The end to their trip to London had been amazing! Marinette and Adrien had grabbed some food from a food truck, and went across from Buckingham palace to St. James park. They had casually strolled along the paths talking about movies, video games, or memories from school. Just trivial things that were easy to laugh about. They crossed the bridge enjoying the opportunity to snap a few photos on their phones together, before it was time to meet up with Nino and Alya.
The train ride home, Nino and Alya talked excitedly about all the sites they had fit into the day. Alya had eyed Marinette skeptically when both she and Adrien had casually muttered that they just watched a movie, and went for a walk in the park. Alya made a mental note to follow up with Marinette further on their next girls night…her blushing face were too suspicious to pass up.
The week following spring break was busy, starting new projects, and getting back into routine. Without a plausible excuse Ladybug and Chat Noir didn't have a chance to meet up for their next trial destination till the following weekend. Arriving on top of their typical meeting spot, Ember revealed that they were headed to Canada!
Stepping through the portal they arrived in the midst of a wild storm in the western coast of Vancouver Island. The wind whipped around them, threatening to cast them out to sea. A torrent of heavy rain pelted down on them with fury.
If they thought the storm on land was powerful, it was nothing compared to the awesome power of the Pacific Ocean hitting the rocks just off shore with wave after wave. The waves were no longer blue. No cheery blue sky smiled down on them. Dark foreboding grey water, with churned up white foam smashed against the rocky wall.
"We've got to find some shelter, until this storm quiets down," Ladybug yelled over the wind.
"I can't hear you!" yelled Chat Noir back at her, "but we've got to get out of this storm before it throws us to the waves!"
Ember did not look pleased. The flame of a phoenix could not be dowsed by a mere storm...nor the whole Ocean...but he was still not a fan of the way water made His feathers sizzle and spark in protest
They ran for the trees. It was a dense forest of tall trees. Their trunks had weathered many ocean storms and the roots grabbed tightly to the land and dug down deep. Wandering a little further into the ancient forest Ladybug started to realize that the boughs of needles near the base of the trees started to appear more and more sparse. They came to a clearing with trees that were completely stripped of their branches and just stood like silent troops on guard over the rest of the forest.
The rain now fell a little more lazily. The wind was quenched by the forest, and the sound of raindrops hitting the tops of the canopy made a calming rhythmic sound.
"These are strange trees," Ladybug said, looking at one of the trunks more carefully. "why these are not really trees at all...there are faces carved into the wood...they're..."
"Totem poles!" Finished Chat Noir.
And sure enough, there were dozens of tall carved poles depicting numerous animals within what had been the trunk of many ancient trees.
Ember came to an especially old one that had been chard black by fire.. it had a bird with outstretched wings at the top.
"Raven!" Ember called up the old stump of a tree. "Raven, it is time!
To both Chat Noir and Ladybug's surprise the bird at the top moved! The large black bird, jumped from his perch and spiraled down to meet them.
"So you have brought the new weilders," the raven crowed. "The Ladybug and Black Cat. So a new generation of the miraculous has arisen after all," the glossy black bird observed.
"Raven," ladybug inquired "all these totem poles...the faces...are they kwami?"
"Very clever, Lady Creation!" The Raven congratulated, "they are indeed. For the original people of this land totem poles were a sacred and important way to communicate stories and document significant individuals and events. In this place weilders have been leaving their own mark in a similar way."
Chat Noir traced the carvings at the base of one of the aged totem poles with a claw. "This one has a Ladybug, but no Cat," he noted out loud.
"This one too," Ladybug called over from another. "Didn't they always come together?"
"The forces of creation and destruction are meant to exist together. But unfortunately there have been cycles where the balance was thrown off and they were separated," The Raven explained gravely. "Dark times in history."
"Separated?" Chat Noir repeated looking up at the deep cuts into the ashen pole.
"You mentioned your fight with the Pharaoh acoma while we were in Egypt," Ember supplied. "The rescue of the girl meant as sacrifice to Ra came at the cost of Ladybug and Black cat's identities. Furious at the weilders for interfering with his plans to be reunited with his beloved Nefertiti, the Pharaoh decided to separate the weilders in return. At that moment in history Plagg and the miraculous were lost for generations. The natural cycle was broken."
Ladybug moved through the forest of monuments to time, pausing to look up at the Phoenix. "But they found each other again right?! Tiki and Plagg?" She wondered.
"Tiki went through partnerships with a number of Ladybugs, who each spent their lives to reunite them," the Raven shook his head sadly at Ladybug.
"When they finally found Plagg, his power was being abused by a tyrant. When they liberated Plagg he was not the same. He refused a weilder for a long time after that," Ember glanced over at Chat Noir, who clenched his fists and whose mouth closed into a straight line. "I can see he has not told you, but that shouldn't surprise you. It took him a long time to trust people again and the trauma he endured ..." at this point Ember closed his eyes, as if grimacing in pain.
"The healing process towards peace is rarely easy," the Raven straightened his feathers. "Finding ways to communicate experiences and emotions...especially difficult ones, can bring about renewal."
Ladybug nodded at both bird Kwami, but Chat Noir just touched the down-turned face of the cat carving next to him in silence.
"Your stories are intertwined," the Raven addressed Ladybug and Chat in a more cheerful voice. "It is well for the world that the two are united once again. I will call the master carver and we can begin."
The Raven threw back his head and let out a series of deep croaks and kaws that reverberated through the forest. Not too far in the distance they heard a sharp slap against water.
As They waited the icy drizzle of rain slid down their masks. Ladybugs dark hair cling to her neck, and even though their suits kept them fairly comfortable within the elements, Ladybug felt a slight shiver go down her spine.
"You're cold?!" Chat Noir asked concerned, coming up behind her.
"Oh, No, I'm fine," Ladybug replied hastily, but the chatter of her teeth gave her away.
"You certainly are fine," Chat Noir grinned, tightly wrapping both arms around her, encircling her as much as he could with his body heat.
Ladybug raised an eyebrow at her opportunistic Kitty, but feeling his warmth, leaned back, sinking into his chest and held the arms that intertwined around her. "Thanks Chat," she eventually murmured.
He didn't say a word, but Ladybug was pretty sure she heard the low rumble of a purr escape him.
They did not see the "master carver" at first, but noticed her progress towards them in the ripple of swaying trees in her wake. Then, through the wet ferns in the underbrush, she emerged; a beaver.
Her large rounded body waddled towards them at a determined pace. Her dark brown fur was combed back neatly and her alert, beady black eyes surveyed the scene. Coming up to the weilders knees she grinned up at them, displaying her prominent front teeth. "Welcome, welcome," she padded them on the knees. "Come now, let's not waste any time! Let's get to work!"
With a flip of her wide flat tail the master carver transformed into her kwami form. She bustled to and fro busily preparing the tree trunk for carving. While she divided out tasks for all, she asked Chat Noir and Ladybug about stories from their lives and their battles. She was thoughtful and inquisitive, without being too pushy. This made her instantly easy to talk to, and soon both weilders had forgotten that they hadn't known her all their lives.
The little beaver kwami nodded and hummed as she made quick work of her carving. Every now and then she would glance up at Ladybug and Chat Noir to inquire about a detail or memory. The skies had ceased pouring down on them, and they were released by the freshness of the spring air. As a warm ray of sunshine burst through the grey clouds, the beaver announced that her work was complete.
She instructed them to stand on either side of the totem pole, so that they could position it into a deep hole that had been prepared. As they raised the pole they gazed up in awe at the representation the beaver kwami had crafted.
The symbol of the miraculous box rested at the top with a depiction of Ember with his fiery outstretched wings. Then below was carved the scowling face of Hawkmoth and smirk of Myura. Butterflies and feathers were carved in spirals down from them into the pole. Beneath them were those allies who had been entrusted with a miraculous, but only half their face depicted their 'hero' persona. The other half of their face depicted their acclimatized form (E.g. Rena Rouge/Lady WiFi, Carapace/Bubbler, Queen Bee/Queen Wasp...and so on all down the monument). At the base, larger than the rest of the carvings was a life size carving of the two hero's.
Chat Noir reaches up to the back of his neck, and couldn't help the smile that crept over his face. Just under Ladybug's mask she blushed and bit the edge of her lip. The carving showed Chat Noir standing behind Ladybug with his arms wrapped around her. In the carving Ladybug gazed up at Chat Noir...the exact replica of the position the beaver kwami had first seen them.
"Thank you!" Ladybug bowed the master carver. "It is amazing!"
"Thank you for creating this for us!" Chat Noir said. "You have really captured a piece of our story."
The beaver kwami nodded her head in satisfaction. "A very fine looking couple," she chattered happily surveying her work, "A very fine looking couple indeed."
Before any correction could be uttered by either weilder, the beaver kwami had waved a paw in the air bidding them farewell, and had transformed into her creature self, padding off into the woods. "Farewell for now my friends, I hope you find the peace you seek..." she called over her shoulder. "Not a moment to waste. I'm off to make the world a better place for the creatures of the land. The running chaotic rivers need a dam to channel them. There is a lot of work to do before our time of serenity..."
The remainder of her words of determination were lost as she headed off to take on her next task. The Raven clicked his tongue amused. "I'm glad you could start sharing a piece of your story. The next kwami you meet will have a story to share with you."
Ladybug and Chat Noir have arrived in Canada! More Chapters to come! I wan't to thank NintendoNate1 who was one of the first readers to leave a review and make a location suggestion for this story. It had taken a long time to get here, but the heroes are finally here:)