Augusto Vega

16:21, Friday

After about another hour of feeding the literally starving tiger kwami, he had emptied the fridge of any and all red meats. Beef, pork, loins, everything.

The kwami and his wielder were both in his room. Augusto himself was a little confused why he couldn't tell his zio or anyone else; something his kwami had told him about on the walk to his room when he brought up the subject of his uncle. He had inquired, but the little tiger insisted they talked out of the house. And that's how it led up to the current situation.

Rybbo had taught Augusto how to transform into his powered mode; by shouting the same thing he had while trying to activate him. "Rybbo, hackles raised!" he cried, absolutely positive that his zio, who was in the sound-padded office, wouldn't hear him.

The small tiger kwami grinned at hearing that again as he was sucked into the armband. A flash of dark orange light emitted from the armband, acting like a circle. It ran along the length of his body, changing his flannel hoodie and jeans to what looked like a comic superhero. His face was covered by a mask over his mouth and nose, and his body (thankfully fit) was in a skin-tight super-suit.

It had greyish-white markings on the chest and stomach, and was colored primarily a darker shade of orange. Black stripes adorned the sides of his torso, arms, and legs. A sort of black sash and bandolier were wrapped around his torso, the bandolier having multiple pouches to hold objects and the black cloth sash was primarily there for looks, but he did see two sheathes for what looked like daggers. He felt a sudden weight on his back. To complete the look, he even had tiger-like ears on his head in the signature colors; orange and black.

He reached for where he felt it, and found a sort of axe. It didn't seem like any sort of axe he had ever seen; more like tomahawk. It had black wrapping around the handle, and the head had tiger-like designs on the sides, the blade with tiger-tooth-like shapes. He stared at it, noticing that there was sort of button on the bottom of the head. Curious, he pressed.

The tomahawk was encased in orange light, surprising Augusto into dropping it and yelping. And then, it stopped. But there was no tomahawk anymore. Now, it was a bow, and he felt another weight morph onto his back. He stared into the mirror, and to his amazement, he now had a quiver with arrows that matched the fashion of the bow, with tiger like designs. He counted twenty or so.

Abruptly, Rybbo flew out from the armband that was prominently shown on his sleeveless left arm. "I've got to admit; you look good in that outfit!" grinned the tiger kwami, then stared down at the bow on the ground with a confused expression. "You gonna pick that up?" he asked, floating into a slightly funny position. "Er… so it's supposed to do that?" Augusto inquired, unsure of what exactly to do. "Yeah; it can switch between a tomahawk and bow in a second. My miraculous in ancient times, while rarely used, had been utilized once or twice during times of great famine to catch more food for the suffering," grinned Rybbo. "That explains your love of red meat and fish," chuckled Augusto, starting to become numb to the strangeness that had become his Friday.

He cautiously bent over to pick up the bow when he felt something on his rear hit his desk. He glanced back. "A tail!?" he shouted in confusion. He had a full-blown cat-tail. It was in the form of a belt, similar to Cat Noir's. Speaking of which, he suddenly got a thought. Now that he had a powers… would he be able to join the little troupe that they had created? They had only added one new member from their original sighting; Rena Rouge. She had been a full-time hero for a month now, fighting Akuma alongside the two originals. He wasn't sure, as A) their weapons were all either non-lethal or used for trickery and B) he wasn't exactly trained. All he had as a crutch was his instinct and the expertise of the tiger kwami.

"Now, time to leave the house!" cried Rybbo, zipping back into the armband. "Wh-what!?" Augusto responded, accidently pressing the button he had found on the bow and causing it to revert to a tomahawk again. He decided to follow his kwami's lead, guessing that the tiny tiger knew much more than he did and the best ways to do things. So he got the note, put it on the door, then opened a window. Maybe it was the power flowing through his veins, or simply his numbness to craziness at this point, but he didn't hesitate as he leapt out the window and clumsily gripped the stone trim of the window. He was dangling by one hand! A fall from the 14 or so feet he was in the air would surely injure him, maybe even kill!

He carried on, though, being very discerning about what he grabbed. He made sure to only grip onto things that he knew would be able to hold his weight, like the cracks in between bricks or the window sills. After a couple seconds of climbing, he found himself hanging from the edge of the roof, barely feeling winded. Without thinking, he pushed himself up by kicking at something below, propelling him upwards. With a flip that was only slightly showing off, he landed on his feet, smiling at his new-found agility.

Rybbo zipped into view again, grinning gleefully at the sight of his new wielders.

"So what now?" Augusto asked, looking over the nice view he had gotten himself. "Now… we fight crime!" answered the kwami. "This soon!?" Augusto exclaimed, forgetting that he was outside. "If you're worried about training, don't worry about it. When you're in the suit, you automatically can combine the expertise of all the tigers before you," Rybbo smirked smugly, "and many of them were master fighters."

"I can't just walk the streets of Paris in… this!" Augusto protested, gesturing at his super-suit. "Who said anything about walking? Just jump across rooftops," replied the kwami. "Jump across rooftops… are you insane?" Augusto asked sarcastically. "Hey, you're the one talking to a flying tiger on the rooftop of your home in a tiger super suit with a magical tomahawk… so if anyone here is insane it's you," snorted Rybbo, a laughing edge to his voice.

Augusto let out a little chuckle at the satire in Rybbo's statement. It wasn't exactly wrong. "Well you haven't led me astray so far, so… I guess?" he mumbled nervously, fearful if he would fall. "Oh, and don't worry about falling. One of two things will happen. You either hit the ground, which the impact is dulled by the super-suit, or you hit the ground and roll, diverting most of the impact… or you can just give up," explained the kwami with a know-it-all look on his face. Augusto, being a teen, was now fueled by simply want to prove the little furball wrong. "Alright, get the hell in," chuckled the teen, gesturing to his armband.

Rybbo did something akin to a clap with his nubby little arms and zipped back into the attire in a flash of orange light.

Augusto scanned the area, looking for the closest building to leap to. The closest one was a couple of meters away, a normally inhuman jump, but now it looked to Augusto as jumping a puddle looked to him a couple of minutes ago. He didn't know if it was the 'combined expertise of past tigers' or simply his ego inflating to immeasurable sizes, but he leapt it without hesitation. He did it easily, not even having to breathe more than normal to jump the 12-meter-long gap.

"Well… he wasn't lying then," breathed Augusto, staring at the gap. And that's when he heard the tell-tale thunderous roars of an akuma.

0-0-0

Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug

17:12, Friday

An akuma had turned up around the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug had already been there, on a trip of with her friends, Adrien, Nino, and Alya. They had been chatting and exchanging jokes when an akuma calling itself 'Destructus Rex' had lumbered into the center of Paris, apparently looking for either his boss or higher-up. Cat Noir had dealt with the monstrous creature until Marinette had been able to get away and transform, Ladybug swooping to de-evilize it, but he had gotten hurt in the process. He had been hit straight in the chest, slamming him through multiple walls and breaking a couple of bones in the process.

Rena Rouge had appeared by that time, helping keep Cat Noir safe from Destructus Rex and assisting Ladybug in capturing the akuma.

"Cat! Cat, are you okay?" she cried, having hoisted him up onto a roof for the sake of privacy. Blood gleamed on the back of his head, covering his untamed blonde hair and black cat ears. He had a dazed expression on his face, and he was looking at Ladybug as if she wasn't really there. Miraculous Ladybug had gotten rid of the worst of the injuries, Ladybug could tell, but he was incredibly dazed, and that was not to say that there was some residual pains from the guaranteed broken bones that Cat Noir had experienced. "That looks pretty bad," Rena winced as she saw the blood coating his head and back. It wasn't exactly a lot, but enough to cover his upper back and most of the back of his head and the base of his neck.

"We need to get you to a hospital," mumbled Marinette, desperation dripping into her voice. "No," he choked out, his voice rough and course as if he hadn't had a drop of water for years. "What do you mean 'no'!?" she exclaimed, becoming even more distressed. "Secret identity… must… protect…" the words in between were undistinguishable. "Yes, but your life is more important than identity!" she replied, starting to become frustrated, momentarily forgetting she was the one who had enforced the identity rules so strictly. Rena Rouge walked onto the far side of the rooftop, deciding that they needed a bit of privacy

It didn't seem like it could get worse for Ladybug. But then it did.

0-0-0

Augusto Vega/Tiger Miraculous Wielder

17:14, Friday

Augusto landed on the roof in front of the three superheroes, slightly disturbed by the scent of blood and sweat wafting up his nose, his enhanced senses giving him a cat-like smelling ability. That's what he called it at least.

Right off the beat, Rena Rouge took out her flute, ready to use it as a mace. He guessed she thought he was another akuma that Hawk Moth had taken control of. "Relax; I'm not an akuma. I wouldn't be standing here if I were," he shrugged the defensive stance off as merely a precaution, what with the visible blood on Cat Noir and Ladybug's weakened state. "You sure? You don't look like any other Miraculous wielder," one of Rena Rouge's masked eyebrows went up, her eyes scanning his more ominous and mature design.

"Do you see any butterfly signal thing in front of my face?" inquired Augusto, outlining the area where had seen it on the news multiple times with his finger, his voice slightly muffled with the mask. "No, but they aren't always there," she answered, keeping a cautious eye on him. "Well, alright; I'm a Miraculous holder; just like you," Augusto shrugged, starting to become a slight bit nervous. What would happen if he did something that pissed the heroes off? Would he be able to hold his own against them, considering that Cat Noir could call upon his Cataclysm at will and Rena Rouge tricking him with her illusions, not to mention the years of experience they had under their belts; less so for the fox heroine.

Augusto glanced behind Rena, seeing that Cat Noir had drifted off into a sort of sleep; peaceful, but not completely painless. Ladybug was on her knees next to him, her head bowed, and sobs racked her small frame. "Mon Dieu!" Rena exclaimed, following his gaze. She ran over to Ladybug and Cat Noir, completely forgetting of the tiger-themed hero that she left awkwardly standing a couple of meters away. "Uhm…" he started, walking forward. Rena was consoling Ladybug. Augusto knew that Cat Noir wasn't dead. His keen hearing picked up on the very faint breathing coming from his lungs.

Ladybug's head snapped up at such speed that, if she wasn't transformed, she would've gotten whiplash. Her face instantly paled and her eyes went wide at the sight of Augusto. She got onto her feet, backing up against the chimney she had laid Cat against. Her mouth opened and closed, though no words came out. She looked like she was gulping for air, like a fish that had just realized it could breathe and was stranded on a beach.

Abruptly, she got back up, and lashed her yoyo out at Augusto. "Hey!" he cried, crouching down right before the red part would've hit his head, giving him a nasty bruise. "I'm on your side!" he exclaimed, backing up. "Have we been unworthy of our Miraculous!?" she demanded, her voice rough. "What?" he asked, confused as to what she meant. "Who gave you the Miraculous you have!" she continued. The mask is there for a reason, August thought. "Er… it was given by a family member," he answered, hoping that it was vague enough, continuing to back up. He was getting dangerously close to the edge of the roof.

"Ladybug, stop!" Rena Rouge pleaded, trying to restrain the red-clad heroine from knocking the newly discovered hero off the edge. "He is an enemy!" she growled with animal-like anger and fear seething through every movement and facial expression. She threw Rena Rouge off her in a way that would not hurt the fox-themed superhero. She then lashed out the yoyo again, this time hitting its mark. Augusto had tried to dodge it by jumping upwards, but he had been too late, as he was hit in the chest. Hard.

It flung him backwards, the momentum causing him to crash through a chimney that would, hopefully, only cost a couple hundred bucks to repair, and he landed on a rooftop, gripping his chest tightly. "Ow…" he coughed, pushing himself upwards with one hand. Rybbo popped out of the band on his arm, wincing and holding his chest in the same manner that Augusto did.

"Why'd she do that?" he asked, his brows furrowing. This was completely unlike the likable hero-idol that appeared on the news and TV. Abruptly, a figure clad in red landed in front of Augusto, her head bowed, and her arm wound up (get it?) to launch the yoyo again. "Gah!" he yelped, getting up and starting to run away. Rybbo was flying alongside him, glancing back every now and then.

"Well… your Miraculous wasn't part of the original six…" Rybbo began. "What do you mean, 'original six'?" asked Augusto, leaping across rooftops and streets in a hope to flee the black-spotted hero. "That's unimportant now; what's important here is that your Miraculous, the tiger Miraculous, was never meant to be used for hero-ing. It was a sort of contingency plan if one of the original Miraculous holders became corrupt," he explained.

"So, like a Miraculous bounty hunter?" August mentally compared himself as the zoo version of Boba Fett. Why he compared himself to that specific character was beyond his comprehension.

"Yes, in a way," Rybbo shrugged, glancing back. His eyes widened. "Hurry up! She's starting to gain!" he shouted, zipping into Augusto's armband. He suddenly felt a surge of energy, allowing him to run faster than he had before. He had to get away; had to. He glanced around, knowing that he wouldn't be able to escape by simply running. He had to out-maneuver her. He then saw the Parisian metro, knowing that it would be his ticket to an escape. "Well, that train of thought was fruitful," he unwittingly made a pun, talking to Rybbo. He veered right, nearly slipping and falling onto his side at the sharp turn he had done.

He then jumped off the edge of the rooftop, hoping that his surge of energy would prove useful and propel him to one of the iron scaffolds holding the metro pathway up. His hopes were not unfounded, as he managed to get a firm grip on one of the bars, swinging himself left and up onto the bottom of the tracks. His dark orange, nearly rust-colored, costume design would help him blend in with the darkness.

He saw the figure of Ladybug walking below the metro, looking around for him. He focused on calming his breathing and getting his heartbeat under control. After a few seconds of looking, Ladybug strung her yoyo, then zipped away, leaving Augusto alone. He stayed hidden in the darkness for the next couple of minutes for two reasons; trying to calm down, and the possibility that Ladybug was waiting on a nearby rooftop for him to emerge. "That was… painful," winced Rybbo, zipping out of his armband.

"You can say that again," groaned Augusto, hissing in pain at the dull throbbing in his chest and back. He carefully peeked out from under the scaffolding, rust-colored eyes scanning the nearby terrain vigilantly. "I think its safe," he breathed in relief. He spoke too soon, as he heard a whoosh, and then everything went black for him.

AN: It's 5:30 in the morning here and I'm already writing! Holy crap! I am devoted to this! I am updating this due to my inconsistent sleep schedule and my few days off of school due to a sprained ankle (hurts like a bitch). I've actually managed to get ahead with schoolwork, since my school basically hands you the work for the next month, and the teacher is there to explain anything to you… real fucked up system. But because of it, I've gotten a couple of days off… upon my parents' request. No difference, though!

Anyways, some of you might be wondering "Why the fuck did Ladybug get so aggressive!?"

And you'd be right. I'll cover all of that stuff int the next chapter; and say goodbye to Cat Noir. We'll be seeing Adrien for most of the story now.