Roxanna used to have several cats, but after she got married, her ex-husband secretly gave all four of them away.
She cried for three whole days, but since he said he was allergic to cats, she forced herself to understand him.
That was why the thought of a cat being locked alone in a dark, cold pit made her feel sick. It reminded her too much of her own cats, who might have frozen to death during the snowstorm apocalypse.
When she thought about that kind of thing, Roxanna tried to lift the heavy stones again, but she didn't expect them to be that heavy.
Sure, her fox body was stronger than her human one, but compared to other beasts, Roxanna was still weak. Maybe it was because a pink fox's main power was healing, not fighting.
Her hands slipped again and again as she tried to lift the stone, and some of her fingers even started bleeding. But she didn't care at all because she just wanted to save the poor cat right now!
"Stop it!" Luan suddenly grabbed her hands and pulled them away from the stone. His movement was a bit rough, but Roxanna somehow knew he didn't mean to hurt her. "You're more likely to break your fingers than lift these rocks."
Luan clicked his tongue when he saw her fingers covered in warm blood. He shot a look at Azul, silently telling him to take care of her.
"Forest cats are used to harsh places," Luan said as he gently pushed Roxanna toward Azul. "He'll be fine."
Roxanna bit her lower lip, trying hard to stop crying, but her tears fell even faster. "But… but he hasn't eaten anything since last night…"
Calen laughed. "That cat is really fat! I bet he has enough fat in his body to survive!"
A moment later, Skiv finally arrived at the pit storage area. He was only fifteen, so of course he couldn't run as fast as the older beasts.
"IS IT MY CAT?!"
Skiv didn't know why Roxanna had suddenly run earlier, but he followed her anyway. And when he heard the word "cat," he instantly remembered his forest cat that had gone missing since last night.
"Is my Lilo in there?!"
Skiv, who usually acted timid and always tried to avoid eye contact, suddenly gained the courage to confront Roxanna.
"You idiot! What did my cat ever do to deserve that kind of punishment?!"
"Why don't you keep using that stupid pit to lock up your stupid husbands?! Why did you put my cat in there too?!" Skiv shouted. "And you even gave Lilo meat covered in snake venom last week! Do you even have a heart?!"
Azul gently reminded him, "Skiv, watch your tongue."
"Watch my tongue?!" Skiv spun toward Azul and snapped back, "Why don't you watch your idiot wife instead?!"
His chest rose and fell quickly after shouting from the bottom of his lungs. The people around them immediately held their breath because no one ever expected the timid Skiv—the boy who never even dared speak loudly—to scream at the demon from hell… all because of a cat.
More than that, he even used bad words toward her and her husbands!
Calen frowned so hard that a vein showed on his forehead, but he didn't say anything, as Zeir was gripping his neck from behind, silently warning him not to talk unless given permission.
Meanwhile, Luan didn't care about the shouting at all. He only focused on the stones and wooden logs, throwing them aside one by one to uncover the pit.
"That stupid Skiv! Now the Leader really might throw him into the cursed forest!"
"He doesn't even have parents anymore… If he gets kicked out, he probably won't last a day out there."
"It's just a cat! He doesn't need to act like the world is ending! There are so many cats in the forest, he can just grab one if his cat dies!"
[But it's not just a cat…] Roxanna thought quietly.
She lowered her head, watching Skiv, who now looked like he was both furious and seconds away from crying.
Back then, Roxanna had almost divorced her ex-husband when he threw away her cats. But all her friends told her she was exaggerating.
They said, "They're just cats. Why would you leave a good husband because of cats?"
Yeah, her ex-husband used to be a prestigious lecturer at the best university in their country, had a decent-looking face, and always spoke gently. That was why people thought she was lucky to have him.
In the end, Roxanna forced herself to accept it. She told herself he probably did it because his allergy was really severe.
But still… she couldn't forget her cats.
They weren't just animals, they were her family.
Maybe Skiv felt the same way, since he didn't have any blood-related family left.
"…Skiv," Roxanna called softly.
He looked at her with red, trembling eyes, still panting from anger.
She lifted her hand, and everyone immediately thought she was about to slap him. But instead of hitting him, she gently placed her hand on top of his head. "I'm sorry."
Her eyelids trembled slightly, half from anger at the evil Roxanna, and half from sadness because she had bullied an orphan.
"You're right. I really am an idiot," she said softly. "I shouldn't have done that in the first place."
She swallowed hard before adding, "I won't ever do something like that again… not to you, and not to your Lilo."
She wanted to say more, but the words died on her tongue. [That is… if the cat is still alive.]
"Look! That fat cat is still alive!" Calen suddenly shouted, pointing into the pit Luan had finally cleared.
Inside, they saw Lilo—the brown-and-white forest cat—wiggling around with all his strength. The moment he saw Skiv, he kicked and squirmed even harder, trying to get rid of the ropes on his legs.
Roxanna was a bit shocked because the cat wasn't just fat, he was extra chunky! He looked like a soft pillow someone had overstuffed, and his stomach was perfectly round.
No wonder Calen told her the cat had plenty of fat reserves stored in his body.
"Lilo!" Skiv instantly jumped into the pit and snatched Lilo from Luan's hands. "You're alive! Oh, look at you! You're so skinny now, nothing but skin and bones!"