Chapter 1

I jerk my head. My target is there. Black. Black means home.

I pull my wings into my body. Wind whooshes past; trees below me. I dive. Leaves whoosh past; trees above me. I thrust my talons out. I dig into leather. Flap, flap, flap. Green eyes. Like the trees above me.

I chirp. He smiles. Pale skin. Yellow hair. Grass in the summer hair. Green eyes. Like the trees.

Black gloves; leather feathers holding meat. Snatch. Look up, thrust head upwards. Sliding down my throat. Shake. Ruffle. He laughs. I chirp.

From the trees, a crackle. I jerk my head. He does too. Crackle again. He frowns. The black horse murmurs. I chirp. He lifts his arm and I leap into the air. Flap, flap, flap. His leg swings over. Black feathers grab the reins.

Flap. Trees above. Flap, flap. Trees below. Cry out, "Kee-kee-kee!"

The other horses stomp. The other men yell.

I slowly swing my form around, air beneath my wings and prey below. I flap. Away from the green eyes and black feathers. Lose the yelling men. All before the sun sets.

"Sabrina!"

The mousy redhead winced, shifting towards her lady and gazing at the clean black shoes resting on the floor of the carriage. "My lady?"

"Sabrina, what is this on my face?"

The handmaid raised her eyes up along the smooth blue fabric of the skirt, the black lace cinching a corset beyond its capacity, the golden chain barely holding up a large pendant, up into the icy blue eyes of her lady, the daughter of the Marquis of Paris, Chloe of the House of Bourgeois. Sabrina stammered nervously. "M-m-makeup, my lady?"

Chloe hissed, "No! It's dirt! Dirt tainting my flawless skin!" Sabrina scrambled for a handkerchief as Chloe carried on. "This will not stand! I must look absolutely impeccable! I must look fit to be a duchess!" Sabrina struggled to gently remove the dirt as Chloe reached into her bag and pulled out a small painting. "My darling Adrien mustn't see me like this," she cooed to the picture. A young man stared back at her, boredom in his green eyes and discomfort in his lips. A large hat sat above his sandy blond hair and a blue jerkin held him captive.

Sabrina nodded politely. "Of course, my lady." She finally removed the offending bit of soil, leaning back into her seat. "You must be rather excited."

"Of course I am!" Chloe tilted her head, daydreaming. "Imagine! We'll arrive at the castle and he'll see me, but how I've changed after all these years. If he falls in love with me quickly enough, I won't even have to go back to Paris! Oh, the feasts, the parties, and of course, Adrien will shower me with exquisite gowns!" She sighed happily. "Not to mention all the social events I'll get to attend." She squeaked. "Christmas with the king! Can you imagine?"

Sabrina smiled encouragingly, beaming for her lady's good fortune. Chloe's eyes turned from joy to slight disdain. "No, I don't suppose you can." The handmaid's shoulders sank.

The sound of hoofbeats startled the two; Sabrina lifted the flap concealing the window. "Guards, it looks like." The carriage slowed to a stop and the girls heard voices. The handmaiden squinted her eyes, trying to make out the scene only ten feet away. "It's… two guards. They're wearing all violet, with Comte Agreste's symbol on it."

Chloe gasped. "The comte must have sent them to escort us! Oh, Sabrina, isn't that so thoughtful?"

The handmaid chose not to listen as Chloe continued rambling about her new life as the comtesse, instead focusing her blue eyes on the new guards on horseback. She found it hard to shake the feeling that something was off. If Comte Agreste was genuinely concerned for their safety, why send only two guards?

There was a few minutes of talking before the carriage was set into motion again. Sabrina sat back against her seat, considering for a moment before Chloe barked at her and assumed all of her attention once more.

The carriage moved at a painfully slow pace, the thick green of the forest rising on either side of the road. Perched in a tall branch, a muscled young man sat picking at an arrowhead. He watched as the carriage crawled towards the slight curve of the road, where the vegetation grew too thick to see far ahead or behind. He had become accustomed to the waiting game, though it still frustrated him.

Beside him, where the branch met the trunk of the large tree, a smaller girl with pink hair yawned. "Are they there yet, Kim?"

"Not yet." Kim removed his archer's hat and pressed his fingers to his forehead, absentmindedly running them through the blond streak in his otherwise dark brown hair. "We just have to be patient, Alix."

"Ugh!" The girl crossed her arms and huffed. "Can't they speed things up? What's the point of the comte sending guards if it's just gonna slow them down?"

"That's kinda the point." Kim lifted his eyes to a flash of red in the sky. As the carriage rounded the corner and slowed at the curve in the road, a falcon swung low above them. Kim grinned and pulled his hat down, nocking an arrow on the string of his bow. "Get ready, Alix."

The girl was already up, a leather band in her hands. "I was born ready."

Above them, the falcon gleamed red in the afternoon sun. The bird let loose a scream, diving towards the carriage.

"That's the signal!" Kim fired three shots in front of the guards. With each arrow, the horses leaped and jumped back. The uniformed men drew their swords.

Kim was too far to hear the guards, but he knew what they were saying. Robbers! From the east side!

The archer nocked his final arrow, firing and rooting it in the thick wood of the carriage doorway. He set down his bow as he pulled the rope taut, the other end secured by Alix against the trunk of the tree. Kim smirked at her. "Try not to have too much fun."

"As if." She tossed the leather band over the rope, letting out a whoop as she zipped down the line and out into the open air. Alix rode the rope down to the carriage door, where she pressed her feet against the wood and jumped to the ground. She pulled out a small dagger and ran at the marquis's guards.

No sooner had the men swung at her than she slid the dagger against the straps securing their saddles and darted back into the brush. The men paused, exchanged confused glances, and then cried out as their weight caused the saddles to slip off of their mounts and they crashed to the ground. The horses squealed and galloped away, freed from their riders.

Comte Agreste's men, who were still saddled, called back to the coachman and the 4 guards of the marquis, "Keep your eyes ready! There may be more!"

The group trained their gaze on the east side, picking out a few shadows that moved among the trees. Above them, the red falcon darted back and forth over the trees, crying out and drawing the attention of the guards.

Meanwhile, five figures moved silently from the west side of the road. The first was Alix, who had circled around the troupe without being noticed. She climbed the carriage soundlessly and perched beside the unaware coachman. She cleared her throat and he turned, jolting in his seat. She smirked before punching him in the face.

Before the marquis' guards could react, each had been shoved to the ground, their faces in the dirt. The guards were bound with their hands behind their back in moments, crying out to the comte's guards for help.

The duo in violet watched from horseback, unconcerned. One of the guards grinned and removed his uniform to reveal a green jerkin with a turtle symbol embroidered in the front. He tossed his violet cap and lifted a green hood over his eyes. "Another successful robbery, my lady."

His companion removed her uniform to reveal an orange tunic with a fox symbol embroidered in the front. She removed her cap and small, fabric fox ears poked up among her long auburn hair, which was secured in a ponytail. "As always."

The attackers took their time with the loot, unlacing the various satchels that were secured on top of the carriage. From inside, Sabrina and Chloe sat huddled and afraid. The marquis' daughter suddenly felt a flush of anger and shoved her handmaiden away, opening the door and yelling, "How dare you!"

All eyes turned to the mademoiselle, who realized very quickly she was outnumbered. Chloe cleared her throat, steeled her gaze, and cried out, "Who is in charge here! I demand to speak to your leader!"

The red falcon swung low, it's talons reaching to Chloe's hair. The girl yipped and ducked, watching as the falcon flapped again and alighted on the arm of its owner.

The bandit leader wore all black save for a small golden medallion that hung around his neck. Black fabric cat ears rose amongst his sandy blond hair, which hung over the black mask and spring green eyes.

As he approached, the bandit let out a short gasp, his eyes searching her face. He whispered, "Chloe?"

The falcon flapped its wings and took to the air, knocking the cat back to reality. He dismounted and approached the carriage with a grin on his face, reaching out a gloved hand to take Chloe's. "Didn't mean to spoil your road trip, mademoiselle. My name is Chat Noir, and these are les miraculeux, the bandits of Fontainebleau Forest."

Chloe stood shellshocked for a moment, before she regained her composure and yelled, "What is the meaning of this? Do you have any idea who my father is? Can you even begin to comprehend-"

The leader waited for a moment while she ranted, watching with bored eyes. Meanwhile, the rest of the bandits cleared out what was left of the inventory on the carriage, tying the marquis' guards to the roof instead of the many purses and bags Chloe had brought with her. Overhead, the red falcon circled. It let out a cry and the noblewoman winced.

"And not to mention that hideous bird! When my father hears of this, he'll send one of his finest marksmen to shoot the thing down!"

The pause that followed was sickening. Chloe wondered what it was she had said to silence everyone. Chat Noir leaned in, his green eyes narrowed. He surprised her when he smiled. "Pardon, my lady, but about what size dress are you?"

The castle of Comte Agreste was located at the edge of the Fontainebleau Forest. The elevation of the castle offered a view of the endless wheat fields and the road leading to Paris at the north. The south towers provided a lookout of the forest itself, with it's high trees and large rocks littered throughout the wilds.

It was in one of these southern facing towers that Comte Agreste liked best to watch from, surveying the woods and the secrets that ran wild there. He glanced up as he heard a knock at the door. "I asked not to be disturbed, Natalie."

A woman with black hair entered. "Forgive my intrusion, my lord. There is a new arrival at our door; Marquis Bourgeois's daughter."

"I already gave you instruction on what to do when she arrived, Nathalie. Why bother me now?"

Nathalie cleared her throat. "She… Her party had some trouble on the road, my lord. Her carriage was overtaken by bandits, and her guards were bound and secured to the top of the coach. She was also in her… nightgown."

The news was distressing, but the idea of the marquis' daughter being so thoroughly humiliated did give him a sick sense of amusement. "That's… such terrible news. Any information on the ruffians?"

Nathalie approached and stood beside him, handing the comte a piece of parchment and an arrow. "This was secured to the back of the carriage, my lord."

The parchment held the inked image of a cat's pawprint; the arrow was tipped with bright red plumage. Comte Agreste clenched his fist in frustration. "Les Miraculeux."

"Ladybird and Chat Noir?"

Comte Agreste steeled his gaze on the forest. "Those bandits have plagued me and my guests long enough. Send out a guard. If we find Ladybird, we find my son. That is, if he's still alive."

"At once, my lord."

"Wait."

Nathalie looked back. "My lord?"

"She will be traveling with a black panther. The black panther who... loves her."

"Very well, my lord."

As the door shut behind Nathalie, the comte stood with his hands behind his back before the large window. "I will find you, Adrien, and I will have Ladybird's head for taking you from me."