salum blinked, their blue eyes widening. "are you sure?" they peered down at the cat with a questioning gaze before turning to hear a raspy, elder voice as it spoke, "no. me, azmarelda and marybelle will do it. we are far too old to survive in the wild, unlike all of you." salum saw a small, frail she-cat looking out, her brittle bones and shot nerves shaking. they then said something they had never thought that they would utter, "your life would not end in vain. we thank you for this."