Chapter Thirteen:

The night began to fall in the Arena. Marinette had carried Nathanael through the woods for a while and had set him down by a small pond maybe a mile or two away from the Cataclysmacopia. The pair hadn't really spoken during that time but had decided to make camp by the small body of water.

As the sun set behind the treetops to the west, Marinette was setting up a makeshift tent-slash-shelter. They would have to sleep on the ground because, even though a tarp had been included in Ladybug's bag, sleeping bags had not been part of the luxury kit.

Marinette had been patient all day, sitting through Nathanael's subtle complaining, but now she was starting to crack. She had set him down on a rock near where she would set up their tarp tent, but now he was starting to talk.

"Marinette, do you have time to help me?" He asked.

Marinette shook her head, pounding a stuck into the ground with a rock. "No, I can't help right now."

"But Mari-"

"Nathan, do you want a shelter or not?"

He fell silent. Marinette continued to work on the shelter. Her irritation with him was starting to drive her crazy. Her mind buzzed with anger and a little bit of exasperation.

"I'm sorry I'm dead weight."

That made Ladybug freeze. She turned to look at her partner. Fox's face was downcast and his eyes were watering. Ladybug's expression softened. She dropped the rock she was using at her feet and went to his side.

"Nathan, you are not dead weight to me."

"But I can't do anything," he insisted. "My leg is cut really badly, basically busted. This is supposed to be a balanced partnership -- a team, but I'm not doing anything to help you."

Marinette rested a hand on his shoulder. "Nathanael, I'm sorry I snapped. You are helping me. As much as you don't believe it, it's true. If I was alone out here, I have to admit, I would probably be cowering under a rock."

A small smile grew on Nathanael's lips. "I never would have thought you would have hidden."

She laughed. "Then you don't know me as well as you thought, huh?"

The two of them shared a smile. The sun officially set and, above them, stars began to slowly appear in the fake sky.

Nathanael sighed. "Well, I can start a fire, if you-"

"Hello, my lady."

Marinette spun around. In the trees high above them, a pair of green eyes smiled down at her. She popped her hips with sass.

"What are you doing here, Chat?"

"I came to protect my precious princess."

"Well, this 'precious princess' is a little busy at the moment."

Chat jumped down from the tree branch, swinging and doing a front flip, landing in front of her. He gave her a dazzling smile.

"Show off," Nathanael muttered.

Chat looked down at him and raised an eyebrow. "Well well, who is this?"

"This is my friend, Nathanael. Or, as most people know him as, Fox."

Chat crouched and held out his hand to shake. "Pleased to meet you, Fox. My name is Chat Noir, the protector of this arena and this beautiful princess." He winked at Marinette.

Nathanael glared at his hand for a minute, then shook it.

"I wasn't expecting you to arrive," Marinette said to Chat. "I thought you would come when I needed help the most."

He spread his gloved hands. "Sorry, my lady. I only figured you would be paw-sitively grateful to see me."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Well, now that you're here, you can help set up our shelter while I properly patch Nathan up."

Chat gave her a salute. "I can do that, Ladybug."

He sauntered off and began to finish the shelter. Marinette picked up the red bag she had snatched from the Cataclysmacopia and pulled out a small first-aid kit. As she was preparing the bandages, Nathanael finally spoke.

"Who is this 'Chat Noir' guy?"

Marinette looked up at him and noticed he was glaring at the black cat.

"He's a friend of mine," Ladybug answered. "He;s here to help us win the games."

"He seems a little shady," Nathan whispered, studying Chat as he drove sticks into the ground.

"I trust him with my life," Marinette stated with complete honesty. She pulled Nathanael's ripped cargo pants away from his wound. He winced, gritting his teeth tightly. Marinette grimaced at the sight of the blood and, most likely, infection, then began to clean it out.

"What if he's here to kill us?" Nathanael questioned.

Marinette shook her head. "He's not going to, I promise." She wrapped his cut with fresh bandages. Leaning back, she examined her work. It would do for now.

"Ladybug," Chat called. She turned to look at him but froze. Chat's posture was tense. His high-tech ears twitched and Marinette had a feeling it wasn't a good sign. "Get in the shelter."

Nathanael began to protest, "But why-"

"Just do it," he hissed, cutting him off. His hand reached toward his staff clipped around his waist as he spun in a slow circle. Marinette did as she was told. She helped Nathan up and assisted him toward the shelter.

"Is someone coming?" Marinette whispered, setting her partner down.

He didn't respond, only extended his staff and scanned the trees.

"There are rules we have to follow," Chat muttered. "I cannot touch the Lucky Charms. It will set off alarms and the Game Master will find me. You or Fox-face back there must be the one to take the Miraculous."

"Miraculous?"

He nodded. "They call them 'Lucky Charms' but in all reality, they are called Miraculouses. Lucky Charms are the nicknames, I guess, because of their power."

"Master Fu said something like that," Ladybug realized.

"It was a well-kept secret for a long time," Chat continued, "but each Miraculous has a power. It's usually different every betrothal Miraculous Game."

"It's a step ahead in the game..." she mumbled. She opened her mouth to speak, but Chat slapped a gloved hand over it.

"Shh," he ordered.

She heard it. The smallest snapping of a twig. It repeated. Footsteps. By the sound of them, they were coming closer. Marinette pulled her grappling hook from her makeshift holster around her waist.

"What's the plan?" Chat whispered.

Marinette thought for a moment. "You start first, and get the person pinned down, if possible."

He smirked. "And they you can steal the pin while he's pinned."

"He?"

Chat gave a single nod. "Judging by how slow and by how much sound is being made, yes, it's a male. Or a really heavyweight girl."

A twig snapped. Marinette held her ground, then motioned to the trees. Chat nodded. He crept forward, his tech ears flicking back in forth to pinpoint the sound. Once he was certain, he pounced. There was a cry of surprise and Chat dragged the person out of the shadows.

It was a Charm, one that Marinette recognized. Max the Owl.

"Well well, look what the cat dragged in," Marinette said.

Max struggled against Chat's grip that held him down. He looked up at Ladybug. The grin he wore chilled her to the bone.

"I think you're mistaken, Ladybug."

She was about to ask what he meant, but a thumping next to her made her jump. An arrow had lodged itself into a tree beside her.

"It's a trap!" Chat exclaimed.

From out of the bushes, a group of three Charms surrounded them. The group consisted of Kim the Eagle, Sabrina the Hummingbird, and the Queen Bee herself. Chloe. Marinette's blood ran cold. This wasn't good. There was no way Chat, Nathanael, and she could take them all down, especially since Nathanael was out of the game due to injuries.

"If you thought you could get away with an advantage over us, you were wrong," Max spat, eyeing Chat with a furious gaze. "Attack!"

The Charms charged.

---

Hey guys! Sorry if this chapter was so short. It was all I was able to write down yesterday and it took a lot of gumption to be able to type it up.

Woohoo, though! I am so excited for this. The story may be a bit all over the place, but I have a feeling it will all work out in the end.

Now, if you will please excuse me, I have to go see if I can write Kindred Spirit. Ugh, it's driving me crazy...

Don't forget to leave a vote before you go!

Can you guys spot the important detail in this chapter? ;)