Jauna woke up early. When she looked at the cat, it was sleeping beside her.
She stepped out of the room and began boiling water using firewood and her own power to create flames. She had coffee and bread for breakfast.
She then filled the cats' bowls with food and poured water into their containers.
Faram woke up next and joined her for breakfast.
Orid also woke up, returning to her human form, and joined them at the table. Kriyo appeared last, coming from Jauna's room already in his human form. Faram and Orid were both surprised to see him emerge from there.
"Brother? What are you doing in Sister Jauna's room?" Orid asked.
"Jauna, is there something you are not telling me?" Faram added.
"He was a cat until I woke up. Do not think of anything inappropriate."
The two of them let out a sigh of relief at her response.
"Go ahead and eat. I have tasks for all of you later."
"Thank you." Kriyo was about to approach Jauna to kiss her, but Orid stopped him.
"I'm sorry, sister. My brother brought our traditions here. Brother, stop it. We are not in Ruforia."
Kriyo seemed to come to his senses after hearing his sister.
"Let us continue eating. We will be busy later."
"Look for firewood that can be used for cooking. Come back before noon," Jauna instructed Kriyo. "Orid, help me transfer the medicines into the small containers on the table."
Both of them followed and began their tasks.
"Faram, I am running out of containers for my medicines. Please buy some in town. Also, take the medicines I finished yesterday and sell them."
"Understood."
"And do not forget what I always ask you to buy before you come home."
"Understood."
While the three were busy with their assigned tasks, Jauna began preparing lunch.
She had cassava and dried fish for the meal. They had run out of rice, and she had forgotten to ask Faram to buy some.
Kriyo returned before noon, but instead of firewood, he brought two wild boars.
"Who is going to butcher those?"
"I will."
"Sister, my brother knows how. It is part of our tradition that men must know how to hunt and provide food for the table, whether they are ordinary citizens or high officials in the nation. They are required to learn."
"I do not remember that being one of your traditions," Jauna said with a soft laugh. "What about firewood? We have nothing to use."
"I will gather some nearby," Orid replied.
Three hours passed, and the food was ready. They were all seated at the table.
"Faram will return later this afternoon. Let us set aside some food for him."
In the nation of Ruforia,
"Tsk. Two of them escaped," Randal Gauche shouted in frustration.
"What should we do, General? If they return, this could turn against us."
"Not everyone here is on our side."
"Arrest all allies of the Hirst family and imprison them."
It had been one week since they killed the Hirst family, the rulers of Ruforia. Their bodies had been burned. However, two of the children could not be found anywhere in the kingdom.
"No matter. We can begin the operation," he announced to his men. In his mind, he planned to slowly seize their wealth, revealing his true malicious intent.
Kriyo sighed as he thought of a plan before returning to their kingdom.
"As far as I know, you have relatives on another planet. What if you ask for their help?" Jauna suggested.
"I do not know how," Kriyo admitted, confused about how to reach out to their clan on another planet.
Kriyo's clan was the one that founded the nation of Ruforia. It followed a monarchy where the eldest son automatically inherited the authority to rule in the coming decades.
"I do not wish to interfere, but for the sake of restoring your nation, I will offer a little help."
"Thank you very much, Jauna." He was about to approach her to kiss her again, but he stopped himself. Instead, he turned into a cat and moved closer to her, asking to be carried.
A small black hole appeared beside Jauna. She reached inside and retrieved a special paper and a pen used for communication across planets. She wrote on it, and once she finished, the paper vanished into nothingness.
"We will wait for their response," she said as she gently stroked Kriyo in his cat form.