It’S A Cat, Adopted By A Wolf Family? [EN]: Chapter 100

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‘The reason I had to leave you?’

That meant Nero had been with her before. Kitty’s eyes widened.

What is Nero to me?

My parents and brother never talked about relatives, so she was likely a neighbor or a friend of my parents.

‘But there’s always a ‘what if’.’

What if Nero was of the same bloodline as her? Then she could hear not only family stories but also anecdotes about other relatives.

Maybe even stories from her parents’ childhood.

Nero gazed at Kitty’s expectant eyes and told her only a fraction of the truth.

“I’m a relative on your father’s side. I only saw you when you were very young.”

Kitty’s eyes widened at the mention of shared blood. Not only her but also those listening from behind were startled.

A relative of Kittyah Gridwolf.

‘Why hasn’t she come to visit all this time?’

‘The story of a soft-pawed cat named Kittyah being adopted into the Wolf family is known to all cat beastkins [humanoids with feline features].’

Nero’s words made many uneasy.

Kitty took a deep breath and asked in a calm voice.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t believe it just from your words. Nero, your fur and eye color are different from mine.”

“That’s certainly true.”

“Can you prove it?”

“I will.”

Nero replied without the slightest hint of displeasure and placed the necklace around Kitty’s neck.

Instantly, the blue gem shimmered with a clear light.

“……!”

Surprised, cat ears popped out on Kitty’s head.

There was no way she could not remember this warm feeling. It was the warmth her mother had conveyed through her small, soft paws at the moment of her death.

It was also the last energy of her mother that Kitty remembered.

A short but intense voice echoed in her head.

“Kitty, my soft paw.”

Kitty’s throat tightened, and she couldn’t speak, placing her hand on the necklace. A warm energy swept through her entire body, caressing her popped-out cat ears and tail.

Soon, everything disappeared like a ghost.

“……Mom?”

Tears welled up in her large eyes. Eden, who was standing behind her, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, handed it to her, and stepped back a few paces.

“Kitty, that’s your mother’s keepsake. I was keeping it at her request.”

Nero smiled bitterly and stroked Kitty’s hand, which was clutching the necklace tightly.

A dignified cat grandmother in front of her was really a relative.

She had never imagined reuniting like this, not even knowing she had one.

A slight resentment arose in her mind. Why didn’t she appear when her father and brother died, and her mother and she were struggling?

But the wonder of having someone with shared blood in front of her dominated her heart.

Nero stroked Kitty’s eyes and said plainly.

“I wasn’t going to give it to you if you didn’t pass my test.”

“Did you know I would face Jerian in the cave today?”

“Jerian in the food storage is surrounded, and we’ve been detecting something important being smuggled into the cave in Mount Yaong for months.”

“…….”

“It was a coincidence that you met Jerian, who had fled, but I thought you would encounter his traces.”

Kitty somehow knew what Nero’s greenish-yellow eyes and plain tone meant.

“You weren’t just testing whether I could save the cats kidnapped in the cave.”

“Yes. To possess the necklace containing the goddess’s power, you need a clear mind more than strong power.”

Nero looked at the blue necklace Kitty was wearing.

“You said you faced Jerian but couldn’t harm him. Probably because he had hostages in his arms.”

She seemed to be reading her mind. Kitty nodded carefully. Her heart ached when she thought of the limp baby foxes.

“If you couldn’t sacrifice innocent lives even with your enemy in front of you, I thought you could use the goddess’s magic contained in that necklace justly.”

Goddess’s magic.

Kitty, who had been fiddling with the necklace, grabbed her bow.

Instantly, magic spread throughout the area, and something long began to appear on the bowstring, which always shone brightly.

“Sir Elliot, I can see the arrow now!”

“Really, miss?”

“Yes!”

Although it disappeared like a mirage when she reached out her other hand, it was definitely an arrow.

Nero told Kitty, who was jumping for joy.

“Your mother was a cat who received the goddess’s revelation. She was meant to serve the god. But she rejected such a noble life and chose you.”

“Did she have to abandon me to serve the god?”

“To sacrifice her personal life and live for the greater good, she had to entrust you to someone else. Besides, the children of cats who accept the goddess’s power often have bad endings.”

Records showed countless cases of assassination or kidnapping of their children out of jealousy for the goddess’s power.

It was even more so when others raised them. Kitty shuddered and rubbed her arms.

“Then do I have to live for everyone from now on?”

“No, that’s not it. Confining yourself in a tall building and dedicating yourself to prophecy and prayer is to gather holy objects after being recognized for your power. But you already have the Gridwolf’s bow, don’t you?”

“Does gathering the remaining holy objects make the power more complete?”

“Yes.”

Kitty couldn’t bring herself to speak. Her mother in her memory was a gentle cat who didn’t seem strong.

If such a mother had to gather the holy objects occupied by wolves, bears, and leopards, it wouldn’t have ended with ordinary hardship.

‘Mom thought she couldn’t take care of me in that situation and chose me instead of this great power.’

A hot emotion surged from deep within her chest. Kitty bit her lip tightly to keep from crying.

“Your mother rejected the goddess’s power and decided to spend an ordinary life with you. She chose a life with you even if it was difficult.”

“……Was Mom happy with that choice?”

“Of course.”

Nero smiled, gently touching the necklace Kitty was wearing.

“Your mother condensed some of the goddess’s power that had stubbornly permeated her body into this necklace and handed it to me.”

“Then the reason I could move the bow was because that power was transferred at the moment of her death.”

“Yes. I had to keep it away from you until you grew up and wouldn’t be swayed by the power.”

How desperate she was the moment she realized that she, with her strong mental strength, was the most suitable person to do that.

The days when she had to leave the small, soft child alone in the world came to her mind, and Nero felt dizzy again.

She was scared even while helping the night cats guide the child safely to the wolf territory.

What if this young one was harmed?

‘I didn’t run away back then, holding onto my sanity, so I can’t act like a grandmother now.’

She had waited a long time and completed her mission, but the aftertaste was bitter.

Nero decided to be satisfied with just being able to face Kittyah, who had grown up strong.

“I’m glad to see you’ve become strong and brave enough to protect yourself from those who seek power.”

Kitty approached Nero, who was giving a bittersweet smile. Her soft hands embraced Nero’s waist, which was firm despite her age.

“Thank you for appearing even now, Nero.”

Her kind voice resonated in Nero’s heart.

“It would have been better if you had appeared a little earlier… but the later it gets, the harder it is to gather courage. I think it must have been harder for you since you were so late.”

Even the tone with a slight resentment was lovely. Nero stroked Kitty’s cheek with her thumb and smiled.

“I’m sorry, Kitty. Forgive a blood relative who is not qualified.”

Kitty wiggled her fingers.

She would have resented her a little more if she had left her for no reason, but Nero had a mission to keep the necklace with the goddess’s magic far away.

It was none other than her mother who ordered her to do it.

Just knowing that she had followed her will was enough for Kitty to forgive Nero.

“As you know, my name is Kittyah, and my nickname is Kitty. I’d be happy if you sometimes called me by my nickname, Soft Paw.”

“……Will you come to see me again?”

“Of course. But next time, I hope you’ll kiss me on the cheek too. Because we’re relatives.”

Kitty smiled brightly.

Nero kissed her briefly on her pink cheeks. It was as soft as when she was a baby.

“I will.”

Kitty’s lips curled up at the gradually permeating happiness.

“And I hope you’ll help me a little. You’re the leader of the very cool night cats, and you’re my relative.”

Clang, clang.

The night cats lined up smiled contentedly as Kitty wagged her tail.

Nero also nodded willingly.

“Jerian is also my enemy, so I will cooperate, Soft Paw.”

She held out her hand. Kitty grabbed Nero’s hand with both hands.

Soft—

Her granddaughter’s palm was still surprisingly soft.

When did the small hand that could only wrap around one of her fingers grow so big? The more she touched Soft Paw, the more the years of separation seemed to narrow.

Kitty also pressed Nero’s hand as if by a cat’s instinct to touch something soft.

Each strand of blood moving this hand was engraved with evidence that she and she were family. She could feel the magic of similar waves flowing.

Kitty smiled brightly because she felt like she was going to cry.

“Your hands are so warm.”

* * *

Nero discussed the schedule with Elliot until late.

The main point was to wrap up life in the upper reaches of the Yaong River as soon as possible and move to the food storage area, which is the main residential area for cats.

After that, they decided to reorganize the security of the ruined residential area and cooperate in finding Jerian’s hidden new hideout.

‘It feels strange. A relative.’

Late at night, Kitty, who had returned to the inn where the Welsh Merchant Guild was staying, sat by the window and fiddled with the necklace that was definitely her mother’s keepsake.

She couldn’t sleep because she felt so strange.

She met friends from her distant memories and faced her enemy, but she couldn’t lay a hand on him.

In the end, all the anger disappeared. It was because she found out that Nero was a relative.

She was still awkward and not close enough to have deep conversations, but as time passed, she would be able to hear about the ins and outs of her family.

She was dying to ask exactly what their relationship was and what stories she remembered.

‘Now I know why Mom told me about the night cats’ residence.’

The feeling of having the questions she had held for a long time being answered one by one was strangely unfamiliar.

Kitty eventually slipped out of the room through the balcony. It was a piece of cake for a cat beastkin.

‘Is he awake now?’

It helped to talk to Eden when she was feeling complicated. Eden was surprisingly calm in distinguishing between important worries and useless thoughts.

The area where the Weebis unit members stayed was not as heavily guarded as the area near Kitty’s room.

Kitty took off her shoes, held them in her hand, and walked stealthily. Her soft paws made almost no sound.

Knock, knock—

Kitty knocked on the door where she smelled Eden.

Then Eden, who heard the unique knock, opened the door. It was a very quick response.

“Kitty, what brings you here at this hour?”

However, Kitty couldn’t answer Eden’s question.

“Who’s there, Eden?”

It was because she saw Catherine sitting on Eden’s bed.