The Wolves in the Woods

Teaser 2: When Bad Things Happen

Things never go wrong at the moment you expect them to. When you're completely relaxed, oblivious to any potential dangers, that's when bad things happen.

— C.K. Kelly Martin

***

An old friend stops by to warn of incoming danger.

***

            "Zzzz... gerk, wha—? Who's there?"

"Hello."

"Gaaaaah!! It's—!!! oh, it's you. How's it going?"

"Really, Plagg? Five hundred years of not seeing each other and you do this?"

"Well excuse me. I was having such a nice dream of Camembert before you woke me up!... wait, is that?"

"Yes."

"Gimme!"

"... heh, never change, Plagg."

"Haaah, sweet sweet Camembert..."

"..."

"... can you stop staring at me like that? You're giving me the creeps."

"Can't be worse than what Tikki did that one time."

"That you started for once."

"And?"

"Gah! You're impossible!"

"Says the one who sank Atlantis."

"Says the one who tipped over Uranus."

"Says the one who wiped out the dinosaurs."

"... I'm not giving up that easily, ya know. I'll get you one of these days. Just you wait."

"Hehe."

"Now that I think of it, what'd you come here for? You usually don't stop by someone's house in the dead of night without a good reason."

"Got me there, you did."

"... what's going on?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask..."

"..."

"I can't say a lot since my wolves and I are still looking into it. But we have reason to believe there's a hostile in Paris. And they may target both your Holder and Tikki's alongside Hawk Moth."

"Sounds like a dangerous one."

"More dangerous than your Holders and Hawk Moth can handle without outside help. Even my Holder barely defeated him last time. Transformed, at that. My pack and I have been performing regular sweeps across the city, but he's a slippery one."

"Is it who I think it is?"

"My hunch says yes, though I hope it isn't."

"... crap."

"I hate to say this, but I don't think your Holder will last two seconds against him if he were to face him. His performance these past few akumas hasn't been the best."

"No need to tell me that one twice. I keep telling him he can't shirk his duty because we never know when an actual threat is gonna come. To this day, he never listens. And by the looks of it, his time as Chat Noir is coming to a close."

"Coming from you, that worries me."

"You've seen how he is. Shouldn't you be worried?"

"I'll be worried once I see it for myself."

"Confident, aren't you."

"Have to be since I'm the pack leader."

"Feh."

"I'd love to stay and catch up, but I hear my wolves calling for me now."

"Gotta go be the dad again, huh."

"Plagg, I am a dad."

"That's not what your wife said."

"Why you—!"

"Ah ah ah. Gotta set a good example for the kids, eh? There's no telling what the missus is gonna do if she heard you fought someone in their own house."

"... alright, I'll let you have this one. Just this once."

"Hehe."

"See ya, Plagg."

"See ya, Haati."