You are a cat demon

Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the unchanging laws of all things in the world. Unless one is a god with boundless magical powers, no one can escape the ultimate fate of death.

The big black dog is old.

Ten years have passed; it is no longer young.

The big black dog and Ruoye are the same age, just turned fifteen this year. Fifteen years old is the golden age of life for humans, like the vibrant morning sun, the long journey of life has just begun; but for a dog, it is already the late years of the setting sun, about to fall into the yellow earth, life is like the yellow leaves in the autumn wind, fleeting in an instant.

Its bodily functions are aging rapidly. It used to be able to hunt swiftly in the mountains, but now, even a short, quick run leaves it breathless and coughing uncontrollably, almost coughing up its lungs. Its appetite is also drastically decreasing. Before, it could eat a large bowl of meat at each meal and still feel unsatisfied, even finishing your portion (during its diet) and still wanting more. Now, it only manages two or three bites before its abdomen becomes uncomfortably bloated, with no appetite whatsoever. Wasting food is shameful, so it can only push its almost untouched food to you, thanking you for its bounty, since you're practically bursting at the seams.

During the last hunting trip, it longed for old trees to sprout new buds and withered trees to bloom anew, so it resolutely followed the main group into the mountains to hunt, wanting to show off its youthful vigor.

At the time, it was chasing a white fox with the other hunting dogs. Everything was going smoothly; the big black dog was moving with lightning speed, and it looked like it was about to bite the fox's large tail. Unexpectedly, the cunning white fox narrowed its long, narrow eyes, turned, and disappeared into a shallow riverbed. The slippery moss on the rocks caused the dog's paws to keep slipping, and the big black dog fell flat on its face, unable to get up. The big black dog could only lie weakly on the ground, howling futilely at the white fox that was fleeing further and further away, its voice filled with grief and helplessness. Perhaps due to the leader's mistake, the morale of the other hunting dogs plummeted, and in the end, the white fox escaped…

The big black dog is getting old. Just like people can't deny getting old, dogs can't deny getting old either.

Every time the sun sets, it lies in front of its house, gazing at the fiery red sunset over the mountain pass, admiring the fleeting twilight scenery. A trace of melancholy always appears on its face, flushed red by the sunset, perhaps as it recalls its ordinary life.

From a dog's perspective, you think the big black dog has lived a very happy life.

The big black dog lived in the home of Village Chief Zhang Qingshan since birth. Its master treated it well, and it never suffered hunger or cold. For fifteen years, it diligently performed its duties as a hunting dog, bringing its master plump and valuable prey in countless hunts, earning numerous accolades. It served as the pack leader in Sakura Village for over a decade, tasting the sweetness of power, commanding respect and awe. It also once had a happy family, having four litters of puppies with the neighbor's white female dog. Although the puppies were eventually given away, their whereabouts unknown, it is certain that some are still alive in this beautiful world, ensuring the continuation of its genes and bloodline, thus fulfilling the most primal purpose of animal reproduction…

The biggest luck in the big black dog's life was meeting a good owner.

In this era, dying peacefully in one's sleep is a luxury for everyone. Natural disasters and man-made calamities mean that you never know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.

Even if a dog doesn't die in hunting or war, it will still be ruthlessly abandoned when it gets old, weak, and no longer of use. Humans are so fickle, easily bored. Just a few days ago they might call a dog their precious darling, and today they might abandon it in some remote, impoverished village, sell it to a ruthless butcher, or even personally slaughter their beloved dog of over ten years with a knife, stick, and rope, skinning and gutting it for a dog meat feast. Thank goodness, that big black dog was truly blessed with good fortune and destiny, unlike its brethren in the village who suffered misfortune, and found a good owner willing to care for it until its death. Even though it was too old to walk, Village Chief Zhang Qingshan still tirelessly brought it food and water every day, and when the weather was cold, he would thoughtfully add extra layers of cotton to its kennel to keep it warm.

You feel that the big black dog has lived a life without any regrets. It has everything that others have, and it also has things that others don't have. It can completely draw a perfect end to its life.

You accompany it to admire the magnificent sunset, it remains silent, and you are speechless as well.

You've unknowingly spent over a dozen years in this world. If you were an ordinary cat, your life would probably be nearing its end, but you're a cat demon, and this is only one-fifth of your life yet; you have plenty of time left. It's just that as you get older, you tend to reminisce about the past.

Do you remember the first time you saw the big black dog?

That silly dog ​​seemed to have overestimated itself and provoked those goblins it didn't even consider a threat. It ended up getting itself into a mess, failing to bite any goblins and instead getting covered in mud, which infuriated Village Chief Zhang Qingshan…

It feels like just yesterday that the sunny and energetic hunting dog was happily hopping around in front of you. But a gust of wind blew by, and you shivered. The past was like a shattered mirror. The beautiful, worthy fragments were impossible for you to grasp. When you opened your eyes again, all you saw was an old dog with dry fur and dull, lifeless eyes.

For the first time, you felt the passage of time so closely, so oppressively, so helplessly, so impossible to ignore, that even you, with your usually cold heart, couldn't help but sigh in despair.

You just want to spend more time with it in its final days, as compensation for some of the unpleasant things that happened before.

Many animals and monsters possess the ability to sense death. For example, you cat monsters can roughly understand the physical condition of your prey, including the strength of their vitality, and thus decide whether to attack or wait. You can feel that the big black dog's flame of life is burning weaker and weaker; death is about to take it away.

It's as if you're the one being targeted by death, and your fear of an unexpected death is deeper than that of the big black dog.

You're becoming increasingly paranoid. Sometimes you'll be walking along peacefully when you're suddenly startled and jump up as if you're afraid that the Grim Reaper's scythe will accidentally hurt you.

Every night, the big black dog would whine heavily in its sleep, occasionally punctuated by a few muffled coughs and groans of discomfort. You would always wake up instantly, your big eyes wide open in the darkness. Once, you were half asleep when you suddenly felt a chill behind you, your neck tightened, and the hairs on your neck stood on end. Then, mechanically, you slowly turned your head, almost having your heart stop from fright.

It wasn't until dawn that you realized the dark figure you saw last night was actually the black cloak that Village Chief Zhang Qingshan had hung out to dry...

You're constantly on edge and anxious, while the big black dog seems completely unfazed by its inevitable demise. Although it's inappropriate to say such things at a time like this, the way it looks at you with pity is really annoying!

Winter goes and spring comes, lilies bloom...