Miraculous: Tales of The Rat and The Lynx

Chapter 0

Running away from responsibilities

Quain

   I was running ahead.

 

   I don’t consider myself an excellent runner. I am neither fast nor robust. 

 

   In contrast to the person chasing after me, who was running at the speed of an experienced marathoner. Or I should say the wild meat-eater hunt for its prey. 

  

   I didn’t stand a chance and I knew it too well. My breath was becoming faster and faster. My legs started to decline to cooperate with me. 

 

   I had to think of a solution to this situation really quickly. Otherwise, my pursuer would have eaten a stew of a small rat stuffed with vegetables for the main course that night! 

  

   The distance between me and the villain was decreasing with each second. Echo of her footsteps was sounding closer and closer, way too close. Crap, why aren’t the girls in school so eager to chase after me? 

 

   I hissed as quietly as I could when the arrow flew merely two centimeters to the right from my ear. So she wanted to take me down as soon as possible, huh?

 

   I reached out to the sachet attached to my belt. However, my fingers only come up against the cold leather fabric. 

  

   My necklace twinkled, buzzing gently. Three minutes left till the end of the transformation. Should I have fought or ran away?

 

   My rat nature was telling me to go for the second option. 

 

   I took a turn into a narrow alley, thinking about the next move. Underneath me, there was a highly developed sewage system I happened to call myself a specialist of. Losing chase in place, that stinks so badly that it masks the smell of all living beings in it, shouldn’t have been a big challenge for me! And then, when my pursuer had been wasting time on searching for me in thousands of tunnels, I would have been laying in my own bed, under the warm blanket and waiting till Ladybug and Cat Noir would handle everything instead of me! 

  

   Yes, that sounded like a great plan to me! 

 

   Yet, I didn’t see one thing coming. She was already waiting there for me. 

 

   I didn’t hear her coming up. I didn’t see her silhouette. 

  

   I saw her shadow on the ground. And it was enough for me to know that I was totally screwed.

 

   I couldn’t run away. She was faster. I couldn’t fight. She was armed. 

 

   I closed my eyes and shakingly put my hands in the air. 

 

  - Coward - she hissed.

 

  I nodded with agreement. I was a coward. Although I had heard it more times than I can even count, it still hurt, when she said it.

 

   She snorted.

 

   - That’s all you're gonna do? After all this bragging about your strength and courage, are you just going to surrender without even trying to fight?

 

   I sighed and slowly opened up my eyes.

 

  - Kadia... - I whispered, but she didn’t let me talk.

 

   With a perfectly aimed punch, she managed to bring me down to the floor. I groaned when I felt another blow striking my head. Pain shot through me. 

 

   - Don’t call me by that name ever again. Sakadia’s gone and it’s entirely your fault. Now, I’m Black Lynx.

 

   I couldn’t swallow. Lump in my throat was burning inside of me. There were so many things I wanted to tell her at that moment, but I couldn’t find the right words. I wanted to fix everything, go back in time. I wanted to do something.

 

   No. I was a coward. I was running away from my duties and taking responsibility for my actions. That’s why I couldn’t do anything.

 

   I took my Miraculous off.