The Wolves in the Woods

Irony Is Seldom Absent

From even the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent.

— H. P. Lovecraft

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Paris reacts to the appearance of Hawk Moth's newest akuma.

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Content Warning: high octane nightmare fuel ahead. The following chapter contains some scary scenes that might upset some readers. If you are squeamish or are easily spooked, skip ahead to the next scene. You have been warned.

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              "Don't be bemused! It's just the news!" Nadja shouted into her microphone. The helicopter hovered over the gigantic pink labyrinth. The sound from the blades drowned out any rational thought. "Just this afternoon, an enormous maze erupted from the Place des Vosges, where a theater club had been practicing for a production!" Down below, several police cars lined up around the park, with Officer Raincomprix and several other police officers keeping the civilian body of Paris safely away from the site of the akuma.

"There have been no signs of Ladybug or Chat Noir," Nadja reported on autopilot. "But people have confirmed there are innocents trapped inside the labyrinth!" Despite being a safe distance from the site of the akuma, both civilians and police officers — and Nadja, up in the helicopter — could hear the screams from the people trapped inside.

But they couldn't see who was screaming.

"Witnesses are reporting at an alarming rate..."

Juleka debated with herself if she should turn the car radio off or leave it on. On one hand, the news was shaking everyone — worst of all, Mrs. Rossi — to the very bone. On the other hand, they needed to know what they were up against. At least until Ladybug arrived at the scene. Rose's worried eyes glanced up at Juleka, whose focus was trained on the road and evading everyone else who was making a mad dash toward the site.

The onslaught of news reports was discouraging.

"This is bad..." she muttered. Her knuckles grasped the steering wheel so tightly they had begun to turn chalk white. "This is really bad..."

"Are we gonna be okay?" Rose asked. Juleka breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth.

"If Chat Noir doesn't show up, that's already an improvement," the goth huffed. She slammed on the brakes to avoid an oncoming truck. "But how will Ladybug handle this on her own?"

Rose stayed silent, wondering the same thing herself. Nadja's exposé on the Black Cat "Hero" was still fresh in everyone's minds despite his dirty laundry being aired two weeks ago. Virtually no one aside from the diehard fans of the Black Cat had any faith he would show up, let alone help Ladybug. If only there were other heroes Ladybug could rely on...

"Stay close," Juleka said. They were coming up to the Place des Vosges. "This is gonna be a madhouse."

"Okay."

Carefully, despite her experience with a boat over a land vehicle, Juleka parked Mrs. Rossi's car far enough they were a safe distance from the onlooking crowd. Setting it to park (that was park, right?), she flung open the driver-side door and rounded the front to get Rose. Rose stepped out, closing the door behind her and reaching for the back passenger door. Mrs. Rossi waited, her hands folded neatly on her lap. The two teenagers helped her out, the screaming from inside the labyrinth pounded the inside of their heads. The clamoring from the onlooking crowd added to it.