Chapter 17
“So cute! Roy, what snacks did we bring?”
She whispered.
“We’ve got sausages and juice.”
“Do you think it’ll eat sausage if we give it some?”
“Not sure. Let’s try. I just hope it doesn’t run away.”
Roy gently tore off a small piece of sausage and carefully walked toward a spot halfway between them and the kitten. Instead of heading straight for the kitten, he made a rounded path, pretending to look elsewhere as he approached.
After placing the sausage on the ground, he returned to Ellen’s side and sat down.
“It didn’t run away, did it?”
“Nope. It’s still sitting there. Looks like it’s debating whether to eat the sausage or not.”
“Good. Let’s keep building the castle.”
Only then did he glance over at the kitten and pick up another stone.
“Why’d you take the roundabout way? I was wondering where you were going.”
“I thought going straight at it would scare the kitten. If a big person suddenly charges toward it, it’d be terrified.”
At that, Ellen looked at his face again. He was a much more thoughtful kid than she’d expected. Maybe the reason he hadn’t suggested going deeper into the forest was also because of her.
As their stone pile began to take the shape of a proper castle, they became more careful with how and where they placed each rock.
While concentrating on how to stack the stones, Ellen suddenly remembered the kitten and turned toward where the sausage had been placed. The kitten had eaten it all and was now sitting in the same spot, staring at them.
“Roy. The kitten finished the sausage and is watching us.”
Roy turned to look at the kitten as well.
He pulled out another sausage from the basket, tore it into pieces, and asked her, “This time, do you want to try feeding it?”
Ellen eagerly nodded.
She got up and, just like Roy had, walked toward the kitten in a gentle arc. Carefully approaching, she dropped a piece of sausage in front of it.
Then, leaving a trail of sausage pieces behind her, she returned to her spot, hoping the kitten would follow the trail and come closer to them.
Roy, realizing what she was doing, smiled and patted her head. He looked once at the kitten, then pulled out sausages and juice to share with Ellen.
“Let’s eat too.”
While they snacked, the kitten focused on the sausage and, just as Ellen had hoped, followed the trail, getting closer to them piece by piece.
They had thought it was a white kitten, but up close, it was more of a cream color, with only its ears and tail being white. Its sides looked a little plump.
“Did we give it too much food?”
Ellen whispered as she noticed the kitten’s chubby sides.
“Right? Its belly’s round, but its sides are, too.”
As they held sausage in their hands and watched the kitten, it slowly crept toward Roy.
“It’s coming! It’s coming!”
He whispered excitedly.
With both of their eyes glued to it in anticipation, the kitten reached Roy—and suddenly smacked his hand with its paw. Startled, Roy dropped the sausage, which the kitten promptly snatched and began to eat.
Then, as if nothing had happened, the kitten casually walked over and sat on Ellen’s lap to finish its meal.
They were both so stunned by the sudden turn of events that they could only stare blankly at the kitten.
Soon, Ellen burst into giggles, while Roy looked at the kitten with a baffled expression.
Ellen gently stroked the kitten. It didn’t run away and even sprawled out comfortably across her lap.
As she petted it and explored its soft fur, she suddenly paused and reached deep into the kitten’s side.
“What are you doing?!”
Roy gasped when he saw Ellen’s hand disappear into the kitten’s body. He tried to stop her, but she waved him off.
“Wait a sec.”
Then, she lifted part of the kitten’s body.
“What is this…?”
“…Wings?”
What she had lifted wasn’t feathers—but wings covered in cat fur.
A winged cat? What kind of creature was this?
Ellen couldn’t believe her eyes. Roy seemed just as dumbfounded.
Their eyes met. What on earth was this?
They had thought the kitten’s sides were just plump, but it turned out those bulges were folded wings, not fat. What kind of animal was this? A mutant?
“I want to keep it!”
Even as she wondered about its identity, Ellen couldn’t stop stroking its soft fur.
“A cream-colored kitten this cute? I don’t care if it’s a mutant!”
“Let’s bring it home and ask for permission first. If it’s something weird, we might not be allowed to keep it.”
Roy, sensing Ellen was already emotionally attached, tried to be reasonable.
“I guess you’re right…”
Still rubbing its soft paws, Ellen hesitated—then made up her mind.
“If it’s not some strange monster, even if we can’t keep it at home, we can raise it here.”
Seeing her firm resolve, Roy chuckled helplessly.
“Alright. Then we’ll need to give it a name too, right?”
As they whispered and discussed names, the kitten nestled deeper into Ellen’s arms and began to purr contentedly.
“It looks like a cat, but it acts like a dog.”
“I want to hold it too.”
Curious about the kitten’s behavior toward Ellen, Roy reached out and gently picked it up.
It seemed calm at first—but suddenly, it smacked his face repeatedly with its paws.
“Ow! Ow!”
Startled by the flurry of soft, clawless swats, Roy quickly set it down.
Ellen, who had been watching the whole thing in silence, suddenly burst out laughing and rolled around in the grass.
Roy looked between her and the kitten with a scowl.
“Ellie—cut it out. Seriously?”
His voice was filled with injustice. What did I do to deserve this?
Just then, the kitten locked eyes with him—and promptly stomped over and knocked down the stone castle they had built.
“Wh-What the—?!”
Roy gawked at the kitten, which kept boldly staring at him.
What kind of cat is this?!
After an intense staring contest, Roy gave up first and turned away, grumbling to Ellen.
“Ellie. Are you really going to bring this cat home? Think it over seriously.”
“It’s sweet and gentle with me! Of course I’m taking it home.”
Ellen stuck out her tongue, still smiling from ear to ear.
✿ ✿ ✿
Just as Ellen insisted, they ended up bringing the winged kitten home. Naturally, Ellen was the one carrying it.
Without even changing their dirt-covered clothes, they went straight to Gloria’s office to ask for permission—because they knew full well that Gloria, not Gerald, held the real authority in the house.
Knock knock.
Butler Albert opened the door and peeked outside, only to find the young lady and young master covered in dirt. He gave them a strained smile.
Unbothered, Ellen immediately called out.
“Mom, are you in there? Are you busy?”
From inside the office, Gloria’s voice answered.
“Come in.”
As Albert stepped aside, Ellen and Roy exchanged a glance and entered.
Gloria took one look at their messy hair and clothes and sighed with a faint smile but said nothing about it.
Ellen held out the kitten she’d been cuddling.
“Mom. We found a weird kitten. We want to keep it. It’s really sweet and gentle. We’ve already named it Nash.”
At the word sweet and gentle, Roy’s mouth twitched slightly, but he stayed quiet.
“A weird kitten?”
Gloria raised an eyebrow, as if wondering what that meant. Albert stepped closer to inspect the kitten.
“This is…!”
“A Narugo.”
Gloria finished his sentence.
“‘Narugo’?”
Ellen and Roy looked at each other in confusion. Neither had any idea what that meant.
Their eyes asked the question: What’s that?
Sensing this, Albert explained calmly.
“In short, it’s a type of messenger cat once used for communication. With training, it can understand human language to some extent. Two hundred years ago, they were common—but now, they’re extremely rare. These days, people use messenger hawks instead.”
While Albert explained, Gloria continued to examine the kitten.
“It looks like a very young one. Where did you find it?”
They almost said “in the forest,” but thankfully managed to hold their tongues.
Ellen just darted her eyes around nervously. Gloria silently waited for an answer, watching her carefully.
“Umm…”
As Ellen hesitated, she glanced at Roy for help. He gave a subtle nod, as if to say: We’re going to get caught anyway. Better tell the truth.
“By the lake in the woods behind the house.”
“We didn’t go too deep into the forest.”
Worried they might get scolded, Roy quickly added that part.
“I see. The lake isn’t exactly deep forest, so that’s fine. Just don’t go any deeper.”
Thankfully, Gloria didn’t scold or press them further. Relieved, they both replied at once.
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“There wasn’t a mother cat nearby?”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“No. It was alone from the start and didn’t look for its mother.”
Still observing the Narugo, Gloria finally spoke.
“I’ll allow you to keep it. Since it’s still young, we might be able to train it at Falcon House. If you two want, we can even teach it to deliver letters between you.”
Ellen and Roy, who had just expected to gain a pet, grinned from ear to ear.
“Would you like that?”
There was no need for an answer.
