03/06/24
7 Reviews, 7 Favs, 8 Follows
Horse chariots and people in the town were always doing their usual routine selling food and merchandise to make lives great for the people.
Rumors have been going around by mentioning an Italian woman who is a theater actress all the way from Italy. She arrived in a coach driven by two horses.
Adrien, on the roof, while wearing his mask, observed the visitor but noticed something odd about her. It was as if he could smell a strange aura but confused at the same time.
"Bonjour, Paris. It's been a very long journey coming here. I'm Lila Rossi, a theater actress all the way from Italy" The woman introduced.
The crowd applauded as she stepped out of the coach. Adrien scoffs at the times he's seen women trying to crave attention and fame but this one is just a mystery. That's another reason he doesn't like signing autographs to anyone because he doesn't do fame or popularity when he's just a Werecat who was cursed by a witch a long time ago.
"Popularity is not everything," He said.
(Flashback)
The night when he and Marinette made it out alive from the first witch they killed, the town was horrified to see a partial Werecat boy here to terrorize innocents but young Marinette defended the boy.
"Please! He's just an innocent kid that's been cursed!" She shields him.
"I still have my humanity! If I didn't, she wouldn't be defending me!" Adrien proved that he had not attacked Marinette like an animal.
"We've seen werecats and werewolves as savage monsters!"
"For centuries they have killed many innocent lives!"
"You're just a child and if he grows up, he'll become a hunter to hunt human flesh! Just like every other apex predator younglings are being taught how to hunt!"
"He's still human at heart! I saved him from the witch!" Marinette held his hand.
"And I owe her my life for hers! Please, I lost my mother and my father abandoned me! I got nothing but I only have her as a friend to be there for me now. My mother always told me to stay strong and continue to be happy" Adrien tells them how alone and lost he felt when no one was there for him until he met Marinette.
"Please don't hurt him!" Marinette begged.
"Puuuuuuuuurrrrrrrr" Adrien purred by snuggling his face near her hair, not wanting to be executed at a young age by local people in the town.
"See? He's harmless" Marinette said while making her eyes look big and innocent.
"Meeeooowww" Adrien meowed for more petting from her.
"Aw, what a cutie." One girl said.
(End of flashback)
Of course, the town did not hate him for what he was since he hadn't attacked innocent lives but killed witches for years. He jumped off the roof and decided to tell his lady that there was a visitor in town. He got to their apartment and found her sewing her red and black cape.
"So, I hear there's a woman actress in town? I suppose you still feel annoyed again" Marinette said without looking, knowing he always comes through the open windows like a cat.
"Yes, good guess. But this one is not from London or Spain this time" Adrien still crouching like a cat.
"Okay, where?" Marinette asked.
"Italy" Adrien replied.
His lady looked at him and wondered why he felt stressed about it, "And her scent?"
"Strange but I can't seem to describe it. I don't know if she's a witch or just a woman. We've almost been fooled by rare witches who look normal but still hide their true forms. We can't jump ahead this time, Mari" Adrien jumps down.
"Let's not get paranoid again, kitty. We still have to focus on finding the missing children. So far, we have 7 missing. Take a look at this one" Marinette showed the files of an 8-year-old child, "A mother of 3 kids, one child was taken but two were not. Witches would often take more of them instead of leaving the other alone unless it was a teenager"
"Maybe so, Princess" Adrien guessed.
"Witches always focus on kids under the age of 10," Marinette said.
"Of course. And we were under ten when we were kidnapped" Adrien swished his tail.
"Yeah. Sometimes I wonder if growing up as adults, witches still remember the story of two orphan kids who killed the first witch and would try to abduct us again. Children can't fight but adults can" Marinette said.
"Teens can fight too" Adrien reminded her.
"Of course, Kitty" Marinette said.
"And I see you've been keeping your dream alive. I still remember how many times you wanted to be a fashion designer as a kid" Adrien glanced while his tail swished.
"It keeps me happy," Marinette said.
"And you know I love seeing you happy like a cute princess. Remember how we try to find happiness instead of being sad like orphans?" Adrien asked, licking his backhand due to cat tendencies.
"Yes I do" Marinette scratched his ears.
"Puuuurrrrrr" Adrien purred happily and licked her cheek.
"Adrien!" Marinette giggled.
x
Later in the woods, they still kept searching for a witch to kill while hoping to find the missing children before the parents became lost in hope.
"Keep your eyes out, Kitty," Marinette said.
He can smell one that left tiny water droplets on the ground and it sure wasn't rain. One smelled like a mixture of tadpole frogs and it sure was a swamp witch that likes to use tadpole frogs and toads to cause warts on children.
"The swamp, Milady. Let's go there" Adrien gestured to her.
"It's dreadful in there. I don't like it" Marinette said.
"Me neither, this mucky place is full of frogs and toads," Adrien said.
"I'm glad I don't hunt those things. Especially when this witch can use dart frogs for lethal methods" Adrien said, getting close to the swamp area, hoping to find the witch hiding in plain sight where a human can't see.
Marinette looks around cautiously as she loads her weapon just in case.
Adrien could sense she was nearby somewhere until his ears flicked in alarm, "GET DOWN!" He pounced on Marinette.
The swamp witch covered with frog skin tackled Adrien into the swamp water to drown him.
"KITTY!" Marinette rushed to save him.
Adrien struggled underwater to get the witch off before he lost air. He tried to use his claws on her, "Marinette! MMMPH!" Adrien gets pushed back by the witch.
"Die you mistake of nature!" The swamp witch snarled.
Adrien struggled and headbutted her face to remove her grip off. He was nearly out of breath but he had to keep fighting. Marinette jumped in to save him, knowing he's gonna drown if he didn't reach the surface in time. She took out a knife and stabbed the witch. Adrien quickly swam up the surface, seeing his vision blurring a bit from going unconscious but he managed to gasp for air at the surface.
"Milady!" He saw her fight the witch.
Taking a deep breath to dive back down to fight the witch, extending his claws to scratch her.
Marinette dared the witch but the Witch then used her magic to let vines pull Marinette below the surface.
"Foolish girl! You killed all of my kind for glory!" The swamp witch said but then got stabbed by claws in the back.
Grunting with victory as he smirked to kill the witch and quickly swims down to claw the vines pulling his lady down, grunting with effort. Marinette quickly swims back up to the surface before she drowns. Once up she saw Adrien with the dead witch.
"Damn it we almost drowned. This…..is why…..cats…..hate water" Adrien panting but at least relieved to be alive.
"Thank goodness you're alright," Marinette said in relief.
"Nine lives….again," Adrien said in exhaustion.
As they came back to the town, they noticed something was up with people being focused on Lila at the performance theater instead of worrying about the missing children. She was doing a performance about a fox. Adrien used to remember his mother's wonderful performances as a kid until her last when she died. The audience wouldn't go super hyper about it but this was different with this woman. It was only a day since she arrived here and everyone was easily getting to like her.
"Something's fishy" Adrien whispered.
"I don't know, kitty. It's their life" Marinette said.
"Of course" Adrien nods.
"It's not like them to get over worrying about their missing kids like that," Marinette said.
"Yeah, it is," Adrien said.
"Be alert, kitty. I don't like this" Marinette said before leaving the crowd.