It’S A Cat, Adopted By A Wolf Family? [EN]: Chapter 5

My stiff, dark gray hair, pre-bath, had transformed into a milky gray.

Occasionally, hints of dark gray peeked through, seemingly due to shadows cast by the wavy strands.

‘If my hair color suddenly changed, they’d find it odd… It’s definitely not a wolf color.’

I ruffled my hair repeatedly, but the original dark gray was gone. I tried to recall my fur color from memory, but mirrors were scarce in the cat territory.

When I caught glimpses in rusty metal or muddy puddles, it always appeared gray… Oh my.

‘Was this my true color, and it was dark gray simply because I hadn’t washed in ages? What am I going to do!’

I quickly scanned the room and grabbed a fresh towel, wrapping it around my head like a turban.

…Would they become suspicious if I covered my entire head? They might suspect I’m hiding my fur color.

After a moment of deliberation [a period of careful thought], I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them wide. Cat ears, emerge!

Prick―

‘Now it’s alright. Theo and Deon complimented my ears, saying they were very fine wolf ears.’

I positioned myself before the mirror and meticulously adjusted the gray cat ears that poked out from under the headscarf, ensuring they looked as perky as possible.

Once satisfied with the perkiness of my cat ears, I made sure the headscarf was secure and grabbed the button Mrs. Gray had left on the shelf.

Since this is to be my room for a while, hiding the button in the pillow will prevent anyone from throwing it away.

I settled onto the bed, dragging my slightly oversized slippers. As I pushed the button deep into the pillowcase, a wave of relief washed over me.

‘Umm… Speaking of which, this bed is incredibly fluffy. I wish I could stay here for at least a week.’

Theo and Deon seem to like me, but the Gridwolf couple doesn’t appear to be particularly fond of me.

Especially, Master Caris frowned, looking as if she felt unwell whenever she glanced my way.

‘Since they are the owners of the mansion, I might get kicked out soon.’

Even if they don’t discover I’m a cat, I might be dismissed for being too young and small. They might deem me too weak to be of use. Compared to the wolves, I was indeed tiny.

…But perhaps something positive will occur? I readjusted the headscarf and carefully nestled my cheek into the blanket.

“Kya―!”

I couldn’t suppress the exclamation at the unexpected softness. My legs, still throbbing from the long walk to the Gridwolf mansion, suddenly ached.

‘I must wait until the others arrive. But it’s so warm…….’

I stroked the blanket a few more times with my chapped hands. Pressing it lightly with my palm felt like being embraced in my mother’s arms.

I imagined lying side by side with my littermates in our mother’s embrace like this when we were little. I would diligently lick and hug the newborn kittens until their fur became fluffy.

‘Were my siblings boys or girls? My mother mentioned there were three of us. She was most curious about the color of their fur…….’

My cat ears, which I had painstakingly perked up, began to droop as I felt a wave of sadness.

‘No. I must grow up strong and avenge my mother.’

To achieve that, I need the protection of adults until I’m a little older.

I shook my head from side to side to dispel the gloomy thoughts and wrapped the blanket around my hands again.

Pressing the cozy blanket against my hands, mimicking my mother’s embrace, gave me a strange sense of stability. But I couldn’t simply fall asleep like this.

‘…I should stop resting and go to Master Caris and Jackal to ask them one more time.’

I struggled to move my body, which was still trembling from the arduous journey.

* * *

“Now explain. What exactly is going on?”

Caris’s face was stiff and heavily shadowed. Theo and Deon, who had been captivated by Kitty’s pitiful story and soft paw pads and were already making adoption plans, stammered before finally speaking.

“Her name is Kittia, and her nickname is Soft Paw because her palms are so soft.”

“That’s right. Her whole body is soft and fluffy like a cotton ball, so holding her feels wonderful, Mother. If such a cute and adorable Soft Paw became our sister, wouldn’t the mansion be more harmonious?”

“Theo, Deon.”

Jackal’s sharp voice cut through their enthusiasm. His expression made it clear that their usual tricks wouldn’t work.

Eventually, Theo and Deon exchanged glances and continued.

“She said she heard that Gridwolf provides jobs for wolves without families and came looking for work.”

“But Father and Mother also saw it. It will be a very long time before she can actually work.”

“So you said such irresponsible things? That you would adopt her into the wolf family.”

“But…….”

“Theo, Deon.”

Caris scolded them in a stern voice.

She knew her sons weren’t trying to adopt a young cat with malicious intent. However, the decision to adopt wasn’t simply based on cuteness.

Sharing your life with another being… Caris knew better than anyone how difficult that could be.

“Do you remember the times, twelve years ago and four years ago, when the beastmen lost their reason and reverted to beasts because of the magic of the Blue Moon?”

Theo and Deon swallowed nervously and nodded obediently.

Twelve years ago, the jewel ‘Blue Moon,’ which only appeared in creation myths, appeared in the territory of the leopards. At the news that the goddess’s belongings had appeared in the world, the leopards flocked like clouds to see the blue jewel.

But that was the beginning of the disaster.

The Blue Moon contained enormous primordial magic. The leopard beastmen who came into contact with the magic at close range lost their reason and ran wild, turning into beasts.

Like madmen, they bit small animals and indiscriminately attacked the beastmen in the adjacent territories.

The number of beastmen who were harmed in the process was countless.

“You also know that the leopards who took the Blue Moon through several experiments are trying to cause madness in other animals, right?”

“…….”

As Caris said.

If the large animals staying in the mansion were exposed to the magic of the Blue Moon and went crazy again, no one could guarantee Kitty’s safety.

“But if it’s not hiring her as a maid but adopting her… If Father declares that Kitty is our family, they won’t be able to attack Kitty even if an emergency occurs.”

“That’s right. Wolves respect their ranks even when they become beasts.”

“Theo. Surviving and living safely are different things. How safely can a cat live among wolves? Can you truly guarantee that nothing will happen?”

“But Father also called Kitty a wolf earlier…….”

Jackal slyly avoided Caris’s fierce gaze. He couldn’t bring himself to admit that he had given in because the sparkling cotton ball was so cute.

Deon said in a tearful voice.

“Her parents are all dead. There is no one to take care of her and protect her, so it doesn’t matter to Soft Paw whether it’s a wolf den where madness can spread at any time or the outside.”

“…….”

Caris unconsciously imagined Kittia being torn apart by the leopards. Her mind went blank as she imagined the little girl’s body covered in blood.

She unintentionally stroked her flat stomach with her hand. Only Jackal, who knew what Caris was thinking when he saw the action, kept his words to himself.

“…Get out for now.”

Caris said with a pained expression.

* * *

The night when the leopards, driven mad by seeing the blue moon, splattered blood everywhere and bit the beastmen.

In the depths of that forest of carnage, Caris was enduring labor pains, clutching her swollen belly.

Jackal was already battered from guarding the surroundings, ensuring his wife could give birth safely. Caris gritted her teeth and suppressed her groans, fearing the enemy would be drawn by her screams.

“Ugh……!”

“Madam, you must stay strong…….”

The pain continued for a long time. As full-scale childbirth began, the leopards, drawn by the scent of blood in the wind, made it impossible to concentrate on the birth.

Caris twisted her body, enduring the increasingly intense labor pains.

But who could have foreseen that even greater mental anguish awaited at the end of physical pain?

Since the labor pains had started suddenly in enemy territory without any preparations, a difficult birth was expected.

But Caris never imagined that her daughter, born after her two sons, would not breathe.

“Baby, take a breath. Baby…….”

Caris’s heart broke as she watched the cold, stillborn infant [식어 가는 핏덩이 – literally ‘cooling blood clot’, referring to a stillborn baby], unlike her two sons who had wriggled and sought milk.

“Baby. There are so many things prepared for you in the mansion. So please…….”

No matter how much she licked and hugged the small body, the last child born could not open her eyes.

It was a stillbirth.

“Madam! Enemies…….”

Before she had time to grieve, the leopards rushed in.

There was no time to hold the dead child and engage in battle. The wolf knights guarding her were also seriously injured.

To save her two young sons, she had to abandon her dead daughter.

Caris, still weak from childbirth, dug into the frozen ground with her bare hands, driven by determination.

Deep, deeper, so the leopards couldn’t dig her out.

Even as she dug a hole to bury her child with her own hands, Caris continued to speak to her daughter.

“Baby…… Even the faintest sound is fine…….”

But the child was limp, without any movement.

Caris sobbed and wrapped the child in her coat. The hand that hugged her daughter for the last time before burying her in the pit trembled.

“I will definitely come to pick you up someday. Please bear with it, even if it’s cold and scary, okay?”

Fortunately, the leopards didn’t pay much attention to the deep pit. That’s how the group barely survived and returned from the leopard’s territory.

But that deep, dark pit remained in the middle of her heart, even after ten years had passed.

After finishing the painful recollection, Caris looked at Kittia, who had fallen fast asleep while crouching on the stool, unaware that she had reverted to her animal form.

Jackal had explained that she had come to plead again to be allowed to stay in the mansion and had fainted in the hallway, so he had brought her into the bedroom.

“…Jackal. I have something to tell you.”

Caris finally spoke, as if she had made up her mind.