Sorry for the wait! It's really at a stage of just... what to do now? Where to take this? I have the ending, just trying to fill up the middle.
So again, thank you everyone for being so patient.
Marinette scrambled back till she was pressed up against the glamour, eyes wide and heart pounding as she stared up at those bright eyes staring down at her. For a full minute they both just sat stone still, staring at each other. Very slowly, Marinette moved first. She started to skim along the glamour, not taking her eyes off the hidden monster. She was almost over the mark of glamour when the creature shifted.
A long snout full of fangs dove at her.
Marinette scrambled to her feet and tore off, speeding up at the loud snap sounding behind her.
An ear piercing roar almost sent her toppling to the ground. Course bark scratched at her calf from where she almost tripped into a tree, but Marinette quickly rightened herself and sped on.
She slowed to a stop only when she realized that she wasn't being chased.
That thing wasn't after her.
Breathing hard and shaking, she slumped against a tree and slid down it.
It wasn't the same monster.
It wasn't after her.
She was ok.
She cringed when the scrape on her calf started to sting.
Mostly ok.
Wincing, she reached over, lightly touching the scrape. Warm, slick blood decorated her fingers when she withdrew. "Great," she muttered. Resting her hand over the scratch to slow the blood, she sat for a moment, catching her breath and trying to figure out what to do next.
She left the glamour.
She was out in the open, the first monster was still roaming around, and she and Chat were separated. She didn't have anything but the clothes on her back. She didn't know where town was. She didn't know where her hunter was. And she couldn't go back to that glamour with that... other thing there.
Could she even find that glamour again?
Marinette slumped against the tree, sighing. For a minute, she sat still, listening to the forest around her. She heard a squirrel rustling up the branches above. A crow was screeching in the distance. There was a hum of a busy bee that she could see dancing in the scattered sunlight shining through the canopy, occasionally dipping down to kiss one of the blooming flowers below.
So tranquil, it was hard to imagine a monster wandering around.
One that could easily find her right now.
Biting her lip, she made a decision and stood, wincing only slightly when she agitated the scratch. Bracing her shoulders and looking around, she made a best guess and started off in a random direction. Her best plan right now was to return to town. She could regroup, find the road, maybe find out what that thing was, what was going on.
Only drawback was that Chat might miss her.
She hoped she'd smell stronger than the hair ties she left behind. She thinks he could though, he was insistent about how good his nose was.
She'd have to trust his declaration.
While she went, she spared a glance at every tree, eyeing the tall branches, to high for her to reach. If she could scale one...
There!
There was a reachable branch!
Ignoring the bite on her calf, she charged, jumping up and grabbing it. Rough bark burned her open palms and Marinette struggled to get a good grip on the branch. With a few grunts, she managed to clamor up it. Glancing up and planning her route, she slowly scaled up the tree, working around branches and gripping them tightly despite the slight aches it put on her hands. She was almost to the top when she heard them.
A drum of hooves, the chime of clinking armor, the weary snorts of horses, and the angry growl of words.
Freezing in place, Marinette looked around, trying to spot these coming riders.
Moving carefully as they came closer, she sucked in a sharp breath when she recognized.
Prince Felix and his two knights.
And Chat sitting behind the prince, his claws bound together, with his palms flat against each other, and his tail tied to the saddle strap. And there, slung over the saddle horn was her bag, with Chat's cowl shoved into it.
He had her stuff.
That damn prince had her stuff again.
And this time he caught Chat.
And she had no special power and ability to sweep Chat away.
How brilliant.
Chat at least wasn't too stressed with his current predicament. From where he sat behind the prince, he just looked bored and miffed. When one of the knights probed his boot, pressing a question Marinette couldn't hear; Chat let out a hiss. "I told you! I don't know where she is!" He wrinkled his nose as the knight. "We parted ways a while ago."
His nose twitched and Chat glanced up.
His green eyes found her.
She could see his exaggerated bafflement at the sight of her in a tree.
Marinette shrugged helplessly back.
Chat leaned back till he was slumped over the prince, grinning as he felt the blond tense beneath him. "Why don't you go to that town?" he called out, eyes flickering up to her. "Perhaps she's there."
"You have her stuff," she heard the prince grit out.
"I told you, I stole her stuff. I liked it enough to keep it for myself."
Felix shoved back, nearly pushing Chat off the horse. "I highly doubt that with how you came at her rescue."
Chat gasped happily. "Oh Your Highness! You don't think I'm impish enough to trick her?" He leant back onto the prince, grinning. "Am I no longer a hellion?"
"If you don't stop this I'll have your ankles bound and you can ride the rest of the way like a sack."
"Perhaps we should head to town," one of the knights bade, his bright blue eyes scouring about. "We don't know what that thing was, and it was close to town. We should check on the people."
"The girl may be there," the other added.
"See?" Chat chimed, tail flickering. Mostly.
The prince gave a very loud sigh. "Very well," he relented, turning his horse so he was facing his knights. "We'll head to town. Check on it, get a report. See if anyone has seen that girl or if she's even still there. And Chat Noir will be properly jailed."
Chat pouted at the prince.
Marinette narrowed her eyes above.
"I don't like cages," Chat protested.
He was ignored. With a sharp nudge to his horse's side, the prince trotted away, his knights following. Chat's eyes met hers once more, bright and pleading. Stay away.
He gave her one last smile before the horses tore off, leaving her hanging in her tree, a loss on what to do.
It was a ringing question in her head.
What could she do?
She had nimble fingers. When she was younger she had a bad habit of snatching other people's belongings, usually little trinkets that were easy to pick up and hide. But she couldn't pick a lock to save her life. She certainly couldn't break down jail bars to get Chat out. And she wasn't confident enough that she could sneak by and grab the guard's keys and free them that way.
She really didn't think she could save Chat.
And yet, she trailed after the riders, following the trampled plants they left back to town.
What she planned to do she didn't know.
Her feet just moved on their own.
It was crazy and ridiculous that she was going after them.
She didn't know what she was going to do about, but she was going to do something!
Marinette stopped when she heard a deep rumble. Instinctively she dropped to the ground, crawling under a bush. Peeking past the leaves, she held her breath as she waited. She could hear it. It's hushed growls. The gurgling hiss of saliva dripping from it's maw. The shuffle of heavy feet.
It was close.
But she couldn't see it.
She prayed it didn't see her.
Feeling the ground, her fingers wrapped around a rock, running her thumb over a sharp edge; just in case. An attempt was better than nothing.
She jumped when something prickled her finger. Looking down, she blinked at the sight of a little ladybug touching her finger, it's forearms tapping away while it's antennas rolled over the skin. Satisfied with what it found, it's shell opened and the little red bug flew away. Staring after it, Marinette sunk deeper into the bush, searching frantically for the monster.
She heard a tree creak in the distance, groaning as it was pushed aside.
She gave a start when red flew into her line of vision.
A ladybug perched on the branch, waving to her. Back bursting open, it flew off once more.
Marinette didn't bother staring after her, just trying to focus on hiding.
Only for it to come back, and this time land on her nose, tapping insistently. Wrinkling her nose, she plucked the little bug off, grimacing at it. It waved to her once more, wings fluttering but not leaving.
There was another prickle on her hand and she looked down to see another ladybug there, it's shell opening and closing.
Looking up, Marinette saw another perched on a branch beside her, waving like the one on her finger. It flew a short distance away, then stopped, little arms waving.
Casting a glance around each and every bug, Marinette let go of her rock and slowly crawled out from under the bush. She stopped when she heard a loud snap near her.
The ladybug still waved.
The other two persistently tapped on her hand.
Move, the implored.
They're good luck, she reminded herself. Ladybugs are good luck. She'll be ok. She should just fine. She'll be ok. They don't lead people to their doom. She should be ok...
Biting her lip nervously, she crawled after the guiding beetle, stopping to spare a glance behind her whenever she heard the monster. She still couldn't see it.
One of the ladybugs on her flew off, joining the other ahead.
The remaining ladybug tapped her hand, pushing her onwards.
Sparing a glance behind her, Marinette got to her feet and hurried after the red beetles.
The last ladybug flew off her hand and went ahead, just as the monster roared somewhere behind her. She sped up, chasing after her little guides as heavy thumps drummed behind her. She jumped over roots, smacked away branches, and ducked under low limbs as she kept her eyes locked on them. She dared look back, seeing that flash of purple though the green.
It was closer.
Heart pounding heavily in her chest, Marinette turned back forward, nearly stopping when she saw the glamour.
The ladybugs didn't stop, zooming past the gem.
One stopped to wait for her, waving it's little arms.
Grimacing, Marinette ran past the glamour border and didn't stop, chasing after those ladybugs. They flew into a large bush and Marinette followed, pressing herself as deeply as she could into, ignoring the poking branches that dug their points into her shoulders and sigh. Breathing hard, she waited.
Her hunter tore past the glamour, stopping for a minute and sniffing loud; it's three amber eyes sliding around trying to locate her.
Marinette flinched when she felt the ladybugs crawl onto her wrist, their touch prickling.
Long tail twitching about, the monster slowly stalked deeper into the glamour, slick, purple saliva dribbling down it's maw. The blue tentacles on it's head twitched and rattled, it's large hands reaching for every tree and rock it stepped up to, shaking them and rolling them about as if she hiding there.
Nose twitching in the air, it slowly turned towards her hiding stop, yellow eyes narrowed.
Rumbling, it crept closer towards her hiding spot.
Marinette instinctively pressed deeper, sucking in a sharp breath when one branch snapped loudly behind her.
She watched as the monster perked, a twisted smile spreading over it's maw. Dropping low, the monster crept towards her like a cat, prowling up to a mouse. Marinette pressed even deeper into the bush, gripping her shirt tightly as she trembled. The ladybugs still didn't move.
The monster was just upon her, grinning as it stared down into her eyes. It was reaching for her when it was suddenly shoved aside.
Marinette jumped as two large purple masses tumbled away from her, pounding their heavy bodies on the ground, snarling and snapping. Marinette gape as she watched the two monster tangle and fight.
One was the monster that chased her out of the glamour.
It was a dragon.
That was a dragon fighting the monster.
She didn't think dragons would look so crocodile like...
The ladybugs flew off, jerking Marinette to attention. Sparing one last glance just in time to see green flames spew out of the dragon's mouth and onto her hunter, Marinette tore offer after them, trusting them to lead her to safety.
And maybe Chat.
Please guide her to something that could help her.
Chat rolled his fingers, tapping his claws together in absent boredom.
Sir D'Argencourt stood across from him, glaring at him with his bright azure eyes, making sure Chat didn't pull anything on them. Leaving him bored and idle. Glancing up at the knight, Chat stuck his tongue out, grinning at the knight's annoyed twitch.
Only to drop his smile when Felix came into view, holding Marinette's ruined rose.
"She was staying with the witch Jon was coming to check on," the prince explained, gently twirling the ashen rose around, his frosty eyes glancing up towards Chat. "Any particularly reason why you ruined her rose?"
"That was an accident," Chat told him honestly, wincing as he stared at the flower. He was surprised at how well it was holding together.
The prince hummed at that.
He set the flower in Chat's jail, starting to go through Marinette's bag.
Grimacing at him, Chat shuffled, stretching out a boot and sliding the flower closer. With a little bit of struggle, he managed to pick it up, twirling it slightly, nose twitching as he tried to catch a whiff of it's scent.
It smelled more like ash than a rose.
He glanced at the prince when he pulled out a drawing, watching the prince raise a brow at the sketch before him. He turned the drawing to Chat, letting him see the drawing of him as a prince, with Marinette embracing his shoulders. "Interesting picture," Felix comments.
"She really captured my smile," Chat bragged, still very pleased with it.
The prince hummed, unimpressed. Refolding it up, Felix set it back in the bag; and pulled out a bracelet Chat didn't recognize.
Probably her gift to her Madame.
"She didn't have this before?" the prince comments.
Chat shrugged.
Sighing, he set it back in the bag and handed it over to the knight. "Set this in my inn room," he ordered.
With a salute, Sir D'Argencourt left, bag secured in his hand.
Left alone, Chat leaned forward, purring out, "So, what do you want to know Your Highness?"
"Who is the girl you 'stole' from?"
"Ah," Chat teased, tail flickering coyly, "she did not tell you her name? How tragic!"
"Chat."
"Oh alright. The maiden's name is Marinette." A full name is required to find someone magically. Her first name alone should be fine.
Felix raised a brow. "Marientte...?"
Chat shrugged again.
Sighing, the prince pressed once more, "What was her purpose being here."
"Getting a trinket for her Madame."
Humming, Felix asked, "Isn't it curious how this Madame Bourgeois, doesn't exist?"
Chat just smiled curiously, head tilting to the side as he peered at the prince.
Felix insisted, "You know as well as I do that there is no Bourgeois in this kingdom."
"Have you checked Euro?"
"Euro's border is no where close to where she was found."
Chat offered, "Perhaps she had an interesting journey. Not even I have gotten the full story from her."
Felix leaned forward, asking, "What if I told you she came through Limbes?"
Chat paused at that, eyeing the prince. He laughed. "From Limbles! That's a good one Your Highness! I didn't know you were capable of joking!"
"All that I've gathered suggest that she is."
"Sorry Your Highness, but what have you been sniffing?"
"Chat Noir!"
"A girl coming out of Limbes," Chat leaned back against the wall, giving the flower a slow twirl. "That's never happened. It doesn't happen. The timbers there would just tear anyone apart. They've never let anyone pass. Not then, and certainly not now." He stared at the prince past the ashen rose. "Your claim is... impossible, Prince Felix. She didn't come out of Limbes."
"You said it yourself that she hasn't told you her full story."
Chat was quiet at that.
"I'm going to search this town. See if this... Marinette," the prince paused at the name, frowning, "is possibly still here. I'm sure she'd like her things back."
"I'm sure she would!" Chat agreed. Tilting his head cutely, he pleaded, "Can I go when you find her?"
"No. You and her are going to the capital. My father would be pleased to see you again."
"Aw. How nice. I kinda missed that sour puss too. The way he frowns, he looks like a true grumpy cat!"
Felix frowned at him. Rolling his eyes, he left the vigilante in the jailed carriage, with only the ruined rose for company. Chat twirled again, eyeing the crinkled details webbing over the petals, the heavy droop of the leaves, and noting how just the lightest pinch left an easy dent in it.
Marinette came through Limbes.
Marinette hailing from the Unknown.
It was impossible.
He's read plenty of lore and history to know that no one has successfully gotten through Limbes. That there was no record to encourage that there was another world on the other side. A world of science, as his mother called it.
It just wasn't possible.
It didn't happen.
It couldn't be true.
No one survives Limbes.
...But that didn't quite change how this little tidbit filled in holes that have left him confused and curious.
Marinette's lack of knowledge here.
How close she was to Limbes when she fell on him that day. He knows there was no road that lead close to that pit he was in. It was on the edge of Limbes. No one wanders off road when traveling near Limbes. Even he would have braved the roads if he was more sane and not teetered with delirious senses and dehydration.
He had no explanation for her lack of knowledge and why she was there when she shouldn't have been.
He brought the ruined rose closer, taking a careful sniff.
It still smelled of ash.
With a faint scent of a rose.
In the back of his mind, he could swear that he smelled Marinette's honey sweet scent underneath it. His eyes fell closed as he tilted his nose up, breathing in deep. It was very faint, but he could still catch traces of her. She wasn't close to town.
She wasn't going to be found here.
She wasn't going to be found by the prince.
Bringing his tied claws up, Chat started to bite into his binds, trying to work his hands free.
If there was anyone that was going to find her it was him.
He was interested to get some answers.
After he got them somewhere safe.
Felix sighed as he stared down at the papers below him.
Marinette has been sighted around town quite a handful of times. She arrived almost a week ago, she's been living with the gentle witch Rose, and has been a temporary employee at Juleka's Seams. It's only this couple that she's largely interacted with, they don't know where she is right now, and neither were aware of her association with Chat Noir. Though Rose did pipe a curious tidbit of how Marinette brought food upstairs to her guest bedroom.
Felix safely assumed that's where Chat hid from town.
Like a true stray cat, given all the food he could eat, a bed to sleep in; he should have no desire to leave, and it seemed he was fine with not leaving.
Making his claim that he simply stole from her all the more baffling.
What would compel him to steal from her?
Why now?
The prince ran his hand through his hair, frustrated.
Why was it that nothing ever made sense with her?
Chat wasn't behaving normally, braving towns filled with guards just to save a single girl. And sticking close to said girl.
And then out of nowhere steals from her?
And she just up and disappeared?
And then there was the appearance of that monster coming completely of nowhere.
Felix didn't like not knowing what was going on.
He liked facts and answers. Neither that he had at his disposal right now.
With her gone once again and Chat Noir not giving him anything of use, he was left to guess and pull at his hair in frustration.
There was a high chance that Chat was withholding information, it wouldn't be the first time that the trickster lied. But there was little he could do for now to get information out of Chat. The cat wound up too vague or would simply change the subject when he didn't care to share. Or he just outright lied with a bitter bite in his words.
The thought had Felix tightening his grip on the paper, a harsh sting of anger pressing at his chest. Closing his eyes, he breathed in deep, and slowly let loose, trying to quell the boiling feelings. The past couldn't be changed. He could only-
Felix jumped and casts a hurried glance out the window when he heard faint roars in the distance, sounding fierce and furious.
He grimaced, heart pounding as his nerves spiked.
Where did that girl go?
Outside in his cell, Chat tensed as he heard those snarls, looking out wide eyed towards the trees.
That didn't sound good. Dreading what could be happening, he started to persistently bite into his binds, keeping a nervous eye out for any coming knight to guard him. He had to escape. He had to find her.
He prayed to the stars above that the monster didn't find her.