It’S A Cat, Adopted By A Wolf Family? [EN]: Chapter 62

“Then, let’s meet at dinner time.”

Karis and Jackal went to speak with Lord Forward privately. It seemed Hogwood and Ethan were there as well.

Clyde also took Marie and followed Jackal, likely accompanying him as the head of Foxstein. His adjutant, Ben, was assigned to watch Anne.

‘Showing the wolves being wary of the panther and Jerian will make them tremble in fear.’

I ended up touring the central training grounds with my brothers until dinner time.

The two were still excited and making a fuss.

“Kitty, it’s the first time I’ve seen Commander Forward make such an expression.”

“Now that I’ve seen Lord Forward express his emotions, will I die suddenly as the rumors say?”

“I don’t know. It seems only Soft Paw can surprise the Commander like that.”

Lord Elliot, who was guarding us, also agreed with a look of awe.

“He only said ‘tsk’ when my classmates and I were playing around and fell from the third-floor window of the dormitory.”

“Master…….”

What on earth did you do while you were at the central training grounds…….

While we were talking about the power of my Soft Paw [referring to her gentle nature or influence], we arrived at the dormitory building. I paused for a moment in front of the dormitory sign that prohibited outsiders.

“Is it okay for me to go in?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“On the day of the memorial service, all buildings are open for the wolves who visited the central training grounds and the families of the students to look around.”

Oh.

“……Even if I’m a cat, I’m a visitor, so it should be fine, right?”

When I said that, the two smiled, their eyes crinkling. Their golden eyes were full of mischief.

“That’s right, cats might not be allowed.”

“Kitty, why don’t you show your perked ears? People who see your ears for the first time will mistake you for a wolf.”

The two were teasing me as if I were a six-year-old. But tomorrow, I won’t be able to see them until the next vacation…….

Perk―

“My ears are perked up like a wolf’s, though.”

“That’s right. No one will know you’re a cat.”

“They always look like wolf ears to me.”

The two chuckled and took me inside. The dormitory was structured so that men used the odd-numbered floors and women used the even-numbered floors.

Even though it was the day of the memorial service, the atmosphere wasn’t as somber as I had expected. I could understand why through the conversations I heard.

“If Ethan becomes the head of Weebis [likely a prominent family or clan], the wolves’ strength will increase even more.”

“I heard he already has considerable combat skills and strategies…….”

“They say he’s a genius who inherited only the strengths of the Weebis couple.”

“I can’t believe we’ll see him soon. How amazing will he be?”

Ethan’s abilities were highly regarded even in the central training grounds. Everyone expressed anticipation as if they were waiting for a very famous artist.

Theo and Deon grumbled and led me to the stairs. Then, the wolves’ gazes turned to me.

“Oh my gosh. Isn’t that Lady Gridwolf?”

“Look at those ears…….”

The wolves, both men and women, sparkled their eyes as they looked at me. Theo and Deon reacted more sensitively than when they heard Ethan’s praise.

“I know our youngest is overworked, but please don’t come near her, okay?”

“Don’t stare. Soft Paw is so soft that it wears out if you look at it.”

“Her nickname is Soft Paw……!”

The wolves buzzed again. Well, everyone must be curious about cats. When I slightly perked up my ears, their golden eyes shone like jewels.

Lord Elliot gently placed his hand on my back and guided me upstairs.

“The young lady always captures the attention of the wolves, which is troubling.”

“I felt relieved and perked up my ears because Master was here as my guard.”

Lord Elliot chuckled. Theo and Deon shrugged their shoulders as if they couldn’t help it and led the way.

The two were using a two-person room on the top floor as their dormitory.

‘It’s going to be a mess again, isn’t it?’

But when the door opened, the space that unfolded was surprisingly neat and tidy. Even the desk was organized, making me doubt whether this was the room used by the Theo and Deon I knew.

The two straightened their shoulders and explained everything one by one.

“We’re sharing a two-person room. As you can see, it’s very clean.”

Deon led me to the window. When he pulled back the curtain, the scenery of the training grounds was visible at a glance.

“We wake up before sunrise and run ten laps around the training grounds, then pledge to have a wonderful start to the new day.”

……Something’s suspicious.

“What’s next?”

“We take a shower and have breakfast. After that, we return to our room, change into clean clothes, and spend the day calmly with reading and meditation…….”

Thud.

Something fell from between the thick books that Deon had picked up for explanation. It was a picture full of red and flesh colors, and I didn’t see it properly because it went under the desk, but I knew what it was.

“…….”

The two, as well as Lord Elliot, closed their mouths like clams. Only then did I realize that Theo and Deon had cleaned the room to look cool to me. It’s all a performance.

“You should reduce your reading and meditation a bit, brothers.”

“Uh-huh…….”

“Ah, I shouldn’t have touched the books.”

The two quickly gave up trying to look cool and continued the explanation in a much lighter voice.

“Anyway, this is what our brothers’ room is like. We’re trying to live exemplary lives, but we’re working hard on cleaning.”

“Now, I’ll explain the training ground facilities.”

The wolves’ training ground was larger than the entire territory of the cats combined.

There were several buildings and structures, so even after listening to a long explanation, it didn’t feel like it was coming into my head.

“Where do you two like the most? Besides the dormitory.”

The two answered at the same time as if they had promised.

“The cafeteria.”

“……Even though it’s temporary, I wish you would try to look a little cool in front of your younger sister.”

When I said that, the two smiled awkwardly and grabbed my hand.

“Let’s go see the next place we like in person.”

“If we stay in the room, it feels like we’ll only lose more points.”

Lord Elliot nodded as if he knew where we were going.

“If you’re a member of Gridwolf [referring to her family or clan], it’s good to see it in person at least once.”

We headed to the center of the training grounds. A wide space that seemed perfect to be called a plaza appeared.

Preparations for Ethan’s succession ceremony were in full swing on the stage in front.

“What we’re going to see is this way.”

Theo and Deon took me to a large tower. It was a tower in the shape of a wolf’s fang, and a long, vertical glass case was placed at the bottom.

I immediately recognized what was on display inside the glass case.

It was the bow that the goddess had used.

The first head of Gridwolf discovered the bow first, so it was also called the Gridwolf Bow.

I learned that the first Gridwolf head told the first Weebis head to build a large training ground at the place where the bow was found, and that’s how the current central training ground was created.

“Is it genuine?”

“Yeah. This is the bow that the goddess used.”

“It’s deeply embedded in the ground and no one can move it, so it’s been on display here for a long time.”

I examined the bow as if possessed. It was as if a slender crescent moon had been cut out and a thin bowstring had been placed on it, and a subtle light was emanating from the body.

It felt like a warm and cozy energy was talking to me. Suddenly, I thought of my dead mother.

When we transformed into cats side by side and buried our faces in Mom’s fur, I always felt this gentle energy.

“Mommy…… Pwease stay wif Kitty fowever, okay?”

“Mommy is always with our Kitty. Even if Soft Paw is far away, I can watch over you.”

“Weally?”

“Of course. Mommy loves Kitty forever…….”

“Hehe! Don’t tickle me…… Kya―!”

I still remembered the warm energy that became even stronger when Mom tickled me for a while and then curled up to hug me.

At that time, Mom’s comfortable embrace was the whole world.

“Kitty……?”

“Soft Paw, why are you crying all of a sudden?”

“Huh?”

When I wiped my eyes at Theo and Deon’s words, tears were really streaming down. Embarrassed, I quickly wiped away the tears with the handkerchief that Lord Elliot handed me.

“I know. I don’t know why I’m like this when I wasn’t even thinking sad thoughts.”

It must have been such a warm memory that made my heart flutter, so I cried without realizing it. Lord Elliot said that it might be because I was tired and suggested that we slowly move to the cafeteria.

Leaving the tower behind, I put on a cheerful smile again.

“As expected, it has dignity because it’s a bow that the goddess used.”

“Right? When you train while looking at that, it feels like you get a strange boost of strength.”

“It’s just the body without a bowstring, so sometimes it looks like a snake standing upright, though.”

“……?”

There was no bowstring? But clearly…….

I turned my head slightly and looked back at the tower. The distance was already quite far, and the bow inside the glass case was not clearly visible.

‘There will be a chance to check again later. I might have just mistaken the blurred light.’

I didn’t see it properly because I was thinking of Mom and shedding tears earlier, so it would be good to check again after the meal.

Feeling doubtful, I continued walking, following Theo and Deon.

* * *

The banquet celebrating Ethan’s succession as head of the family continued late into the night. Everyone, who had been immersed in a heavy atmosphere every year on this day, thinking of the dead wolves, offered congratulations with smiles only today.

“Haha, this is something. Everyone seems relieved that you’ve become the head of the family.”

Hogwood said, tapping Ethan on the shoulder. He was very proud that his intelligent son, who resembled his beloved wife, had taken the position of head of the family.

Ethan agreed with Hogwood’s words and drank wine. His alcohol tolerance was similar to his father’s, so he wasn’t very dizzy even after receiving congratulatory drinks in succession.

The slight intoxication only added to his honesty.

He had been deliberately avoiding looking at her because he was worried that the moment of parting would be difficult, but after drinking alcohol, it became difficult to control his honest feelings. His blue gaze turned to Kittia.

‘She’s not intimidated even among the wolves now.’

Kitty, who couldn’t drink alcohol because she wasn’t an adult, was sipping orange juice alone and was nothing but lovely.

When she swept back her long silver hair, tied high, and smiled like a child, everyone around her showed a pleased expression.

‘……She’s conscious of me.’

Those were the sweetest words Theo and Deon had ever said to him. He wondered in what way she had expressed her feelings that made the two wolves, who were so devoted to their younger sister, fret so much.

He wanted to run to Kitty right now and ask. Have you ever been reading a book or taking a walk and suddenly stopped because you thought of me?

‘I’m the one who’s leaving, so I can’t actually ask.’

When six-year-old Kitty meowed that she would be by his side every year at the memorial service, Ethan decided to minimize the time he was away.

He was planning to finish the training ground course, which usually took about three to four years, as quickly as possible.

The central training ground did not limit the number of courses that could be completed in a year, so it was definitely possible if the test scores were good enough.

He had to do that at all costs, even if it meant overdoing it. Because there was no way that Clyde and those other guys would just quietly watch Kitty.

“…….”

The thought of Kitty flirting with Clyde already made him feel uncomfortable. It was a strange feeling for him, who had lived his life comfortably as the successor of Weebis.

Feeling anxious, Ethan emptied the glass he was holding.