It’S A Cat, Adopted By A Wolf Family? [EN]: Chapter 21

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Inside the pouch were colorful school supplies: writing utensils, ink, a fountain pen, and even a soft cushion for desk work.

But a set of colored pencils, boasting a staggering three hundred different colors, truly caught my eye.

I clasped my hands together, admiring the brand-new, sparkling colored pencils with my eyes only.

“Do you like the gift, Kitty?”

“Yes! I think they’re really pretty colored pencils.”

I tried to calm my pounding heart and spoke like an adult, which made Karis’s lips curve upward in a smile.

“Even though it’s only temporary, you can’t keep borrowing from Theo and Deon every time you need colored pencils, can you? Go on, take them.”

“Ah, thank you. Then I’ll take peach, wolf gray, sky blue, grass green…”

I took my time picking out the colors I wanted. After selecting ten colored pencils, I felt a little self-conscious.

I glanced up and saw Karis and Jackal looking at me with slightly awkward expressions.

“Kitty, don’t you like the other colors?”

“Ah, they’re all pretty! It was hard to choose.”

“Then why don’t you just take the whole set?”

My eyes widened.

“I get to have all of these?”

“Of course. Theo and Deon already have their own colored pencils.”

“But…”

I was already wearing sparkling clothes and shoes. If they bought me these expensive-looking colored pencils too, it would cost a lot of money.

‘If the Wolf Family goes broke because of me, I’ll have nowhere to go again.’

What should I do? As I fidgeted, Deon put the whole set of colored pencils in my arms.

“Don’t worry, Soft Paw. Gridwolf has plenty of money. You don’t have to pick and choose only the colors you like.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s a gift from your mother and father to encourage you to study hard.”

Deon chimed in. Karis and Jackal nodded, so I hugged the colored pencils tightly.

“Thank you! I’ll really study hard!”

Karis stroked my cheek and smiled.

“Actually, we were a little late because we were discussing a tutor to help Kitty with her studies. You’ll meet them at the tea party in a few days.”

“Ah, did you go to see my teacher?”

“The Wibis family, who co-lead the wolf pack with Gridwolf, has a very smart wolf. The Wibis and Gridwolf families are also close. You’ll be able to learn a lot if you spend time together.”

I wondered if they had already chosen someone to be my teacher. Just as I was about to ask a question, Deon asked in a sulky voice.

“Mother, you’re not going to leave Kitty with Eden Wibis, are you?”

“But Eden is Kitty’s age, isn’t he? He’s very knowledgeable. And he has a calm personality, so he’ll definitely be a good friend to Kitty.”

Theo didn’t seem to like Karis’s answer.

“But Eden, that guy…”

“Theo. Watch your language in front of your younger sister.”

“Eden, that… friend! He’s so arrogant! He’ll definitely make fun of Kitty like he did to us.”

Listening to them, it seemed there was some history between Theo, Deon, and this young master wolf named Eden that I didn’t know about.

Because the two families were on good terms, Eden, Theo, and Deon used to spend time together when they were younger—though it was mostly Theo and Deon trying to engage Eden while he was reading.

Eden, a wolf smart enough to read difficult books, probably found Theo and Deon annoying.

“Eden told us he couldn’t hang out with dummies. He’ll definitely hurt Soft Paw too.”

Deon grumbled. Karis gently stroked Deon’s head and said.

“But Deon, it hasn’t even been four years since Eden lost his mother to the leopards.”

“…”

“When you lose something precious, you tend to put up your guard. You might even push away other precious things, afraid of losing them too.”

Deon, who had been huffing and puffing, soon became subdued.

“Is Eden being mean to us because he cherishes us since Mrs. Wibis passed away?”

“I think Eden is the only one who can answer that question. But you two know better than anyone that Eden isn’t a bad wolf, right?”

Theo eventually backed down as well.

I tried to imagine what the young master wolf named Eden would look like, but soon gave up. A wolf who was kind and then prickly.

‘I don’t know, but saying he can’t hang out with dummies is a bit harsh…’

If the young master wolf named Eden became my teacher, I would definitely learn a lot, but I wondered if I, a cat, could endure the wolf’s spite.

What should I say if he threatened not to teach me because he didn’t like me?

My mom, dad, and brother said I was a very smart cat, but could I keep up with the level of the wolf named Eden?

I thought I should study in advance.

‘I can learn the letters from Theo and Deon, and if I just study how to read, I’ll be able to read books soon too.’

As I was lost in thought, Deon, with a much lighter face, called me.

“Kitty, what are you thinking about right now?”

“I was thinking it would be good to start studying soon. You brothers can teach me too, right?”

“Of course! How hard do you think I worked to avoid being called a stupid wolf by that Eden!”

Karis repeatedly emphasized to Deon not to use harsh words in front of me.

Having learned another bad word, I quietly thought to myself.

‘Unlucky and stupid Jerian.’

I was proud to have learned another bad word. Karis soon tickled my ears and told me that I shouldn’t learn such bad words.

Karis talked with me a little more and then went inside the mansion to take care of her pending work. The employees began to clean up around us.

‘Ah, that’s my box.’

I gripped the corner of the velvet box that the employees were staring at tightly. My brothers chuckled and hugged me, putting me inside the box.

“Stay still like this. We’ll take you to your room.”

“But it’ll be heavy. The colored pencils and cushion are in there too.”

“But you’re all bones! You need to gain more weight and build more muscle.”

The two of them lifted both sides of the box side by side. I, who had suddenly gotten into a box flying in the air, raised the corners of my lips and smiled.

“Is it fun, Soft Paw?”

“A little?”

Theo and Deon made eye contact and grinned, then suddenly started shaking the box like a wave as they carried me.

“Kya—!”

Until the two of them arrived at my room, playing mischievous pranks, I hugged Karis’s gift and held onto the box tightly, exclaiming in amazement.

* * *

As I was practicing waltz and stomp [basic dance steps] with Theo and Deon, the date written on the invitation arrived.

Like a mature cat, I woke up early in the morning and jumped out of bed.

‘Well, if I get a little bigger, my feet will reach the floor when I sit on the bed!’

Rena chuckled at my pleased expression.

“Miss, guests from the Wibis family are coming today, so you need to wash more carefully than usual.”

“Yes!”

Rena washed and dressed me, explaining the wonderful friendship between the Wibis and Gridwolf families.

The Wibis family originally ruled the wolf clans and territories together with Gridwolf, but now they have entrusted most of it to Gridwolf and are taking a break for a while.

“Today, Lord Hogwood Wibis and his son, Eden Wibis, will be coming. The mistress of the Wibis family passed away four years ago during the leopard rampage.”

“Ah…”

“When she was alive, she was a wonderful strategist who gave orders to the entire wolf army. Eden was also said to be a genius, resembling Mrs. Wibis.”

The leopard rampage four years ago.

I didn’t remember it well because I was young, but I knew about it because my mom and dad had mentioned it several times.

‘That’s when the leopards nommed [ate] on my tail.’

Even I, whose tail was cut off at the end at that time, grind my teeth at leopards, so how much would Eden, who lost his mother, hate leopards?

‘As much as I hate and despise Jerian?’

I hoped he wouldn’t be too mean to me. I also hoped he was a wolf who couldn’t distinguish the smell of cats very well.

“Um, Rena! Please tie my hair a little higher today. Even if my wolf ears stick out, they’ll be hidden by my hair.”

If I tied my hair high in pigtails, I could quickly turn my back to hide my ears even if they popped out.

Rena, who had good dexterity even though she couldn’t see well, tied my hair exactly the way I wanted it.

“Shall we go out slowly then? The others will be waiting for the guests in the lobby.”

“Yes!”

As someone who was temporarily adopted, I wanted to act politely. I headed to the lobby to greet the guests.

Deon picked me up and spun me around once.

“Ah, the pigtails are so cute! You tied them a little higher today, didn’t you?”

“I’m trying to hide my wolf ears a bit. It’ll be weird if they suddenly perk up.”

“Everyone will think it’s cute even if your ears pop out, but let’s try to hold back as much as possible.”

Deon put me down, and after a while, I saw people approaching from afar.

‘Hick!’ [sound of surprise]

I froze as I looked at the wolf beastman with a body as big as a rock. He has much more muscle than Jackal!

“Lord Hogwood of Wibis and Eden Wibis are entering!”

The gatekeeper shouted. Startled, I jumped up and asked Theo.

“What, what are they eating?”

‘This, this time, does it mean they want to nom [eat] me because I’m cute…?'”

“Ah, ‘entering’ means they’re coming in. The words are a bit difficult, right?”

“Ah.”

“Don’t worry too much, Kitty. Let’s go greet them.”

Theo and Deon grabbed my hands on either side. I took each step, trying not to let my nails suddenly pop out and poke them.

Lord Hogwood smiled heartily, squatted down, and made eye contact with me.

“Haha. Hello, little one?”

‘He has complete wolf eyes!’ I could barely open my mouth because Theo and Deon were holding my trembling hands tightly.

“Ah, hello, Lord Hogwood? I’m baby wolf Kittia. I’m temporarily adopted by Gridwolf.”

Then Lord Hogwood’s lips curved upward.

“Ha! Karis, you’re right, she’s incredibly cute. Like a doll?”

I was so surprised by the booming voice that I ended up falling on my butt. Theo and Deon hurriedly picked me up and dusted off my clothes.

Then, the young master wolf behind Lord Hogwood muttered in a cold voice.

“How can you be a wolf if you’re scared of this much?”