Miraculous Games

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen:

The sound of crunching leaves made Nathanael stiffen. He froze, flicking his attention up from the dirt to all around him. Someone was close by.

What should he do? Marinette wasn't here to help him. She was having her own personal session with Egotistical-Noir in the cave. Which Charm was after him? Which one hated him now? It couldn't be Queen Bee, she was too girly to come alone. Did someone hear his mumbling?

A twig snapped. Nathanael spun around, getting to his feet as fast as he could and using the stick he held as a weapon.

"B-back off," he stuttered to the darkness, trying to be brave, "I-I'm warning you. I have a... a stick. Yeah, a m-magical stick that could impale someone straight through their chest." He brandished the stick he held, attempting to lie his way to victory. In all reality, though, the stick would snap if anyone tried to fight him.

More rustles in the trees. Nathanael gulped, his nerves causing his legs to wobble and his hands to shake. The next thing he knew, he was sent flying sky high. He couldn't help it; he screamed like a girl.

* * *

Marinette jumped at the sound of Nathan's scream. She spun around, and attempted to get to her feet, but Chat gripped her shoulder.

"Don't," he ordered, "I'll go find him."

She turned to glare at him. "Chat, I can help. Just because I'm hurt doesn't mean I'm useless."

"Ladybug, please." Chat's eyes pleaded with hers. "I can't have you get hurt any more than you already are. I'm here to protect you and that is what I'm going to do. Please," he brushed her cheek, "stay here."

And with that, he bounded out of the cave. Marinette sat on the dirt floor, stunned at how he had treated her. Stay here? Heck no. No matter how much she cared about her cat, she was not going to let Fox get hurt.

She listened, silently trying to piece together the sounds that she heard. Crunching leaves must have meant footsteps. Chat's voice. What was going on up there? And why wasn't Nathan responding to Chat's calls?

Pulling herself up to her feet, Marinette winced. Pain flared in her arms and legs, and though it was toned down thanks to the medicine, she could still feel the soreness in her muscles. Chat had been right. She needed to rest and stay here so her body could repair itself.

But if that meant losing her district partner, she would have to take the risk. Besides, she had already promised him that they would both make it out alive. If he could fight, then so could she.

Marinette stumbled across the rocks, climbing her way up to the cave entrance. Pebbles slid under her feet, her weak body unprepared for the slipping and the sliding to occur. Chat and Fox had made it look easy...

By the time she was halfway to the top, she heard Chat cry out in surprise. Marinette's heart skipped a beat, which then caused her to slip on a pebble and slam her chin into a bolder. Groaning, she rubbed her chin and tried to climb quicker. Though her body protested, the will of her mind won out. No one was going to hurt her friends and get away with it.

Ladybug crawled out of the top of the cave, breathing hard. She looked around to see if she could find Fox or Chat, yet no matter where she turned her gaze, they weren't there.

"Chat?" she called out, scanning the ground for any traps he could have fallen into. "Chat? Fox?" She spun in a circle, her limbs aching, her eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary.