Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir
Chapter 11: Children of the Night
The walls between the universes continues to become more and more unstable, but where will this lead? What might cross over? A short chapter, but necessary. Hope you enjoy!
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Don't own…
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Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir
Chapter 11: Children of the Night
The movie theatre: the form sitting in the back was slumped down in its seat, its precious tub of popcorn held out of sight. It was raised up just far enough to be able to see the screen without being seen itself. Another pawful of extra-butter popcorn disappeared down its throat.
To the side: a dark shape crept up, slipping between the upraised seats, its eyes fixed on the first form. Its red eyes glowed ever so slightly in the darkened theatre. Then, just as it got to the first shadow-shape, it rose up. "What do you think you are doing? " it whispered. "The Commander will have your ears on his wall for this!"
But the first shape didn't seem too worried. An ear twitched. "I am eating popcorn, of course." He waved the tub, careful not to let it be seen. "And trying to make sense out of this 'movie' that humans seem so fond of."
The second shape rose up, though not far. Just far enough to see the screen. The word, "Solitude," ran across it. The second shape took in the darkened theatre, his night vision easily compensating for the low light levels. "Here," said the first shape, holding out the tub. "Have some. The extra salt and butter really improve the flavor."
The second shape reached up absentmindedly and stuffed a pawful of popcorn into his doglike snout. "Mm. It is good." He turned a glare on his compatriot. "I hope to Lucan you didn't just stand in line out there, but knowing you, it wouldn't surprise me."
"Oh, you worry too much. I was due for a break, and decided to do a little recon. Actually, I was lucky to find a theatre that even carried popcorn; so many of these theatres have banned food items altogether. Some rot about some plague.
"So I waited 'till the end of the the workers's shift, and helped myself."
"You stole it?"
The other shrugged, a very human gesture, there in the darkness. "Well, I didn't have any human money to leave on the counter. Besides, whatever food items are left unsold at the end of the day are supposed to be disposed of, anyway. I'm just doing my part." More popcorn disappeared down his muzzle. "Anyway, you haven't given me your opinion regarding this movie."
The glare heat from the other increased somewhat. "I've been, " he began, "a trifle preoccupied. Something about a colleague of mine who is definitely not where he is supposed to be." With a visible effort, he wrenched his attention back to the screen. "Hm. Solitude. Well, the word means-*"
"Are you with her?" said a voice several rows in front of them. There was a young human boy crouched, dressed in a full-body suit that had some sort of headpiece covering his head. It sported two prominent, furry ears much like those of the beings he was addressing. He was kneeling on his seat, turned backwards, facing them. He didn't seem the least bit put off by their-to him-what had to be odd appearance: the humanoid, fur-covered bodies, the clawed hands, the wolf-like heads…
"Er," said Ardent Bloodfang, the newcomer. "Her…who?" Though he could only think of one person whom that could possibly refer to.
"I think it highly likely," said Thornmoon Ironpaw, his compatriot, popcorn fanatic, and habitual rule-breaker. He found it intriguing that the young human was not the least bit afraid of them. Most humans would have run screaming into the night by now. And what was with that strange garment he was wearing? Neither of them had even seen anything like it. "Did you, by some chance, get a name?" He glanced at his friend. This could be our lucky break.
The boy's face seemed to fall, slightly. "No. But she saved my life over by these deserted buildings." His gaze focused on infinity. Or, more accurately, something else. Make that 'someone else,' thought Thornmoon. "Beautiful werewolf lady."
Thornmoon glanced at Ardent. Werewolves are what they call us, he subvocalized to his friend. "Beautiful, you say?"
"She had such lovely white fur." His eyes were still seeing only her.
White fur. Ardent's ear flickered towards his companion, his body language communicating what he didn't dare trust to his voice: I believe we've got her. Then, to the boy, "I believe she may be of our group. We…got separated from her, early on." That the separation was entirely of her own doing is surely irrelevant. "We've been searching for her ever since.
"Could you…by some chance, take us to this place where you last saw her?"
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The partially demolished district: the boy, who still had not given his name, guided them through the darkness. "It was over there. I saw some big, moving… things. I don't know what they were, I'd never seen anything like them before…"
"Wait," Thornmoon interjected, "Big monsters? How big?"
"I dunno. But they were big. Bigger than bulldozers. I couldn't get a good look at them because their eyes were like searchlights; they blinded me." He pointed over to where he'd had his altogether-too-close an encounter with the malevolent unknown and related his encounter. "I stopped, when I could tell they were facing me." A thoughtful expression came over his face, one even the Warwolves could decipher. "We-the beautiful lady and I, I mean-didn't talk, I mean, not much, but…it was almost like…like I could hear her in my head. Telling me something…something I needed to know."
Again Thornmoon and Ardent exchanged glances. Still more evidence. "Telling you something?" Thornmoon prompted.
"Yeah." Suddenly, he giggled, staring off into space. "I usedta think the thing to do was not be afraid of anything. Just not let anything make me afraid.
"But the beautiful werewolf lady…it was like just looking at her taught me something else." He turned to Thornmoon. "Courage is not just being unafraid. Courage is being very afraid…and going ahead anyway.
"You can have fear without courage, but you can't have courage without fear. 'Cause courage is what you use to overcome fear." He stopped, looking puzzled, like a sleeperwalker just awakened.
Ardent and Thornmoon exchanged another glance. This one will be a mighty warrior someday. "Ardent, take this one back to the theatre," said Thornmoon. "I'll follow the princess's trail. Perhaps tonight's adventure will have the best of all possible outcomes."
"She's a princess?!"
Thornmoon knelt down beside the boy, placed a clawed hand on his shoulder. "Indeed she is. Now, go with my friend here. I do not think that, having saved your life once, the princess would much appreciate it if we endangered it again. And I, for one, do not wish to arouse her royal ire."
To be continued…