Cat father died.
He died in Cat mother's arms.
I didn't know what death was, or what it meant.
I only knew that my world would never again have that strong figure who let me sleep on his belly and played with me again and again.
Cat mother told me.
Cat father hadn't died.
He was just sleeping underground because his injuries were too severe.
She also told me not to be too sad.
Because...
Cat father couldn't bear to see his Little Princess cry.
So, for Daddy's sake, could our Little Princess be a little brave just this once?
I pressed close to Cat mother's paws, digging at the earth with my little claws.
Again and again, until it hurt,
because I had watched with my own eyes as Cat mother buried Cat father here.
I wanted Cat father to get up again and play hide-and-seek with me.
He always lifted me high with his paws.
I wanted him to groom my fur again, too.
Because I had always known—he was the father who had brought me into this world and raised me.
How could I truly feel nothing?
"Stop digging. Cat father is sleeping underground. Little Little, you can't disturb Daddy's rest, okay?"
"You're already half a year old. You're a sensible little cat now."
With tears blurring my eyes, I finally stopped digging.
My little paws were covered in dirt.
Cat mother took me away.
She said Cat father needed a quiet place.
I innocently asked her when Daddy would wake up and play with me.
Cat mother fell silent for a moment.
"One day, he will."
"When our Little Little finds her destined partner and lives happily ever after, Cat father will wake up and bless her."
At the time, I nodded solemnly, engraving her words