"Unicorn?!" Ember puzzled. "I don't remember any unicorn kwami!"
"Maybe you've just forgotten," suggested Rena Rouge. "It seems like there are a lot more kwamis and others creatures in the world we never knew existed."
The Phoenix bristled at the insinuation that he would forget anything. Bright orange flamed popped in agitation, because in reality he felt like there was a piece of his memory that wasn't altogether clear in this particular area.
"Dude! Maybe it is a symbol of something rare and not a real unicorn right?" Carapace suggested. "Unicorns don't really exist right?"
"Look at you!" Queen Bee pointed at him. "You find it hard to believe in unicorns but transforming with the magical power of floating talking animals is believable...we're following a human sized cat-boy and human ladybug...and a bird that is perpetually on fire!" Queen Bee exclaimed.
"More like Cat-man," Chat Noir said under his breath, and Ladybug snorted with a giggle under her hand.
"Well one thing is for sure, we need to let Lady Justice know what we've discovered," Ladybug said. "I know we had hoped to finish the team trials, but I've got to go find her."
"All of you need to be able to do this together," the Swan Knight stepped forward. "Send me back to find Justice, and you finish the trial."
"But, it's my responsibility...I have to..." Ladybug tried to argue.
"Ladybug, you can't do everything yourself. You need to be here to lead," the Swan Knight counciled.
Ladybug nodded silently. After drawing a portal back to Paris, the Swan Knight turned to walk through, "Good luck," he winked a Ladybug, blew her a kiss, and then disappeared.
"I can't believe he just...can you believe that guy!" Chat Noir crossed his arms.
"Does he seem extra protective to you?" Rena Rouge whispered to Carapace and Queen Bee (who just shrugged).
"Excuse me Chat Noir. Can I have a word with you..." Ladybug asked, "...in private?"
They went around the next bookshelf, and Chat Noir threw up his hands, "I know I know okay! I shouldn't be jealous but I can't help it!"
"Actually," Ladybug looked up at him underneath a stray sweeping bang, "is it horrible of me that I kindda like it?"
"What?! But I thought..." Chat Noir gaped at Ladybug in disbelief.
"It's just..." she leaned in towards him, drawing her hand along the raised ridge on the seem of his miraculous suit. "I always was so jealous of other girls around you in civilian form...I guess I never expected to have you feel that way with me."
Chat Noir blinked back at her in disbelief. "You really got jealous of other girls paying attention to me?" he asked.
"Are you kidding?! Don't you remember me jumping down Lila's throat for trying to get your attention?!" Ladybug raised an eyebrow.
"I thought it was just dishonesty that you hated!" Chat Noir shrugged.
"Well that didn't help...but when she pulled you into the library that first day we met her...well...let's just say I was not proud of the murderous thoughts that went through my head," Ladybug cringed internally. "Then I went and got her akumatized!"
"I think I was the most jealous when Theo sultpted that statue of us for the park. He kept going on and on about how if he could only meet you, he thought you'd realize how perfect you were for each other or something. I'm afraid I may have led him to believe you were already taken..." Chat Noir fiddled guiltily with his baton.
"Wait...Copy Cat!? You made him think we were together?!" Ladybug exclaimed.
Chat Noir nodded, sheepishly.
"No wonder he wanted to take your place!" the pieces of the story finally falling into place. "I guess we're both guilty of being a little too territorial," Ladybug admitted. "But we've got to make sure no one finds out! We can't afford to be vulnerable right now."
"It is pretty hard to resist though," Chat Noir traced the spots on her arm. "I've got two weaknesses in this world, and you're one!"
"What's your other weakness?" Ladybug eyed him coyly.
"Why Dupan-Cheng maccaroons of course!" Chat Noir grinned slyly.
"Are you too done chit-chatting yet?!" Queen Bee yelled from around the bookshelf.
"I think their talking about baked goods," Carapace called, peaking around the corner. "Does this mean we might grab a bite soon!"
"Why would they be privately discussing lunch plans?!" they heard Rena Rouge call back to him in a less than hushed voice.
Ladybug rolled her eyes and sighed, "I guess you'll just have to put all that flirting on hold Kitty!"
"Huph," Chat Noir pouted. "Maybe we should switch the rolls and you should flirt with me!"
"Flirt with you?" Ladybug repeated.
"Sure, why shouldn't Ladybug try to woo Chat Noir for once?!" Chat Noir shrugged.
Ladybug laughed, "you know Kitty, you might be on to something. It might be just the thing to throw Rena for a loop. I will turn on the charm with you, but only if you brush off each of my attempts to "woo you."
"You mean you're going to be the flirty Ladybug and I've got to just pretend it's not an absolute dream come true?!" Chat Noir gulped. "I don't know if I can do that!"
"If you don't think you can, we could always forget the whole thing..." Ladybug shrugged, and turned to leave, waiting for him to take the bait.
"No, no...of course I can...yeh...phew...course I can play it cool while Ladybug...you...while you flirt with me a little. How hard can that be?! I've been charming you with my cat-antics for years and you somehow were able to resist this long!" Chat Noir gave in.
" Puurrrfect," Ladybug brushed her shoulder against Chat Noir, "But I'll warn you, I learned from the best!" With a sway in her hips, and a slight glance over her shoulder shooting him a downright sinful stare he bit his lip. She turned around the bookshelf to round up the rest of the team, while Chat noir tried to steady his breathing.
He had to pull it together. One little glance and she already had him reeling! He had to play it cool...somehow!
After channeling a portal with Kaalki's help and Ember's guidance the stepped through together to the Medieval walled town of Conwy, and then on to the village of Blaenau Ffestiniog. The northern Snowdonia mountains drew them forward on a trek, to venture further in. The Phoenix guide led them not to the rising peaks, but in through dark caverns beneath the rock. For miles they clamoured down into deep caverns.
Ember's light illuminated the paths, followed by Ladybug, who kept a close eye on Chat Noir. She couldn't help remembering his fears of closed in spaces, and now she realized where his fears may have stemmed from. The other three followed behind.
"How are you doing Kitty!" Ladybug leaned back to ask.
"Why do we always end up in some deep dark cave or something?" Chat Noir responded in a tense voice. "Maybe you should turn on that Ladybug charm to distract me."
"Hmm," Ladybug hummed, "I thought the view from back there would be distracting enough!" She winked.
Chat Noir stared back at her, and his mouth lulled open, not quite sure what to say.
Rena Rouge and Carapace exchanged a look with raised eyebrows.
The tension was broken though when Queen Bee screeched loudly that "this cave is disgusting, and that it was utterly ridiculous that they were expected to endure such conditions!"
"These caves, Bee Weilder, were created 10 million years ago!" Ember informed them. "The trials are not meant to be a walk in the park!'"
They rounded the corner and the tunnel opened up into a massive cavern that rose around them like a underground stadium. A series of ropes, ladders and teetering stands crisscrossed through the open space toward the end.
"Whoah! Dudes! Sick obstacle course!" gasped Carapace taking it all in.
"This place is also home to the largest underground zipline in the world!" Ember nodded to the precarious looking harness, looped over a braided wire stretching across the abyss.
Chat Noir shivered, not not with the chill of the cool caves, but he could see even now where the course narrowed, and led to tight pockets in the slate.
"How long will it take to make it through?" he asked apprehensively. "Only about three hours on average," Ember shrugged. "If you work together as a team...maybe less."
"No worries! We've got this!" Rena Rouge jumped back and forth on her toes like her sister Nora before a championship match in the ring.
"Well, Lady's first," Chat Noir held out the harness with shaking hands.
"Actually, I think you should go first," Ladybug took the harness from him and held it out. "It's better to just get it over with and jump in with both feet."
Chat Noir quivered as he stepped into the harness apprehensively, thinking of what was to come. His worries were thrown off course however when Laybug reached around his waist and firmly latched the snaps in together, tightening his harness. She glanced up a him smiling at the way he stiffened, as she stepped in front of him. Then unexpectedly, she flicked her yoyo over the wire that held him, and dangled face to face with him.
"What are you...?!" Chat Noir sputtered.
"I'm not about to let you do this alone Kitty," she smiled again, making his heart flip flop in his chest. Then it went into overdrive as she pressed herself against him, and whispered in his ear, "mind, holding onto me real tight?"
Without being able to utter a sound, Chat Noir just nodded rapidly, and tentatively put his hands around her waist.
"You ready for this?!" Ladybug asked...but without waiting for an answer she suddenly dropped backward off the platform, bringing Chat Noir suspended down the zipline with her.
Chat Noir didn't utter a word the whole way down. He just held his breath the whole time, clinging tightly to Ladybug. Then at the end of the line as they came to a stop they both let out a collective breath and started laughing nervously.
"See not so bad!" Ladybug teased.
"That was only the first one," Chat Noir brought up.
"Look at you eager for more," Ladybug teased.
Chat Noir shook his head with a lopsided grin, "How do you do it?"
"What?" Ladybug asked.
"Just make me forget everything else," Chat Noir sighed.
"I'm supposed to be flirting with you remember," Ladybug said unable to hide the smile on her face.
"Is it flirting if I'm just telling the truth?" Chat Noir raised an eyebrow, and gazed up at her with his luminescent green eyes.
"You really are good," Ladybug shook her head. "With all your goofy one liners...it was always your sincerity that made me cave."
Chat Noir was so close in that moment to just throw caution to the wind and kiss Ladybug, but Carapace came whirring in between them, unable to slow his zipline, and Ladybug had to quickly use her yoyo to help him out.
Behind him Rena Rouge followed whooping behind him, and then Queen Bee looking utterly unimpressed. For the next couple hours they all worked together, pulling each other up over ledges, crawling through tight channels, and grabbing each other's hands across wide divides. Queen Bee and Ladybug used their strings to help propel the team across some areas. Other times Carapace held his shield above them to block them from loose falling shale. Chat Noir used his baton to help them reach higher spots. Rena Rouge used a series of mirages to keep everyone's spirits up, even creating the illusion of a wide open blue sky for Chat Noir to make him feel more at ease. In the end they traversed a series of 15 zip lines, via ferratas and rope bridges.
Finally they spotted a slim sliver of daylight at the end of the tunnel. Hanging just before the exit was a small horseshoe bat.
"Is he...?" Queen Bee started to asked, cringing at the thought of passing by the creepy winged vermin.
"Whe...what...who dat?!" the bat seemed to startle in his sleep.
"The weilders of the miraculous have succeeded in this section of the teamwork trials," Ember tried to explain.
"Weilders!" the bat yawned, in a groggy voice. "Hasn't been weilders in these parts since..." and then he seemed to doze off mid sentence only to wake a split second later with a snort.
"Excuse me, but we are the weilders," Ladybug gestured to their group. "We just finished the obstacle course."
"Obstacle course...yeah, I should really double check those harnesses...they're getting pretty old...might not hold up much longer..." the bat rubbed it's blurry eyes with on leathery wing.
"What?!" yelped the teens before him.
"Hehe!" the bat chucked. "I guess they can't be so bad if all of you made it through alive!"
"Stop teasing them," Ember rolled his eyes. "The magic protecting this place wouldn't let it fall into disrepair."
"Common! It's always more fun for them when they think their survived death defying feats," the bat protested.
Ember only shot the bat a stern glare, and the bat sighed deeply, stretching out his wings, before wrapping them around himself again. "Well looks like you manage to cooperate and share your skills to over come challenges...guess that means you'll be wanting this..." From within his wings he produced a stone and presented it to Ladybug.
"Thank you," they said in unison.
"Now that you've succeeded in the depths of the mountain, I guess we'll see how you do in the heights. Head out this way and follow the path up Tryfan Mountain up the north ridge to the summit," the bat instructed, pulling his soft ears into his wings once more.
"Not too chatty was he?" Rena Rouge commented to Ember as they emerged into the light, instantly feeling warmer dispute the clouds that shielded the sun.
"I wouldn't say he was ever one of the more overly friendly kwami, but it may have been that he was up all night. All the wild kwami have been on edge, and taking shifts patrolling their quadrants of the Earth. After word got out about the possession of the other wild kwami by akumas everyone was on high alert," the Phoenix replied solemnly.
Through the hike they were either bouldering and scrambling. Chat Noir extended his baton, and he was helping Queen Bee and Carapace up over a steep ledge.
Rena Rouge studied Ladybug's dreamy expression watching Chat Noir.
"Sooo, you said before you and Chat Noir were just partners..." Rena Rouge put a hand on her hip. "But since then it seems like you've had more than a strictly "business-type" interest in the cat."
"You think so huh!" Ladybug glanced over her shoulder at the scrutinizing fox. "Maybe I just appreciate him as much as everyone should," she challenged.
"There is something different about you two," Rena Rouge insisted.
"You're right you caught me! I'm hopelessly in love with Chat Noir's rugged charms!" Ladybug raised the back of her hand to her forehead, and her other hand pressed against her heart dramatically. "I can't take it any more! His raw animal magnetism is too much to handle. I must make him mine!"
Rena Rouge glared back at Ladybug unimpressed. "Fine, don't tell me," she rolled her eyes. And climbed after the others.
"Common' Rena Rouge," Ladybug laughed. "Was must untamed lust for Chat Noir that shocking?! I thought it was obvious!"
"Haha very funny," Rena Rouge rolled her eyes. "I get it already! I'm too nosy. You can quit teasing me and joking around now!"
Ladybug smiled to herself shaking her head. If only her friend knew that Ladybug had never been more serious about something in her life.
They finally reached the very peak where two iconic twin stones stood tall at the top.
"Those first stones monoliths Siôn a Siân were set up by the very first weilders of the Black Cat and the Ladybug. After the crusades locals just started calling them "Adam and Eve." Legends says that those who take the "Leap of Faith" from one to the other, will be offered the "freedom of Tryfan".
"What is that supposed to mean?" Queen Bee poked at the base of the stone.
"That is for the Black Cat and the Ladybug to find out," Ember nodded at Chat Noir and Ladybug.
"They are steep, but it's not like it's had far to jump," Chat snout analyzed the distance between the stones. Ladybug and I have vaulted over city blocks, or right over the Eiffel Tower! What exactly is the challenge here? I could make this without a miraculous!"
"As in all the trials you have faced," the kwami of wisdom advised, "each challenge often reveals more than you first realize. Your friends helped get you this far, but it is only the Black Cat and the Ladybug who must take this leap together."
Chat Noir launched up the rock of Adam, and Ladybug climbed up the rock of Eve. Balancing on the top of each precariously looking out at the landscape laid out far beneath them.
"So we just jump and try to make it to other other stone?" Ladybug asked.
"At the same time?" Chat Noir looked carefully at the distance that divided them.
"Yes," Ember nodded.
"On the count of three?" Ladybug asked.
"One," Chat Noir counted.
"Two," Ladybug added.
"Three!" The shouted together, and leapt across.
In that moment there was a flash of light! The three watching let out a collective gasp. Both Ladybug and Chat Noir had vanished!
Oooo
Thank you for reading! There is more to come so don't forget to follow or favourite! A special thank you to all those who have been loyalty following this story and leaving reviews that make me so excited to share more of this story with you:) Welcome to all those who are new to this story or just checking it out! I really hope you enjoy the journey.