Cindy

The silent camp was already lit by a bonfire. Nord had Ryman boil some bread in a bowl, adding a bit of shredded dried meat. In his previous life, he'd never owned a cat, so he didn't know what such a young cat should eat, but given their current circumstances, a bowl of meat paste was already quite good.

Nord sat by the bonfire, a bowl of steaming meat paste in front of him. He looked down and saw that the little cat in his arms had woken up at some point. It was craning its head, gazing at the fragrant food below, its eyes filled with longing. However, after several days of hunger, it no longer had the strength to jump down from Nord's arms to eat, and even lifting its head required a great effort.

As Nord was thinking, the little Mountain Cat's craned head fell weakly, and it let out a whimper. It seemed it couldn't eat by itself anymore. Nord hadn't expected that he'd become a cat slave in this new world. There was nothing for it but to use a wooden spoon to bring the warm meat paste to the little Mountain Cat's mouth.

Seeing the food presented to its mouth, the little Mountain Cat perked up. It devoured the meat paste from the spoon in one gulp, closing its eyes with an expression of pure bliss. Nord found feeding the cat quite novel. No wonder so many cat owners in his previous life enjoyed it; feeding a cat was actually quite interesting. He fed it spoon by spoon until Nord realized that half the bowl of meat paste was gone.

Nord didn't dare feed it too much. People who had been hungry for too long shouldn't eat too much at once, and he figured it was the same for cats. He'd feed the remaining half bowl to it slowly, after it had digested some of the food in its stomach.

The little Mountain Cat in his arms waited for a long time, then realized the food wasn't coming as expected. It couldn't help but turn its head to look at Nord, its pure eyes seemingly saying, Hurry up, I'm still hungry!

Looking at the little Mountain Cat's adorable appearance, Nord felt a slight urge to laugh. He stroked its small head and began to speak to it, regardless of whether it could understand.

"You can't eat any more. Stop and rest for a bit."

The little Mountain Cat looked up at Nord for a long time, then realized he really wouldn't give it any more food. It instantly became dejected, lowering its head and hiding in Nord's arms to rest.

Watching the dancing flames, Nord's heart felt incredibly peaceful at that moment. He had a feeling that this trip into the mountains was different from before; he would definitely gain something.

The next morning, Nord awoke from his sleep, stretched, and realized the little Mountain Cat he'd placed beside him last night was gone. A faint sense of loss welled up in Nord's heart. Did it really leave? Last night, Nord had fed the remaining half bowl of meat paste to the little Mountain Cat, and the full and content little Mountain Cat had quickly fallen asleep. So, Nord had let it rest comfortably beside him.

He hadn't expected it to be gone this morning. Perhaps it belonged to the mountains after all. He hoped he would see it again in the future, though whether it would still recognize him then was uncertain. Thinking this, Nord stood up.

He inadvertently noticed a small figure standing by the extinguished bonfire, perched on a stone beside it, craning its head to look at the wooden bowl that had held the meat paste last night.

The joy of recovering something lost surged in Nord's heart. Fate is truly wondrous. In just one day, the little Mountain Cat seemed to have become an emotional anchor for Nord, something he found hard to let go of.

Walking to the bonfire, Nord smiled as he watched it stare blankly at the wooden bowl. The little Mountain Cat also noticed Nord approaching and turned to look at him.

"Meow~"

Nord didn't understand the meaning of the little Mountain Cat's meow, but he understood what it meant: Why is the delicious food in the bowl gone? Nord squatted down and stroked the little Mountain Cat's head.

"I'll make some more for you later, you little glutton."

"Meow~"

The little Mountain Cat didn't resist Nord's petting. It easily jumped off the stone, its body still somewhat thin, and squatted by Nord's feet.

Soon, Ryman and the others had lit the fire and began preparing breakfast. The same meat paste was once again placed in front of the little Mountain Cat. This time, Nord didn't need to feed it; the little Mountain Cat had regained its mobility.

However, the scalding hot meat paste left the little Mountain Cat helpless. It cautiously extended its tongue for a lick, only to be burned by the heat. It couldn't help but start circling the wooden bowl, unsure how to begin eating.

Nord ate his fragrant, crispy bread, watching the little Mountain Cat eat with great interest. After circling the wooden bowl a few times and realizing it truly couldn't get to the food, the little Mountain Cat looked up at Nord and let out a few seemingly spoiled meows.

"Meow~"

Nord watched the little Mountain Cat's adorable antics, a smile constantly on his face. Since it had spoken up, Nord couldn't just stand by. He took out a wooden spoon and began stirring the bowl, occasionally scooping out a spoonful to feed the impatient little Mountain Cat waiting beside him.

Once the steam dissipated, he let the little Mountain Cat eat by itself, while Nord stood up and called to Ryman, signaling that they could pack up and depart.

The little Mountain Cat quickly finished the meat paste in the bowl and looked up at Nord. Coincidentally, Nord also looked down at the little Mountain Cat. Their gazes met—one pure, the other full of expectation.

"Little Mountain Cat, do you want to come with me?"

Nord squatted down again and extended his hands to the little Mountain Cat. Without any hesitation, the little Mountain Cat leaped into Nord's arms. Joy once again filled Nord's heart.

Holding the little Mountain Cat above his head, looking at this hunter of the jungle, this spirit of the night, Nord wondered what name he should give it.

"Cindy! You'll be called Cindy. From now on, you'll also be a king of the jungle!"

Just as he was rejoicing, a System message flashed before his eyes.

A Black Mountain Cat has joined the party.

At this moment, Nord's heart was full of questions. He had never imagined that an animal could also be a Troop Type. How many more unknown functions did the System have waiting for him to discover? Nord wished so much for a guide to be placed before him, instead of having to stumble around on his own like this.

Of course, this was just Nord grumbling to himself. In a flash, his attention was drawn to the new message. Opening Cindy's panel, Nord was still a bit curious.

Name: Cindy

Race: Mountain Cat LV1 (0/100)

Attributes: Strength 1 (5) Agility 2 (10) Intelligence 2 (6) Charm 4 (9)

Cindy's panel was even simpler than a human's; there was no mention of weapon proficiency. And Nord found that Cindy, being only a little over a month old, indeed had very low attributes. Except for Charm, the others were unremarkable. As expected, being cute was the ultimate path!

Moreover, Nord also found information in the Troop Type interface. Nord couldn't help but wonder where to recruit this Troop Type. Capturing a Black Mountain Cat in the mountains would be more trouble than it was worth. Not to mention the combat power of a Black Mountain Cat, its agile movements alone would make it difficult to catch. Nord's gaze fell on Cindy. Nord saw that Cindy was a female cat. It seemed that in the future, this Troop Type would have to rely on Cindy to flourish. The little one had a long and arduous journey ahead. The naive Cindy had no idea that Nord had already set his sights on its descendants.

Troop Type: Mountain Cat

Troop Type Information: A unique Troop Type of the Mountain Cat clan. They are graceful hunters, darlings of the mountains. Their agile movements allow them to move through the mountains without a trace. Their combat power is even more outstanding when fighting at night. Prey often dies silently in their sleep.

Troop Type Attributes: Strength 5 Agility 10 Intelligence 6 Charm 9

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