[Both leads have only ever loved each other + childhood sweethearts + career comes first, romance later]
Xue Ya opens her eyes and discovers she's become a kitten.
She's tiny enough to fit in someone's palm. Her paws are pink, her eyes are blue, and she trips after just a couple of steps. Even after she falls, she just stares around in a daze, with no idea where she is.
Her mother picks her up by the scruff, and all four little paws dangle, along with her tail, making her look like a limp, fuzzy caterpillar.
Her mother sets her on the ground, and she curls into a little ball, tilting her head up to look at everyone. Her ears swivel back and forth, her face saying, “Who are you people?”
Later, she grows up and takes human form. She can grow crops, dig ditches, and lead her tribe into battle.
But when she's utterly exhausted, she still turns into a cat and curls up by the fire, making herself into a tiny ball.
The wolf keeps watch beside her without a word, occasionally lowering his head to lick hers.
“I never had a home,” he says.
She opens her eyes and looks at him.
Then she turns back into a cat, nuzzles into his arms, finds the most comfortable spot, and goes back to sleep.
