In order to find Mimi as soon as possible, everyone ultimately split into three groups.

But the weather was too cold, it had already dropped below freezing.

What started as raindrops, due to the low temperature, quickly turned into sleet. Tiny snow pellets hit the face, causing a fine and dense pain.

Yet, Cecilia seemed not to feel anything at all, continuing forward without any sense.

Now it was completely dark, and she was truly afraid that Mimi might encounter some accident. The girl bit her lip stubbornly, fearing that tears might fall from her eyes.

She only wished heaven would bless that little one with good health.

...

"Mimi, if you hear me, can you say something?"

Amidst the wind and rain, Cecilia’s alpaca coat was drenched with water, clinging to her in a state of despair and becoming a burden. The bone-chilling cold rose from her feet, numbing her limbs.

But Cecilia couldn’t worry about any of that now. Her fingers were cold as ice, and she forcefully parted the shrubs.

At this moment, she slipped. The damp climate of Riverdell made the mountain paths muddy and difficult to walk, especially on such a stormy winter night.

With a lack of attention, Cecilia lost her balance and fell hard onto the slope. She managed to grip a long vine tightly, barely preventing further descent.

Despite wearing thick clothes, her arms and ankles were scratched by the shrubs, and even a delicate line across her neck appeared at some unknown time.

"Hiss..."

Cecilia gasped softly, neglecting her own miserable state, and scrambled up from the mire as quickly as possible.

Her mind was solely focused on that little white bundle. If anything really happened to Mimi, Cecilia didn’t know how she would cope.

Even just thinking about it made her eyes sting.

Mimi, little one, you mustn’t be in trouble.

There was even a moment when Cecilia hoped that the mischievous thing was still at The Law Residence, just playing hide and seek with them. She could accept all the suffering on the desolate mountain today!

...

The rain poured even more fiercely.

It seemed the heavens were particularly unsympathetic to their cat-searching efforts today. The sleet turned back into a heavy downpour, the fierce northern wind howled past, making everyone shiver.

It was really too cold.

If Mimi was here without any shelter from the rain, how desolate and helpless it must feel!

Thinking about that chubby little one, Cecilia gritted her teeth and decided not to use the large black umbrella anymore to shield from the rain.

Anyway, she was soaked through, getting a little more drenched wouldn’t make a difference.

"Mimi, where are you? Can you come out, please!"

She began using the large umbrella to clear the way, sweeping aside the bushes and brambles ahead.

"Mimi!"

Holding an extended high beam flashlight, Cecilia swung it wildly in front of her, when suddenly, she heard a very faint sound.

Woo——

The sound was hoarse, like a whimper from someone whose throat was being squeezed, but most strangely, it didn’t sound human nor like a cat’s call.

Cecilia’s hearing had always been excellent, even in this stormy night it didn’t fail her.

"Mimi, is that you? Mimi? If you hear me, can you respond again?"

Cecilia swung the high beam flashlight, attempting to scour the surroundings to find the source of that sound.

But the bushes on the mountain were dense, and Cecilia couldn’t discern where the call came from.

The sound soon disappeared again.

...

Cecilia’s heart pounded nervously. For some unknown reason, an inexplicable intuition arose. She felt certain it was Mimi.

Was Mimi really here?

Cecilia felt extremely anxious, repeatedly shouting Mimi’s name, pausing for three seconds, trying to catch any subtle sound.

To Cecilia’s excitement, an intermittent hoarse cry resonated in the air again.

Weak and extremely coarse, it didn’t sound like Mimi’s usual whimper when being coy or attempting to be angry, instead, it carried an indescribable fear.

Cecilia’s heart skipped a beat, she was exceptionally thrilled. Though the sound was significantly different, she felt she hadn’t made a mistake.

Following the direction of the sound, Cecilia strained to identify the path with her flashlight, finally discovering the little one in a thicket-strewn swamp.

Only, where Mimi usually appeared like a bundle of white jade, her fur was soaked through by the rain, pathetically resembling a stray dog. Her once glimmering heterochromatic eyes blinked weakly, completely losing her usual cute demeanor.

Yet Cecilia didn’t care at all whether Mimi was pretty or ugly; an intense joy instantly seized her heart!

"Mimi, you’re really here! Don’t be afraid! Don’t be afraid! I’ll get you out of here now..."

Cecilia excitedly wiped her tears. Despite her vision blurring from the rain, she maintained a strangely high-spirited energy.

Just finding Mimi was better than anything else.

She arduously parted the brambles, her hands covered in scratches from the shrubs, but she didn’t care at all, leaning in to find Mimi was also covered in injuries.

Her heart ached; she gently picked up the little fellow with the softest touch.

The area was all mud, Cecilia was splattered with mud, her hair limp against her temples, looking as if she’d been fished out of a mud pit, earthy to the extreme, but she didn’t care.

Nothing was more important than Mimi’s safety.

"Mimi, it’s alright now, Mimi, I’m taking you back, back to our home..."

Cecilia’s nose tingled with emotion, trying to gently stroke Mimi’s drooping fur. Unexpectedly, the little one, usually so close to her, hung its head atypically, not even willing to meet her gaze with its blue and green eyes. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Mimi, what’s wrong?"

Cecilia sensed something amiss. While sending her location to Adrian Law, she hurried forward, trying to find a vet to treat Mimi as soon as possible.

Mimi opened her lips slightly. Cecilia’s flashlight was not aimed directly at Mimi, as she feared the strong light might hurt the cat’s eyes.

But in the side light, Cecilia clearly saw Mimi’s mouth.

Cecilia was shaken to the core, her arm trembled, almost dropping the shivering little one.

Because with the heavy rain, not much blood was visible on Mimi’s body, but... there was blood all over Mimi’s mouth...

Most importantly... Mimi’s tongue was gone...

Severed at the root, a bloody mess.

...

Tears instantly burst from Cecilia’s eyes, one drop after another, as if the torrential sound of wind and rain stopped at this moment.

Mimi, her Mimi...

How could this happen?

At this moment, she felt nothing but intense pain.

Heart-wrenching, unbearable grief.

The dark clouds in the sky gradually covered the entire Stellerton, a long and dark night, with no end in sight...