You are a cat demon

Two young, strong male cat demons faced each other with their backs arched, their gazes meeting in a flash that seemed to spark with electricity. Tension was high, and a great battle was about to erupt.

A female cat demon sitting among the purple clover elegantly licked her neck fur, then looked up at this one with interest, then at that one, her face a mixture of conflicted allure. When everything is only for the purpose of reproduction, there is no sincerity whatsoever. But the fact that a young and beautiful female's gaze lingered on a male for a moment naturally became the fuse. Influenced by natural impulses, the male's fighting spirit intensified.

Your gaze shifted back and forth between the two howling males about to fight and the young, beautiful female, but actually, most of your attention was drawn to the female. Soon, you instinctively stretched out your front paws and scratched your face a few times, somewhat like slapping yourself a few times.

You came here to watch adult males compete for mates? You're dreaming.

But the female was truly beautiful, with a graceful figure and glossy fur. Even the flowers at her feet paled in comparison, making you want to look at her more. More importantly, she was a calico.

The term "calico" refers to a coat with a mixture of black, orange, and white fur, also known as "tortoiseshell." The vast majority of calico cats are female. Of course, there are rare exceptions, such as encountering an extremely awkward situation where the "beauty" you're pursuing is actually a male. However, the probability of this is extremely small, less than one in 400,000—smaller than the probability of being killed by a rabbit, practically negligible. Incidentally, male calico cats are infertile. The reason calico cats are so popular among feline demons is that fur color is determined by genes. A more varied fur color indicates greater genetic diversity, which translates to better genes, better health, and less susceptibility to disease. Feline demons inheriting these high-quality genes naturally have a higher survival rate.

It was precisely because of these reasons that the two males were willing to fight tooth and nail to win the heart of this beauty.

The two males were evenly matched, fighting back and forth for more than a dozen rounds without a clear victor. One male had a shockingly large gash on its neck, and it seemed that even a slight gust of wind could rip its head off. The other male was in no better shape, with numerous wounds on its side and abdomen, and all the fur around its wounds was gone.

You couldn't help but swallow.

If you were in that situation, you'd probably be torn to shreds in less than a round, regardless of which of those two males you were fighting. I remember a while back you fought a one-eyed cat demon about your age, and you won with only minor injuries. You were so happy then, thinking you were invincible. Looking back now, that was just child's play; you really didn't know there were always stronger people out there.

But there's one thing you find strange.

Last time, you fought those cat demons to save your own life—a matter of life and death. Yet they fought so fiercely just for one or a few females, getting injured like this over mating rights and the chance to reproduce. And you'll follow in their footsteps, becoming just as insane. You wonder, is reproduction really more important than life itself?

You're even more surprised at why you're thinking so much.

For thousands of years, cat demons have lived this way. Their purpose in life is simply twofold: to hunt for food and to reproduce. Hunting for food sustains their lives, while reproduction perpetuates them. To hunt for food, who hasn't devoted countless hours to finding and capturing prey? To reproduce, who hasn't etched themselves with eternal scars symbolizing the vicissitudes of life?

You think you're the abnormal one.

The battle was finally coming to an end.

The male, with a wounded neck, pounced on his injured opponent, pinning him down in a lunge, though the latter struggled desperately to break free. The battle was over; the loser fled in disarray, while the victor held his head high, displaying his valiant prowess to the female beside him. For the cat demon, nothing was more precious than victory in the arena. Finally, the beautiful calico female gently approached, nuzzling its neck for a moment, affectionately licking its wounds. The cat demon's saliva had anti-inflammatory properties, effectively healing the injury. Clearly, the bells of victory had rung for it.

You know the battle here is over, and if you haven't had enough, you'll have to go somewhere else to find another arena to watch.

You hadn't gone far when suddenly you felt a chill creep up from behind.