Chapter 99 - VERONICA'S EMOTIONS

"!!!" Veronica's eyes widened in shock. She felt a sharp pain shooting all over her body before making her body grow numb. She couldn't stand anymore and fell onto the hot sandy ground.

The cat seemed to notice her unusual behavior and asked her cautiously, "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Veronica couldn't speak or breathe. Her brain stopped working as well. The tremendous pain paralyzed her completely.

The cat was looking at her but something else caught his eyes. He was startled.

He panicked, "Oh no!  A cougar is coming toward us. We have to leave. Hurry!"

A successful and opportunistic predator, the cougar will eat any animal it can catch, from insects to large ungulates. A cat wouldn't be spared either.

Veronica's head spun. She didn't even hear what he just said.

The cat nudged her body, urging her to run but she was unable to move.

Veronica cried in her heart. 'Hurts! It hurts all over! Save me! Save me from this pain. Someone! Anyone! Arthur!'

The cat saw that she was as good as dead. The cougar saw its prey and closed in. "Since you want to die, then die. I'm going!" The cat turned around and fled from the dangerous predator.

[E/N: Noo, Monty left her to die ] 

As for cougars, they usually hunt at night or during the gloaming hours of dawn and dusk. These felines employ a blend of stealth and power, stalking their prey until an opportunity arrives to pounce, then going for the back of the neck with a fatal bite. They will hide large carcasses and feed on them for several days.

Veronica is going to be a meal for this predator if she doesn't move fast.

Veronica opened her eyes. The sun was going down. The intense sunlight directly hit her eyes and made her feel dizzy. Somehow, she managed to open her eyes.

At that moment, a shadow fell over her body. She felt better. 'It can't be a tree…' she thought and looked up to see what it was.

And, her whole body chilled.

It was the very cougar that was looming over her body. It hungrily licked its lips. The predator felt lucky to get himself a beautiful, tasty-looking morsel. It was drooling.

Roar!!!

Upon hearing its roar from such close proximity, Veronica lost consciousness.

Not even a human could stand a cougar's roar up this close.

Before she shut her eyes, she saw a figure running toward her. The person was desperate to reach her.

'Is it Arthur? Must be my imagination.'

That's the last thing she heard.

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The commotion in the tent woke Veronica up from her deep slumber. Everyone sounded so busy as they walked quickly. Someone even ran out of the room.

'What's going on?' Veronica thought. The sharp pain was still evident in her heart. It became more bearable since every joint of her body was in the same pain.

She slowly opened her eyes and what greeted her was a bloody scene. For a moment, she forgot the throbbing pain in her body. It was as though her heart was forcefully stopped.

On the bed near the window, Veronica saw an unconscious Arthur, who seemed to be severely injured. His body was bandaged all over. Still, blood was dripping through the bandages.

"He fought the cougar empty-handed to save his pet. He couldn't act recklessly since the kitten was so close to the cougar. So, he wasn't able to fight properly. And, look what happened to him." 

"He must care for the cat dearly. To fight a ferocious animal just to save a pet is unheard of."

"That's our Arthur. He is always soft-hearted toward the things he likes."

The women were whispering after treating his wounds. They didn't notice the cat was already awake.

'This is all my fault. Because of me, he suffered. I'm the one to blame.' Although she thought that, her body was trembling in unbearable pain.

The ladies left so that Arthur could rest.

Veronica gritted her teeth and bore the pain before standing up. Her body shivered but she didn't care. With her trembling legs, she jumped onto the bed and went close to Arthur step by step.

When she finally reached him, she rubbed his hand with her head. His forehead was sweaty due to pain. His eyes were tightly shut.

She looked at his face for a while and then let out a chuckle. 'Now I know. I fell in love with him. Just like those girls in the books, I'm foolishly in love with a pervert. I'm like those side characters. I can't have a better male lead.'

Then, she scolded him inwardly, 'Bad Arthur. Why did you save me? If you didn't, I wouldn't have realized my feelings. You don't even like me. Yet, I'm going to suffer like the rest of the women. How can my first love be so pitiful?'

She cursed her bad luck in her mind. She also knew she was a foolish girl to fall into his sweet trap even though she would gain nothing from him. 'No matter how much you dislike me or avoid me for liking you, I don't think I will be able to do that. I like you not that I want to get something from you. I'm not that petty. My feelings for you are unconditional. And, it is my burden to bear. It has nothing to do with you.'

'No matter what, I will save you,' thinking that she placed her paws on his chest and shut her eyes.

She recalled what Saint Ava taught her. She relaxed her body, forgot about everything else, even her pain, trying to surge up her healing power.

Nonetheless, her power wasn't enough to heal him entirely. 'No, this can't be. I have to save him. I must save him. I can't let him die here, not on my watch. I love him!'

At that moment, a bright light came out of her small paws and pierced through the tent.