It’S A Cat, Adopted By A Wolf Family? [EN]: Chapter 137

“Kitty…….”

With trembling hands, Caris took out a small candle and chrysanthemums. In the lower part of the box, there was also a foldable paper cup made of waterproof paper. It was the perfect size to use as a temporary vase.

Kitty had packed everything needed for Deel’s funeral.

The wolves’ golden eyes welled up with tears.

It felt like only yesterday that a small, scruffy orphan cat introduced herself as a baby wolf and asked for a job.

Now, Kitty, who had grown up strong and healthy, was comforting everyone in Gridwolf.

Kitty just smiled gently.

“When I was first taken into the Gridwolf mansion, you held funerals for my mom, dad, brother, and little ones.”

“Kitty…….”

“I have always been grateful for that.”

That’s why Kitty wanted to hold a funeral for Deel if she had the chance. If not this time, then next time, and if that was difficult, then the next time that would come someday.

She had been waiting for this moment, believing without a doubt that there would be an opportunity to repay the kindness.

“Because I promised Caris that I would send Deel off to a good place.”

Caris wiped away her tears.

“Yes. You were always a baby wolf who kept her promises very well.”

“Ah.”

Kitty’s cat ears perked up at the compliment.

Thanks to her, Caris smiled for the first time in front of the deep pit she had dug.

“Thank you so much for keeping your promise, baby.”

Thanks to Kitty bringing all the necessary items, the Gridwolf family was able to hold a simple funeral for Deel.

Theo fetched water from a nearby spring. Deon fixed the candle between the rocks.

Caris placed the unopened chrysanthemums in the water, and Jackal struck a match he had and lit the candle.

Kitty stood between Theo and Deon again, waiting for the candle to burn out.

Hoping that the child named Deel, whom she had never seen or heard, would be happy.

‘If we ever meet, let’s play together.’

She had never met her, but she was sure that they could be good friends.

The small candle didn’t last long before it burned out. Jackal scraped it up and packed it in the box Kitty had brought.

Caris held the chrysanthemums and the vase, which had become fresher than before after absorbing the water.

“……Finally, we’re going to Gridwolf Mansion together, baby.”

She gently kissed the delicate petals. A comfortable smile settled on her tearful eyes.

* * *

That night, Caris, who had returned to the barracks and fallen into a deep sleep, had a dream.

She was sitting in a field under a rock filled with delicate spring flowers. It looked like she was out on a picnic with someone.

Looking around, this was the place where the pit she had been so afraid of was located.

However, now that she had held Deel’s funeral with Kitty’s help, it was only remembered as a place containing a poignant farewell.

As she closed her eyes for a moment and felt the cozy spring breeze, something gently touched her lap.

“…….”

Caris froze as she opened her eyes and checked what was touching her body.

A small wolf, about the size of Kitty when she first arrived at the Gridwolf mansion, was looking up at her.

Fluffy gray fur, a small frame, and clear golden eyes.

She could immediately recognize who the child she had only met in her dreams was.

“Deel?”

As if to say that was her name, the baby wolf sparkled her eyes and perked up her ears.

Caris reached out her trembling hand and stroked the delicate, soft fur. It felt the same as the fur of young Theo and Deon.

As she gently placed her hand on her back, she could feel the warm body temperature and breathing.

Even though it was a dream, Deel was alive.

“Baby.”

Poof—!

Deel rolled off Caris’s lap and transformed into a human. A girl with chubby cheeks, looking well-fed, appeared.

The child, who looked between two and three years old, smiled brightly and stretched out her arms towards Caris.

“Eomma!” [Korean for ‘Mommy’]

She had never taught her to speak, but perhaps because it was a dream, the child spoke quite well.

“Missed you.”

“……I missed you too.”

Caris carefully stroked her gray hair, which was the same as hers. As if she couldn’t quite manage her tail yet, Deel’s tail wagged in the same direction every time her hand moved.

“Baby.”

Caris made eye contact with Deel.

She never thought that the day would come when she would see the child’s face so clearly, a face she thought she would never see even in her dreams.

All her senses were desperate to memorize this lovely sight, even a little bit. Whether Deel knew this or not, she reached out her maple-leaf-like hand and asked.

“Mommy, crying?”

“…….”

Tears, when she should be remembering Deel’s face clearly. Caris quickly wiped away her tears and smiled. When she smiled, Deel smiled brightly along, not knowing why.

“Like Mommy smiles. Don’t cry.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I missed you so much.”

Caris pressed her forehead against Deel’s forehead. A warm body temperature spread into her.

A question that she had never dared to ask, fearing a cold answer, popped out.

“Deel, have you been doing well?”

Deel tilted her head slightly as if asking what she meant. The thin pigtails tied up like apple stems swayed together.

“……Baby, this mommy couldn’t hold you or hug you warmly, weren’t you cold?”

Caris barely calmed her voice, which was getting more and more shaky.

Only then did Deel seem to understand what she was asking, and she placed her hand on Caris’s arm.

“Yes, I’m doing very well. It’s always warm here, and soft, fluffy grass grows.”

“……That’s a relief.”

In the end, unable to hold back her tears, Caris hugged Deel tightly. Her tears fell, plop, plop, onto the clean clothes Deel was wearing.

The child she was holding was gradually becoming blurry like mist.

No, it wasn’t that the child was fading away, but that she was waking up from her dream.

“Baby, I love you. I love you so much even now.”

Caris sobbed, hugging Deel even more desperately.

“I couldn’t bear to live, feeling so resentful that I was still alive even though you were dead…….”

Deel was startled, even though she wouldn’t have understood the difficult words, and looked at Caris. The small wolf ears perked up urgently.

“If Mommy is sad, Deel is sad too.”

“…….”

“Don’t cry…….”

As Caris couldn’t stop crying, Deel’s golden eyes also welled up with tears.

Theo and Deon were like this too.

When their mother was depressed, they became gloomy without knowing why, and when their mother was happy, they smiled brightly as if they were so happy.

So, I have to smile.

As she forced the corners of her lips up, Deel smiled brightly as if it were a lie.

Caris stroked Deel’s cheek and slowly opened her mouth.

“Deel.”

“Yes! I’m listening carefully.”

Even in the next life.

If that’s not possible, then even in the life after that.

“Whenever it’s good, please be born as my child again.”

“As Mommy’s daughter?”

“It doesn’t matter what form you come in. If you answer that you will, I can be happy right away.”

Deel’s eyes sparkled as if she had received a huge amount of her favorite snacks.

“Really?”

“Yes, yes…….”

“Um―.”

Deel wagged her thick tail and pondered for a moment, then opened her mouth.

“I’ll do that if you promise to be happy until Mommy becomes a wrinkled old woman.”

It wasn’t something she could do just because she wanted to, but the child demanded it confidently.

“I want Mommy to be happy.”

As if she would do anything for her reason.

Caris stopped breathing for a moment as if she had been hit on the head, then slowly nodded.

Deel smiled brightly.

And everything began to blur.

Caris kissed the child’s round forehead. Deel also kissed Caris’s cheek and walked down from her lap.

The small hand waved goodbye. Caris quietly saw off the child, who was stepping forward happily as if she were going on a picnic.

After the child’s back disappeared from view, she wiped away her tears and answered.

“I promise. I will be as happy as I love you.”

* * *

Kitty, who was sleeping in Caris’s arms in the form of a cat, felt something wet touching her fur and opened her eyes wide.

‘I hate water!’

As she got up to see if water was leaking from the ceiling, she couldn’t speak for a moment.

Caris was hugging her tightly and crying. Her cheeks were endlessly wet and tears were flowing, showing how sad a dream she was having.

But even so, her face looked somehow happy, so she couldn’t wake her up carelessly.

‘Is she having a sad but happy dream?’

Kitty wanted to wipe away Caris’s tears, but she couldn’t think of a good way.

At this rate, there was no point in having her hold her plump and cozy self to sleep for Caris, who was sad.

‘What should I do…….’

Theo, Deon, and Jackal were sleeping next to her in the form of large wolves, but all three of them were overworked, so there was no sign of them waking up.

There seemed to be no way to get a handkerchief or something without waking Caris.

Malaang― [Sound effect for paw wiping]

Kitty had no choice but to curl her malaang paw into a circle and wipe away Caris’s tears.

Every time the fur and jelly of her hand got wet, the fur on her whole body stood on end, but she could endure it for Caris’s sake.

Malaang―

Caris woke up feeling something soft touching her cheek.

She was dizzy from crying a lot, but thanks to Kitty’s malaang paw, the unpleasant headache was not greatly noticed.

She just thought that Kitty, who was desperately trying to wipe away her tears, was lovely.

“Ah, Caris. Did you wake up because of me? I’ll go get a handkerchief quickly!”

It was always like this.

One day, Kitty came to the mansion and warmly comforted her, who was grieving for the child she couldn’t properly send off.

The reason why she hadn’t fully embraced the child who made her feel at peace just by looking at her was because of Deel.

Because that child was always on her mind.

She was afraid that seeing Kitty would remind her of the dead child and break her heart.

But now that she had held the funeral and faced Deel even in her dreams, she didn’t have to push Kitty away anymore.

Poof-!

While Caris, who had finally made up her mind, was sorting out her feelings, Kitty transformed into a human and brought a handkerchief.

Caris faced Kitty, who had become gloomy together because of her waking up crying.

Deel told her to be happy.

Caris knew what she had to do first to be happy.

“Kitty. It’s a little late, but there’s something I want to ask you.”

She carefully asked Kitty, who was sitting across from her to wipe away her tears.

Kitty perked up her cat ears, revealing that she was listening attentively.

Caris carefully asked her kind adopted daughter, who had consistently comforted her and filled Deel’s void.

“……Will you be my daughter?”