits, I heard an unexpected voice.

“Agatha, what’s wrong?”

“Ah, Karis!”

She should have been in her office at this hour, yet here she was at the training grounds. I had had breakfast with her, but I was so overjoyed that I felt like my tail would burst out.

“Your archery looked very dignified, you know?”

“Really?”

Karis nodded and gently stroked my hair. Her touch was so soothing that I felt an urge to transform into a cat and snuggle in her arms.

“I came to tell you that two pieces of good news have arrived that I think you’ll be happy to hear.”

“You came all the way here just to tell me that?”

“Of course. Weren’t you feeling down because Cleed left?”

Karis and I strolled slowly towards the mansion, continuing our conversation.

“Katrina sent a letter. She wants us to send an envoy, including you.”

“That’s much sooner than you mentioned during the New Year’s festival. Is it because of the leopards?”

I had also learned about Delta diverting Sigma towards the bear territory.

I had worried that the conservative bear kin might hesitate to ask for help, so I was grateful that they had contacted us first.

“I’m glad Katrina seems to consider us allies.”

“I was a little surprised that she explained the situation so accurately without trying to downplay it. I thought she might conceal the fact that Sigma was targeting them.”

Indeed, now that the leopards had begun targeting the bear kin, there was a valid reason to refuse assistance.

‘But offering help even in such circumstances is what allies do.’

The thought of having Katrina as an ally, in addition to Cleed, filled me with reassurance.

“The power I possess will definitely be beneficial in dealing with the leopards.”

“But I can’t send you alone to such a dangerous place.”

As soon as Karis uttered those words, two large figures emerged from either side.

“Kitty!”

“Malrangson!”

“Brothers?!”

Theo was the first to scoop me up. For some reason, they both seemed significantly larger than when I had last seen them.

“Our Kitty is still so small!”

“Look at how perfectly she fits in our arms.”

Deon took me from Theo and rocked me gently like a baby.

“I’m all grown up, you know? I’m quite big for a cat!”

“We know, we know.”

“What have you two been eating to get so strong?”

“Your brothers were always this strong.”

Karis chuckled at the glib response. Regardless, my brothers took turns holding me and playfully shaking me around.

“Kitty, don’t you have something you’ve forgotten to say to your brothers?”

Theo asked. I replied in a prim voice.

“I missed you.”

At that moment, their wolf ears perked up noticeably. They always seemed more like puppies than wolves.

Karis chuckled and stepped back.

“I think I should head to the office, so let’s continue this conversation over dinner later.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Theo and Deon greeted Karis and Jackal first, then seemed to have waited until my training was over to surprise me.

After a lengthy exchange of greetings, we moved inside the mansion. Sitting side by side and enjoying snacks evoked a sense of returning to my childhood.

“I’m glad you came back early. Have you completely graduated now?”

“No, we’re not monsters like Eden. We have to safely return from the bear territory to fulfill the graduation requirements.”

But I ended up reacting to the mention of Eden’s name. Theo and Deon noticed my reaction and exchanged knowing glances.

They seemed both amused and intrigued by my awareness of Eden.

The two exchanged glances for a moment and conferred silently. Twins always displayed remarkable teamwork in situations like this.

Soon, Theo spoke, as if they had decided to tease me and poke fun at Eden.

“Kitty, shall I tell you what punishment Eden received for sneaking out during the New Year’s festival?”

Ah, this was the story I had been curious about.

“Was it really sixty rabbit hops?”

“Sixty hops? Where did you hear that rumor?”

“Phew, that’s a relief. No matter how I thought about it, sixty hops seemed excessive……”

“It was probably a hundred hops. Sixty rabbit hops and thirty just running.”

“……”

I dropped the cookie I was holding.

Eden had endured such a severe punishment and still made the journey to see me all the way to the upper reaches of the Yaong River.

I felt a mix of worry and gratitude. My heart felt all fuzzy.

“No, Kitty. Not an outsider in front of your brothers.”

“Malrangson, you used to be so scared of Eden when you were little……”

Of course, my two brothers wouldn’t let me off the hook so easily.

Theo looked at me, who was trying to cool my flushed cheeks, and produced something from his arms. A letter bearing the Wibis [A prestigious academy] seal immediately caught my attention.

“Did Eden write me a letter?”

“Yeah. You’ll give your brothers the letter delivery fee, right? 24 Malrang.”

“……”

Deon’s intentions were clear.

I swiftly transformed into a cat and offered my Malrang hands to each of them.

“Our dandelions have become more lush.”

“The Yaongbit [Magical energy from Yaong River] is really effective.”

*Malrang―*

The two pressed my pink jelly beans exactly twenty-four times.

“Malrangson, a tip?”

“I’ll let you press four more times.”

“Generous?”

*Malrang―*

The two became visibly delighted and handed me the letter. I quickly reverted to my human form and tore open the letter.

The Wibis seal was easily torn off by my cat claws, revealing Eden’s elegant handwriting.

[I’ll come see you soon.]

Just seeing those six words made me feel like my whole body would explode with excitement. Knowing that my ears and tail would likely pop out, making me a laughingstock, I fought to maintain control.

“Kitty, only one ear popped out.”

“Ah.”

“Not there, the right one.”

The two giggled and turned the letter around.

“Typical Eden. He must have anticipated us turning it around, right?”

“That guy. He should have written something longer. I would have torn it up if he had written something weird……”

“Brothers, are you obsessed with wolves?”

“Huh? No way.”

“We’re just worried about our sister.”

The two denied it as always and stroked my hair, scrutinizing the letter against the sunlight for any hidden messages.

“Kitty, the bear territory is not an easy place. You know that Sigma is headed there.”

“He’s probably after the holy relic. It’s such a cold place that it’s hard to stay still. You have to wear very thick clothes.”

“Clothes?”

“Yeah. Very cute and warm.”

“Mother designed them herself.”

They were clearly addressing a serious concern, yet they both looked expectant.

Very thick clothes. I felt a sense of unease and asked.

“Um, brothers. Is Jackal’s hair okay?”