Tears of a Wolf

Chapter 1 Shadow of the Past

It was a foggy morning in the city of Paris. It was mid December and Marinette was running late for school. She quickly scarfed down her breakfast that her mother had prepared and rushed out the door, looking back only to say goodbye to her parents.

"Be careful Marinette!" Shouted Sabine Cheng as her daughter ran out the door.

It wasn't nearly foggy enough to cause any school delays, unfortunately for Marinette. It sure would have been nice, especially considering how late she had accidentally slept in, but no, there she was running out the door in too much of a clumsy rush to be paying attention.

As Marinette approached the street she didn't notice the speeding car heading directly into her path. A hand reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back towards the sidewalk. The rushing wind flew in her face as the speeding vehicle passed by. Unbelievable! Had it not been for someone who had pulled her back, that car would have easily killed her! What were they thinking going that fast in a school zone? Wait a minute… who was it that pulled her to safety anyway?

Marinette looked up at the stranger who had saved her. He was a young man who only looked a couple of years older than she was. He had short dark hair, was wearing a black jacket and black jeans, and was holding a bouquet of red roses in his hand. His face looked gentle, but his eyes were fierce with a hint of sadness behind them. He also looked tired, as if he hadn't slept in days.

"Merci Monsieur. You saved my life." Marinette said somewhat nervously.

"Are you unharmed?" Asked the stranger. His voice was difficult to describe. He sounded gentle and soothing and yet also somehow rather intimidating. It was as if he was genuinely concerned for her and yet was also able to sound slightly threatening.

"Y…yes, thanks to you. Good thing you were here. I don't think I would have survived if that car had hit me. Thank you so much!" Marinette slightly bowed her head.

"You're welcome. Be more careful, okay? The driver might not have even seen you in this fog."

"Yes sir, I will be! May I know the name of who saved me?"

The stranger looked away from Marinette's gaze. His gentle appearance suddenly turned somber as if her question had bothered him. Marinette frowned and decided to change the subject.

"Umm… who are the flowers for?"

Finally a smile appeared on the stranger's face.

"Someone very special." The stranger expressed his somber demeanor in his voice, as if whoever he was talking about brought him great joy and also great sadness.

"Well they're lucky whoever they are. They're beautiful. Please come by the bakery later, okay? I would love to thank you properly with some baked goods. My dad is the best baker in town you know."

"So I've heard. Thank you, I just might do that."

"I hope so. Gotta run! I'm going to be late! Thank you again."

Marinette once again ran across the street to her school, taking extra care this time to be vigilant of her surroundings.

The stranger watched her until she disappeared from his sight, his expression blank and cold. "Don't thank me yet." He whispered to himself.

The stranger continued his walk with his roses, free from any further distractions. Eventually his walk led him to the local cemetery, his destination all along. He walked past several headstones not even giving any of them a second look until he finally reached the grave that he had been looking for.

He dropped slowly and somberly to his knees, gently placing the bouquet of roses on the grave. His body was shaking, not from the morning cold, but from an overwhelming sense of emotion that overcame him as he read the headstone.

'Sylvia Stone'

"I'm sorry I've been gone for so long." The stranger began as he started talking softly to the grave. "I've missed you so much…"

Tears quickly formed in the strangers eyes, a lump in his throat began to form, his heartbeat became violent in his chest.

"Sylvia I… I'm so sorry… I've looked everywhere but I can't find her. I can't keep searching anymore. Paris has changed too quickly in these past 2 years."

The tears in eyes fell off of his cheeks like rain. Unbelievable guilt and anguish plagued his heart.

"But don't you worry, I haven't forgotten about the promise I made to you. I won't give up on it until my dying breath!" The stranger reached out and caressed the headstone in his hand, his words now mixed with painful weeping.

(Two years ago)

Sylvia and the stranger were sitting on the scaffolding of the Eiffel Tower, but not in their civilian forms. Two years ago Sylvia was the wielder of the Black Cat Miraculous and was known as Feline Black while she was transformed. The stranger was (and still is) the wielder of the Gray Wolf Miraculous, and was known as Gray Wolf or just Wolf to his friends.

While masquerading as Feline Black, Sylvia looked very similar to Cat Noir for obvious reasons, but her hair matched her costume perfectly. It was jet black and stretched down just past her shoulders. She was gorgeous to look at and her heart reflected her outward beauty as well. She was kind and supportive, even to people she barely knew, and she was gentle and compassionate to a fault, even to those who didn't deserve it. She was always able to see the good in people and she chose to focus on that, no matter how bad they actually were. You could also say that because of those characteristics, she was also a little naive.

"Thanks for coming out with me Alex. I don't know what I would do without you." Sylvia smiled as she turned her head to the Gray Wolf.

Alex, otherwise known as the Gray Wolf, had on a dark gray suit with fur running down his arms and spine while transformed. He had pointed canine ears which shot straight up, and a dark bracelet which held his Miraculous in the center. It was a paw print charm very similar to the Black Cat Miraculous, but with claw marks at the ends of the toes.

During this time there was no Hawk Moth or any big super villain to worry about in Paris. For that reason, Miraculous wielders didn't have a reason to hide their real identity if they didn't want to. Sylvia and Alex knew each other both in and out of their hero forms by their own decisions.

"Hey, don't worry Sylvia. You're getting better and better every day, I mean it!" Alex said. His demeanor was bright, cheerful, and supportive. It was night and day between now and what would become of him in the future.

"It's just… hard you know? Amy is so good at what she does. I try to measure up, but I'm still stuck in her shadow."

Amy was the wielder of the Ladybug Miraculous during this time. Amy Aubert was her full name. She was a friend of Alex and an even closer friend to Sylvia. She had short blonde hair that just barely covered her ears. She was a happy-go-lucky type of girl and an absolute thrill to be around. When she wielded the Ladybug Miraculous as the Scarlet Beetle, she didn't just fight crime, she fought unhappiness. The police force cooperated with her and looked up to her as a true hero. In fact, all of Paris did. She was an icon, a perfect symbol of what you would imagine a hero would be. Her only flaw was that she didn't really realize just how good she actually was. Everyone sold and purchased Ladybug themed clothes, toys, memorabilia, you name it. Everyone chanted her name and clapped for her, but Sylvia tried just as hard as Amy did, she just didn't measure up to Amy's glory.

"You know I don't see you like that right?" Alex asked. "You really are improving and I'm sure Amy is really appreciative of you."

Alex would help Amy and Sylvia with the local crime in Paris whenever he was needed. He was good at what he did too. His powers were impressive and his weapon, a pair of dual katanas he kept strapped to his back, were lethal in his hands. He was even trusted enough to keep his Miraculous full time.

"You better not see me that way!" Sylvia teased. "I'm your girlfriend."

"The most beautiful one I could ever ask for." Alex said back to her.

The sun was setting on the city of Paris and the temperature began to drop. Sylvia scooted closer to Alex and rested her head on his shoulder. Alex responded by wrapping his arm around her, holding her close to him.

"Alex… why do you think Master Fu chose me?" She asked him.

"What do you mean babe? It seems pretty obvious to me."

"It does?"

"Sure it does. You're brave, righteous, kind, you put yourself way before others, I mean… that's why I picked you." Alex flirted.

"But I'm no good at all the hero stuff. Amy always ends up saving the day, and I'm lucky to get recognized from the sidelines."

"No one's good at anything when they're a beginner. You've only been at this for a couple of months now and already there's noticeable improvement!" Alex tried to be encouraging, but Sylvia had high expectations of herself as Feline Black, and when those expectations weren't met she was pretty critical of herself.

"Amy was a natural at it. She picked up on what it means to be a hero almost right away. I just wish that I could…"

Alex really wanted to help, but it seemed that Sylvia had already made up her mind. He turned towards her and placed a gentle kiss atop her head, while rhythmically stroking her hair.

"Don't give up babe." He whispered softly, still holding her close. He loved her. He loved her more than anything. He wished that for just one time Sylvia could see herself through his eyes. If she could, he knew all her doubts would melt away. She was his entire world. Nothing else mattered. If he ever lost her… he couldn't bear the thought.

"Alex… promise me something?"

"Anything babe, you name it."

"If it ever comes down to it, I want you to take over in my place and protect Paris alongside Amy."

"What? What do you mean?" Alex was confused by her request.

"I just want to make sure that Paris is safe no matter what, even if that means without me. That's what's really important, that Paris is safe, even if I'm not cut out for this job."

"Sylvia, it's not going to come down to that."

"Promise me Alex! I mean it! I need to know that Paris will be safe no matter what happens."

Alex looked into her eyes. Her eyes were a beautiful emerald green, intensified by the cat eyes she got whenever she was Feline Black. She was irresistible to him. He couldn't deny her.

"Okay… I promise."