Chapter 25 Devour
A white fur ball suddenly emerged from the bushes, and a few seconds later, small ears appeared from behind a stone bench not far away.
Slurp~
A pair of small ears poked out from the gap, and a crisp meow sounded: "Elena, you should sleep well. I will go and listen to their conspiracy~"
"No, I'm not worried—it's running so fast." Elena lowered her hand and glanced out the window, a mixture of laughter and tears. The little cat spirit always appeared and disappeared before her, fitting the legend of the elusive spirit.
After the little white cat left, the whole room became dim.
Elena averted her gaze and pulled the blanket over her. It would be a lie to say she wasn't worried at all. At least now she was a little worried about exposing the cat's secret.
She glanced in Melia's direction and was satisfied: the guy was sleeping soundly, his breathing was almost inaudible.
She probably hadn't noticed anything in this state. Elena closed her eyes in peace: after all, that little cat would definitely jump up and step on her face when it came back, yelling, "Another conspiracy against you~"
yawn.
…
The temple guards wore armor inlaid with iron plates, their boots clacking against the stone slabs. They carried scimitars or spears in their right hands and chatted with their companions as they walked.
After all, what foolish thief would dare to come to the Pantheon and act so recklessly? They wouldn't be able to make a move for ten years, so all they had to do was walk around in their shiny armor at the festival.
After the guard with shaggy legs had finished his shift with his colleagues, a ball of white fur suddenly popped out from the bushes. A few seconds later, small ears popped up from behind a stone bench not far away.
There is a vast courtyard behind the temple, which occupies a large area of the city of Rome.
There were pavilion-like covered buildings everywhere, some made of wood and covered with gauze to block prying eyes, while others were made of stone, with carvings of ancient myths and legends on their surfaces, like illustrations from a novel.
The little white cat ran from one corner to another, searching for the high priest everywhere: there were no mobile phones in those days, and the bad guys would definitely look for a chance to meet after they had finally succeeded.
Since she woke up in the temple today, it was most likely that Sura ran to the temple to meet with the high priest.
Empty, empty, and still empty...someone is there!
She pushed aside a pink gauze curtain, revealing several priests adorned in gold and silver. They sat in a circle around a stone table, which was laden with chicken, duck, fish, and the aroma of roasted shrimp. There was even a whole roasted chicken in a basket at the foot of the table.
Good man, wine and meat pass through the intestines, but remain in the heart of the gods, right?
The cat's head suddenly retracted, and she carefully crawled along the edge to get under the stool. A chicken bone fell in front of her, startling her.
Fortunately, no one noticed the commotion under the table, as they were chatting animatedly with flushed faces.
"Sura-sama is not as...generous as Muara-sama."
"After all, Lord Sura is of that kind—his family background, and his family property is still in the hands of his wife…"
“Hehehe, I wonder how much I can earn this time.”
"Don't talk too much. It's none of our business. Just eat well."
Above her head, there was the sound of people feasting. Melia listened for a long time, but the group didn't have any nutritious topics to talk about. Fortunately, someone let it slip that they would go to the tower to see Sura off later.
The direction of the tower...Sura is either at the bottom of the tower or inside it.
The kitten raised its tail, used the food box and chickens and ducks beside it to hide its small figure, and suddenly disappeared into the night.
…
Tower, tower, tower here!
Melia almost fell to the ground. Although she was faster after becoming a cat, running was still very tiring! She ran along the gravel road for a long time before reaching the tower behind the temple.
This tower is very similar to the bell towers of later generations, except that it does not have a clock, so I don’t know what it is used for.
A protruding stone platform was set up on the top floor, and all four sides were covered with a dense layer of soil that was almost concrete, leaving only holes that were suspected to be used for shooting and observation.
Melia pricked up her ears and looked around, but could not find any guards or priests.
Strange, aren't there guards downstairs while the bosses are talking upstairs? Could it be the legendary dark guards, shadow guards, who, as soon as they step into the corridor, will immediately jump out of the shadows and cut the enemy into fourteen pieces?
Waiting and watching is no solution. If we wait any longer, old man Sura will go home to sleep!
She steeled herself, straightened her back, and ran in briskly like a real cat: except that she didn't pay attention to moving her hands and feet at the same time.
Shu——Pull——
As soon as I stepped into the tower, a chilly wind blew along my back, ruffling my fur. "Eh, wouldn't the high priest bury the dead here?"
She trembled as she walked towards the stairs. There was a small sound in the shadows. Looking closely, she saw the outline of a person lying on the ground, with a little light in his eyes.
Ghost, ghost meow? !
Melia's tail stood up like an antenna, and she took several steps back.
"Ah..." A dry cry came from the darkness, like a broken bellows. Then, little by little, the shadow separated from the corner, revealing a skinny human figure.
The skeletal figure looked older than Taffy, but the ankle was not even as thick as the little girl's wrist, and the front of the bone seemed to be about to pierce the skin and nail the whole person to the ground.
Brush——
The skeleton moved on the ground, moving the cloth strips on its body: the human figure was only wrapped in a thin linen cloth. When it raised its head, revealing its slightly shriveled eyes, Melia realized it was her.
A skinny girl.
"Hah...hah..." The withered skeleton made a strange sound from its throat, and several fingers stretched out towards Melia, as if wanting to touch the cute furry life.
Melia hesitantly reached the steps, ready to climb, but unable to let go of the poor girl: she saw the chain hidden in the darkness.
The chain was long and thick enough to reach from the door to the first step, but that was all.
Without help, the girl wouldn't even have the freedom to eat, drink, or defecate, leaving her stranded on the first floor waiting to die. There were no food containers or toilets nearby. Was she a tortured slave locked up here?
Melia suddenly remembered what Elena had said. It seemed that some kind of punishment for sinners was starvation. The girl before her was wearing plain linen, but her body bore the markings of a temple. She must be a priest.
Maybe he was locked here because he violated the taboo of the temple.
She stepped on her paws hesitantly, and finally prepared to ask: "Meow~"
The first note popped out of his mouth, and his neck was gripped by a huge force.
"ah--!"
The skinny girl opened her mouth wide and stuffed the live cat into her throat.
"!" She opened her eyes slightly, as if she had thought of something, dragged the dizzy kitten out, pinched its neck and twisted it slightly.
Click.
I’m so hungry, so hungry, so hungry, so hungry—Ah!
Blood splattered into the mouth, and hot life flowed into the dry body.
Woo woo woo, so hungry... so...
"sorry……"
…
"Pah!" The kitten shuddered and nearly knocked over the basket.
Only when she heard the priests' laughter overhead did she lie down on the ground with her stiff paws.
Huh, was he just... eaten alive?!
There seemed to be traces of the girl's saliva and teeth marks on the neck and fur. The feeling of being swallowed into the mouth was so terrifying... Even if the pain in a cat's body was slightly less than that in a human's body, she didn't want to experience it a second time!
Melia shook her head with a headache and began to think about the current situation.
The chain was very long, and if I wanted to climb the stairs, I would definitely pass through the door. Did I take a detour from another Roman city? But that was just a pile of ruins, with no roof.
Should I climb in through the outer wall? Or should I run as fast as I can as soon as I enter the door so as not to alarm her?
The aroma of barbecue filled her nostrils, and Melia suddenly thought of that skinny arm: even when it grabbed her, the palm felt more like bone than soft flesh.
How long had she been hungry? She was so hungry that her instinctive reaction when she saw a living thing was to devour it whole, fur and skin included.
Melia shook her head. Since she was hungry, why not just bring her some food?
Well, I was really shocked by the memory of being eaten alive. I never thought of this.
She slowly poked her head out. The people at the table didn't even notice what was under their feet. They were still discussing how many young and beautiful concubines Sulla had hidden in the manor.
Melia gently bit the edge of the basket, and the world slowly shattered as the coin turned.
…
A moment later, a kitten appeared outside the tower.
She poked her head out to check for a moment, then stealthily grabbed a basket of roast chicken, almost as big as she was, and walked into the tower. The cold, damp air enveloped her, and her fur blew up like a dandelion.
Pasha, pasha, pasha.
Footsteps? Did Dad come early to feed me?
The withered bones huddled in the corner moved. She knew that the priest would not be so kind, but she still reached out from the shadows.
I'm so hungry, really so hungry. I lost too much blood in the past few days. If I don't eat, I'll die... Father, you should still care about her blood, right?
【I am still useful, I don’t want to die. 】
"Ah, ah..." She opened her mouth and let out a pitiful whine. In the days and nights that had passed, only such a sound could have aroused a little bit of sympathy from her father.
Pah!
The basket of roasted chicken spun and stopped before her, instantly seizing all her senses. Whether in her brain, eyes, or nose, only the echoes of roasting meat and spices remained.
She couldn't think about anything, just clamped her fingers around the roast chicken and took a bite.
The soft texture explodes between teeth, the seasoning leaves crumble upon contact, and blend with the juicy chicken. The scattered deliciousness is like a stream of clear spring water, injecting vitality into a parched body.
"Good, good." She muttered the words without even thinking about them, as she was already immersed in the unique enjoyment. In her meager memory, she had never felt such a full feeling.
Crunch, crunch. After a few soft chewing sounds, the bones and meat were crushed together and swallowed hard.
"Meow!"
A furry touch slapped my face. "Spit it out! You can't eat chicken bones! They'll puncture your trachea!!!"
The cat dug its claws into its mouth and stirred it around, but found nothing but saliva. The child's mouth was like a gulf swallowing everything, not even a scrap of flesh could be seen.
"Are you okay? Did you really swallow it? Doesn't your chest hurt..." The cat let out a muffled cry, then stared at her motionlessly, as if trying to see a flower.
It was the first time that the girl was looked at with such concern, and she lowered her head somewhat bewilderedly: she did not have the privilege of taking care of a pet, nor had she ever had friendly exchanges with her peers.
What should she do to avoid being disliked and beaten? Perhaps it was because she had a full stomach and her mind was able to work a little better. She didn't want this delightful little creature to leave so hastily, even if it didn't throw her any food.
Just as she stretched out her hand tentatively, slow footsteps were heard coming from upstairs.
The author has something to say:
Thanks to Lei Lei under Luo Mu Xiao Xiao~
Thanks to Yogurt, Inoue Hei, Ren Yi Sui Ta, Lobster Express, x, Jiu Qi, Cai Zi You, Seventeen, Free Internet Access is Illegal, and Starry Sunset for their support~
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