Chapter 151 Territorial Wars (Part 4)
I woke up to a tremor.
The blinding light flickered and cast white shadows before my eyes, while the dark red torch rose grandly as if it had been doused with oil, emitting a hissing sound.
A rumbling tremor came from the distant earth, and a faint howl rose in the chaotic air, as if a sleeping dragon had been awakened by a foolish intruder and, as it slowly rose, spewed a deep roar from the bottom of its throat, containing a strong dragon breath.
Before I could fully open my eyes to see what was happening around me, a pair of warm hands reached under my abdomen and pulled me into a soft embrace.
"Ah, Mr. Yumi, are you awake?"
A surprised whisper sounded in my ear, and a warm, moist breeze brushed against my upturned earlobes, stirring the fine downy hairs and making me shiver involuntarily.
Warm and soft hands gently rubbed between my ears and then stroked down my spine several times, causing me to subconsciously tilt my head back, open one half-closed eye, and look at that familiar face.
Wearing a fluffy coat, Hikari seemed to be crouching by the wooden wall on one side of the cabin, holding me. The bright morning light illuminated half of her face, which was nervously peeking out, while the rest remained hidden in the shadows, as if afraid of revealing her presence.
I glanced sideways, carefully examining the shadow so close to my claws. Its pale color and depth bore no resemblance to any shadow space I knew that could contain darkness. I wondered where that creature, who always came and went so casually and often seemed to be asleep, had gone.
I strained my ears and listened intently for a while to see if any sounds were being muffled by the wind and snow outside the window.
The howling wind, rising and falling, was unbearable for my ears, which have a higher hearing range than most people. The sturdy wooden cabin was also shaken by the wind, and in some places where the joints were not perfectly joined, it made a series of colliding and twisting noises.
But I still managed to catch the sound I expected.
It was the soft hum of a sword being drawn, carrying a hint of unrestrained joy and agile freedom, like a wild horse breaking free of its reins, cutting through the wind, frost, rain, and snow, and bringing all the surrounding wind and snow under its control, attempting to stir up the landscape of heaven and earth with its own power.
Carefully extending your attention to that area, you can sense the presence of a pack of greyish-white wolves standing ten meters away, suppressing low growls in their throats. They seem to be sharpening their claws, as if examining their prey for any openings that could allow them to strike and kill them instantly.
Then came a cacophony of neighing horses, and the occasional powerful hoofbeats amidst the chaos. Judging from the sound of the hooves, it seemed to be the leader of the Pegasus, trying to drive away the approaching wolves by kicking them to protect its herd from the wolves.
Withdrawing my senses, I quickly checked the surrounding area again, but found no trace of Annie, nor did I notice Ai'an, who slept in the next room last night.
Hikari gently stroked the fur on my back, warm white light blooming at her fingertips, soothing us with that pure warmth: "It's alright, it's just a pack of wild gray wolves that suddenly ran up from the foot of the mountain, and Miss Miyuki happened to spot them, so we have to go and drive them away. It will be over soon."
Her voice trembled slightly at the end, clearly indicating that she knew it was all just self-deception.
If things were as she said, this silly girl wouldn't have needed to cling to me under the windowsill, and her soft body wouldn't have trembled slightly with fear.
The defensive barrier surrounding the cabin, intended for protection and early warning, had broken at some point, and even the several early warning mechanisms I had repaired had not made a sound.
This is a bizarre situation. Could it be that someone deliberately came here, secretly removed the outer barrier, and then deliberately lured over those gray wolves that serve no purpose other than to harass us?
I thought of the abandoned laboratory that Miyuki mentioned last night, which she had unexpectedly discovered in that cave.
However, assuming the above is true, the fact that that guy can do this proves that his abilities are superior to ours. So, wouldn't it be better to just wipe us all out instead of engaging in such troublesome and potentially fruitless harassment? It's like trying to propel a boat against a bridge.
I thought about it for a while, but couldn't figure out why, so I had to refocus my attention.
Right now, it seems that Hikari is the one who needs to be comforted more than I am.
Feeling a bit warm from being hugged, I tried to twist my body. After several attempts, I finally managed to roll over, put my two front paws on the girl's shoulders, and gently lick her cheeks with the tip of my tongue.
I am now just an ordinary cat carrying a human soul. I have no ability to help solve the current situation and can only passively stay here waiting for protection. After thinking it over, I can only try to put aside my slight shame as a human and use the most reliable behavior to soothe the panicked little fool.
There are advantages to becoming a cat.
Compared to the shame, vigilance, and scheming that we humans need to constantly be mindful of, fluffy and adorable little animals are perfect creatures that can make anyone with a soft heart unable to resist overflowing with love.
But I don't quite understand Hikari's next move.
After I repeatedly rubbed the girl's cheeks and the back of her head with the tip of my tongue, her body, which had been trembling slightly, suddenly froze in place.
Then, the next moment, Hikari, who had resumed her movements, suddenly pulled me close to her, stared at me with wide eyes for a long time, and her cheeks suddenly turned red, as if she had been exposed to the cold wind for too long. Her palms, which held me, were slightly hot, making me worry that this silly girl might have caught a cold because she was wearing too little clothing and had been squatting against the cold wall for a long time.
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