It’S A Cat, Adopted By A Wolf Family? [EN]: Chapter 2

“Ah!”

Remembering something, Kitty quickly held out both hands to the wolves, having somehow learned that handshakes were a form of greeting among them.

‘Who shakes hands with both hands at once?’ Theo and Deon were dumbfounded but willingly accepted the handshake from their future benefactor.

But then…

“……!”

“Bro, her hands……!”

Soft—

The two wolves’ eyes sparkled with joy, if only for a moment, as they touched Kitty’s soft, jelly-like paws.

‘What is this? She’s so skinny, but why are her palms so soft?’

‘Are all cat therians [animal-human hybrids] like this?’

Theo and Deon couldn’t let go of Kitty’s soft palms. Born as heirs to the Wolf Clan, it was their first time seeing a cat.

Perhaps due to the difference in species, the cat was much smaller than the wolves of the same age. Yet, her sparkling eyes gave off a cute but pitiful impression.

Kitty, unaware of their thoughts, couldn’t hide her proud smile.

‘It looks like they completely see me as a wolf!’

Kitty was inwardly cheering with both the joy of success and the relief of not being discovered.

It seemed that her fur, stiff and gray like a wolf’s due to being rained on and starved for days, was a significant factor in her success.

The fact that her figure, besides her ribs and skin, wasn’t visible due to starvation also helped.

‘It was worth washing my face in the icy stream.’

Furthermore, Kitty thought the wolves of the Gridwolf mansion were very kind.

Two wolves with stylish gray hair and golden, sparkling eyes were holding her hands and guiding her.

Without realizing it, Kitty was fiddling with Theo and Deon’s hands, observing them.

They were only a head or two taller than her, but being wolves, their physique was exceptional. It seemed their entire bodies were made of muscle.

‘Ten? Twelve?’

Kitty guessed their ages. Even at most, they would be fourteen. Even wealthy cats in the cat territory would need to be that old to wear such 멋진 [meotjin – stylish/cool] black suits and shoes.

“Did you say your name is Kittia?”

“Yes!”

“Kittia, this is the main building of the Gridwolf mansion.”

“Wow…….”

Kitty, still holding Theo and Deon’s hands tightly, admired the tall spire that seemed to have no end. It was so high that she almost fell backward from tilting her head so far.

As they entered the building, her mouth dropped open, and her eyes widened.

It was ten, no, a hundred times more luxurious than Jerian’s food storage, which Kitty had thought was the most extravagant building.

The old leather sofas were shiny with oil, and the employees, dressed neatly in wrinkle-free clothes, managed the building with leisurely steps.

From the chandeliers on the ceiling to the employees’ shoes, everything sparkled.

Kitty looked down at her old shoes. They were not only black from walking in the mud for days, but the toes were so worn that she could see her big toe wiggling.

Feeling that she was the oldest and most shabby thing in this place, Kitty became gloomy.

‘Everyone here is big and 멋진 [stylish/cool]. They all fit perfectly with the magnificent mansion…….’

Heartbroken, Kitty paid attention to whether her drooping tail or ears would pop out. The appearance was secondary; most of the employees were wolves.

No, judging by the excellent intuition of cats, she was the only small animal in the mansion.

Everyone had bodies made of solid muscle, large fangs, and didn’t bother to silence their footsteps.

‘My paws and cat shoes are soft so they don’t make noise when walking…….’

It seemed that she was the only one who needed to silence her footsteps and be cautious in Gridwolf Castle.

“Kittia. Is something uncomfortable?”

“No!”

Kitty, answering Deon’s question reflexively, straightened her back even more and resolved to act like an adult.

If she got scared now and ran away, she would be questioned or harassed. The job would be gone.

‘No. Mom said I’m a cat as brave as a wolf. Maybe things will work out. They’re still holding my hands, aren’t they?’

Kitty squeezed Theo and Deon’s hands even tighter. As Kitty’s soft hands dug in deeper, the two boys almost let out ecstatic groans without realizing it. It was just as the two wolves were tightening their lips.

Grumble—

Theo and Deon lowered their gaze to where the sound came from. Kitty blushed and lowered her head.

“I haven’t eaten for days…….”

“You haven’t eaten?”

“But it’s okay! I originally only ate one meal a day.”

Kitty bravely said, meaning that hiring her wouldn’t deplete their food supply, but Theo and Deon were a little embarrassed.

They thought she was small and skinny because she was a cat. But she had only been eating one meal a day.

‘Even if she’s a cat, she’s still a child and needs to eat well.’

Compassion began to bloom in Theo and Deon’s hearts.

“Why only one meal a day?”

“As I said earlier, I don’t have any family…… Mom, Dad, and my brother have all passed away.”

“Huh?”

“So I’m trying to get a job……. If I don’t get a job and earn money soon, I’ll have to drink spring water for dinner tonight too.”

So please…….

Kitty held the two wolves’ hands tightly with a desperate heart. Tears welled up in her big eyes, shining pitifully.

The two flustered wolves couldn’t help but ask.

“Kittia. How on earth did you end up at the wolf mansion?”

* * *

Kitty was seated at a large table. She was still short, so the height of the table wasn’t right, but Theo and Deon brought her a cushion.

The two wolves even covered Kitty’s lap with a soft blanket.

“Ah…… You’re so young, you must have suffered a lot.”

팽―! [Sound of blowing one’s nose]

The wolves, having heard Kitty’s story, blew their noses with handkerchiefs. Their eyes were red and bloodshot, perhaps from crying too much.

“You must be tired from coming so far, so don’t worry about anything today and just eat and rest. The food will be out soon.”

“You two are so kind.”

As Kitty answered bravely, Theo and Deon suppressed the emotions that welled up again.

At first, they thought it was ridiculous that a cat was imitating a wolf. But now, after hearing Kitty’s story, they only felt that she was admirable for bravely seeking a job far away, even after losing her mother.

“Before that, shall we introduce ourselves properly? What’s Kittia’s full name?”

“Um…….”

It was a difficult question, so Kitty avoided eye contact. Cats don’t form clans, so they don’t have surnames.

Even Jerian, who claimed to be the leader of the cats, didn’t have a surname, so there was no way Kitty would have one.

As Kitty tilted her head slightly, the wolves spoke incoherently.

“So, what did other people call you?”

Um, I can answer that!

“Soft Paw Kitty! My palms are really soft.”

“……Pfft!”

“Don’t laugh like that, Deon. It’s rude to a lady.”

But Theo, who said that, was also trembling at the corners of his lips.

“So, Kittia’s nickname is Soft Paw?”

“Yes! But I can do my job well. I’ve been working since I was very young.”

“Ah…….”

What has she been doing at an age when she should be eating and playing to her heart’s content? The wolves’ eyes filled with pity.

“I’m Theo Gridwolf. This is my brother, Deon Gridwolf. Please understand that he’s doing this because he likes to joke around.”

“Gridwolf means…….”

“Yes. The Gridwolf you’re looking for is our father. He’s out for a while right now, but he’ll be back soon.”

“Hic!”

Kitty couldn’t hide her surprise. The ones I’ve been holding onto all the way here were Gridwolf’s sons!

Come to think of it, Theo and Deon had the most 멋진 [stylish/cool] golden eyes among the wolves I saw coming to the dining hall.

The fur of the other wolves looked stiff and coarse, but the hair of the two was neatly groomed and shiny.

‘They’re also wearing the most expensive-looking clothes……. The decoration on their clothes, is that gold?’

The tension that had eased a little with the smell of delicious food tightened again. Kitty adjusted her posture on the cushion and said.

“O-Oh, I thought you were kind!”

“Kittia. Are you surprised?”

“There’s no reason to be surprised since we’re the same wolf, right?”

“Of course. I’m not surprised.”

“Then this…….”

The golden eyes of the wolf 도련님s [doryeonnims – young masters] turned to Kitty’s hands.

‘Oh no! My claws popped out because I was surprised!’

Did they notice I’m a cat?

As Kitty glanced at them with trembling eyes, the two suddenly shifted their gaze to the kitchen.

No one spoke to them, but they began to mutter as if for her to hear.

“Wow. The food is really not coming out. I can’t see anything.”

“I know. I’m so hungry I can’t see anything.”

“…….”

Kitty subtly tapped her fingertips on the table to retract her claws. Then, just in time, the food began to come out.

“Wow…….”

They were all foods she had never seen before, but they all smelled delicious. Kitty’s eyes began to shine brightly, having starved for days.

“Soft Paw. This is a welcome greeting. Wolves serve food like this, hoping that guests will stay for a long time. What do you want to eat first?”

“W-Well, then…….”

Kitty pointed to a large salmon steak with a timid gesture. Theo and Deon smiled contentedly.

“See, Deon? I said the cat…… no, the baby wolf would choose fish first.”

“Tch.”

“Eat slowly and carefully, Kittia.”

Kitty quickly nodded and grabbed a fork. It felt like a very long time before the large piece of salmon entered her mouth. It had been a very long time since she had eaten such thick fish.

“Um!”

“Soft Paw, is it so delicious you want to eat it for the rest of your life?”

“Is it okay? Do you want to keep eating it?”

Her eyes widened as the food touched her tongue. The melting texture naturally relieved her tension.

Kitty, nodding her head, closed her mouth tightly to avoid spilling any and chewed what was in her mouth.

It was so delicious that her ears perked up and her tail wagged on its own.

‘Oh no, this is a disaster. Did I eat too deliciously!’

Only then did Kitty realize that her ears and tail had popped out because she was eating delicious food.

The two’s golden eyes turned to her with a smile.

‘Will I get caught?’

But they must have seen her protruding ears, but there was no reaction. Kitty had an amazing realization.

‘I see. Wolf therians [animal-human hybrids] also have their tails or ears pop out when they make mistakes.’

Mom always said my ears were as perky as a wolf’s. So……

Swoosh—

Kitty first curled her tail into her skirt. In an instant, the faces of the two wolf 도련님s [doryeonnims – young masters] twitched subtly.

Kitty really wanted to hide her tail.

It was too different from the wolf tails, which were so fluffy that they looked like expensive furniture dusters, and above all, it wasn’t pretty.

‘If only the end of my tail hadn’t been bitten off back then…….’

Just thinking about that time still made her shrink.

The day of the cat’s large-scale migration to escape the sudden attack of the leopards, when they were busily running away under the command of Jerian and his henchmen.

A leopard that had been closely chasing the cat herd bit off Kitty’s tail. It was so, so painful to have her flesh torn off, but it was fortunate that it was her tail. If it had been her ears or face, she wouldn’t have been able to pretend to be a wolf like she is now.

Theo and Deon exchanged words with their mouths so that the baby cat, lost in thought, wouldn’t notice.

“Everyone seems to have noticed that Kittia is a cat, right?”

“Of course, she smells like a cat. We’re just with her so they don’t harass her.”

“Hmm. What should we do to keep the people in the mansion from bothering her? Besides, we just hired new employees recently, so we don’t need more.”

Theo and Deon pondered for a moment and then lit up their eyes at the same time.

“There may not be a place on the employee list, but there may be a place left on the family register.”