The zoo in Paris had hardly seen better weather, the sun shining and the breeze comfortable to both the animals and their visitors. The district was likely patting themselves on the back for their rather unoriginal yet well received field trip idea for their freshman class. Old enough to let them go without a chaperone, and young enough not to mind wasting a school day roaming the cages.

Ms. Bustier had barely finished reminding everyone to meet by the front gates at noon for lunch when they all split up into their groups, wandering off and leaving any school staff left in sight far behind. Nathanael slipped away quietly without anyone noticing, Alix resting her hands behind her head and strutting off with a nature that proclaimed her to be too aloof to care much about anything one way or the other. The rest paired off with their usual counterparts, Nino gravitating towards Adrien, Alya and Marinette close by, Kim and Max making a b-line for the more interesting creatures while Sabrina and Chloe went one way and Mylene and Ivan went another.

"Are we really going to be here the whole day?" Alya was saying, the boys approaching and joining the conversation while it was still new. "I mean it's already ten but the zoo isn't all that big and the only new thing is the panthers. We'll be done way before the four hours is up."

"Better than spending it in school," Marinette said with a shrug, looking up with slightly wider eyes when the boys joined.

"Couldn't agree more," Adrien announced with enthusiasm, looking around him as if to thank the day for being so nice.

"You look jazzed," Nino commented with a chuckle, "how long has your dad had you locked up?"

Adrien groaned, and the group smothered a laugh. "It's been nothing but shoots for days now, trust me I really needed this. No work, just walking around in the sunshine."

"Welp, I know I'd definitely take this over sitting in a desk any day so it's cool with me," Nino said mid-stretch, looking fairly pleased himself. Everyone looked pretty comfortable, the girls wearing shorts and breezy shirts, Nino with an uncharacteristic tank top and cargo short combo and Adrien shedding his usual white over shirt, just looking happy to wear something he had picked out himself.

Adrien took a deep breath as the others chatted idly, trailing behind them as they picked a random direction and started to head further inside. It was such a relief, this trip. Finally something relaxing... his father had been wearing him thin, even more so than usual. It had been a long time since he had the opportunity to just go out with his friends even if this was still a school trip. Ahead of him Alya scoffed, rolling her eyes while Marinette and Nino laughed at something he hadn't heard, and he smiled. It was such a good natural feeling, the joy of people. He had for so long only understood loneliness. Now he understood togetherness as well...

And it felt good.

"Bro," Nino got his attention, halting his movement for a second to fall in step with him. "Back me up. Observatories are lame, zoos are awesome. Yes?"

"They aren't lame!" Marinette said indignantly, crossing her arms and pouting a little when Alya laughed this time. "And I never said anything against zoos. One doesn't have to be lame for the other to be cool."

"I think both are great," Adrien said neutrally, Nino scowling while Marinette grinned happily. He watched the two of them get in an fight over what sort of field trips were superior and he chuckled to himself as they got into it. The four of them made it to the first exhibit by the time Nino had made the argument that astronomy trips were inherently more education, and thus inferior, to which Marinette countered that education didn't mean bad.

"It just means boring," Nino said with a roll of the eyes, waltzing lazily up to the first cage to read the sign. "The Feather-Tailed Glider," he announced, "indigenous to eastern and south-eastern Australia, growing up to three inches in length and only weighing five ounces."

"Where are they?" Adrien asked, leaning forward to peer into the enclosure and not having much luck.

"Well they're only three inches long at best so they're probably hidden," Alya said simply, leaning in herself to look around. She sighed before saying, "This always happens to me at zoos. I never see anything interesting."

They had been there for nearly an hour before the group heard the first scream.

Like most trips to the zoo nothing absolutely spectacular happened, they were enjoying themselves and taking it easy for the most part, the boys chatting about one thing or another while the girls poured over a map. None of them had ever really said they intended to stick together but it happened naturally, the boys walking forward to look over their friends shoulders when something loud, guttural and terrified ripped through the air. The whole group tensed, their conversation as to where to head next suddenly irrelevant.

Adrien was ridged, focused intently in the direction of the screams. It came from deeper within the zoo, other passing visitors pausing to fearfully look behind them. Screams weren't good in Paris.

"Someone messing around?" Nino said without any real hope, all of them waiting in silence and staring down the path.

"On my day to relax?" Adrien muttered, just as the same pair of screams rung out again. "Not a chance."

Adrien, Marinette, and Alya took off instantly, sprinting towards the sounds of distress and leaving Nino standing on his own, groaning dramatically as he glanced back at the exhibit wistfully.

"It's been literally one hour," he complained, steeling himself for whatever bullshit lay ahead and taking off after his friends.

Further on Adrien and Marinette ran forward urgently. Adrien grimaced, eyes hard and face determined as a crowd of patrons ran screaming past him, heading in the exact opposite direction of himself as he rounded the corner. The sights of the zoo were a blur as he ran, the young boy internally sighing even in the face of what he only knew could be bad. It really only had been an hour. What could have possibly happened in an hour?

The sounds of fear grew louder until they were almost overwhelming, when sudden Adrien took a blunt impact to the shoulder and was sent sprawling to the ground with a poor stand worker laid out on top of him half out of her mind.

"Monster! Oh god those boys!" she screamed, scrambling off of him and kicking him harshly in the side in her attempt to flee. "Someone please help! HELP!"

Her pleas collapsed into panicked screams as she looked behind her, drawing Adrien's attention away from her and to an open area in front of an exhibit just ahead of them.

He saw several things at once, taking it in quickly as the situation only continued to escalate.

They were in front of the panther exhibit, the cage door wide open with two panthers cornering a terrified Kim and Max. The boys were clinging to each other, backed up against a planter and pleading in incoherent shouts before one of the panthers opened its great jaw, teeth gleaming as it silenced them with a rippling snarl. Adrien could hear its teeth connect as it growled, deep and rolling waves of sound as it prowled forward, the second panther standing tall, enraged but... reserved. Its head was high, claws digging into the pavement before it too barred its teeth.

But this one spoke.

"How dare you... how dare you have so little respect for those greater than yourself. More noble, more powerful. I'm SICK of sniveling brats throwing stones and insults, I'm TIRED of your excuses. Of ALL their excuses. Humans corrupt and destroy, they lie and kill! There is no room for human's here. In our world, in HIS world. It's time for your gift."

Kim's eyes widened, pressing even farther back as the second panther stepped forward. Adrien didn't know what had happened, didn't know what was going on but Hawkmoth had claimed another victim and he couldn't afford to wait around and find out just how dangerous they could be. He opened his mouth to speak, to try and distract the hunters from his classmates but another voice rang out, strong, powerful and demanding.

"HEY!" it called, Marinette stepping forward with one hand clutching her bag. "Let them go RIGHT now, hairball!"

"Help us!" Max called in a shaking voice, screaming when the first panther lunged at him only to be stopped by the second.

Adrien stared up at Marinette, wide eyed and afraid to see her standing out away from the protection of the group, but admittedly he was also impressed. She had acted fearlessly before he could so much as stand, which he did now in a rush as Marinette confronted them a second time.

"What did they do to you!? How is it even possible for a panther to be possessed?"

The second panther turned, revealing a flash of white wrapped around its neck. It was a tooth, jagged and feline that somehow radiated a sense of the wild even more than the creatures themselves.

"I am not possessed," it warned, voice low and angry. "I am freed. I have been given true form by Hawkmoth's kindness. I will cure you, and these children and ALL who stand against my master. I walked as you did once, and when we walk together you'll understand. This arrogant brat will understand, even when he taunted us. PREPARE," he suddenly called out, cutting off Adrien's rebuttal as it roared horribly, it's eyes flashing purple and a light emanating out from the tooth at its neck.

Adrien had barely stood, watching as Marinette ducked into cover, Alya attempting to do the same a small distance behind her but caught out in the open, but not like Adrien. She had a chance, a slim one but a chance. Adrien was completely exposed. The pain in his side jarred him, he couldn't move as fast as he needed too. But then...

Nino caught up.

Adrien shouted in surprise when he was suddenly rammed from the side, thrown across the barrier of a planter and out of sight just as the light surged out. He looked up in time to see the purple wash of light shoot through his friends, staggering them until they too fell. It didn't have an affect he could see, but Nino was gasping, eyes wide as he shook his head roughly to fend off some disorientation. Alya wasn't moving.

Behind the akuma Kim and Max screamed, turning and attempting to vault the planter but Max was too close, the first panther lashing out and catching his shoe to drag him back. Kim called out for him but the akuma was turning, and in a moment of blind panic he ran, Max screaming as he too was attacked.

The akuma growled, angered as Kim appeared to be about to escape.

"Leave them!" he commanded his panther, leaping with powerful limbs onto the planter. "They'll be with us soon. We can't let the fool escape, let's go! And once the heroes arrive, the hunt begins!"

The true panther snarled, taking one last moment to stand over Max who slowly grew still before taking off after its leader, the two creatures vanishing into the zoo with a chorus of screams in their wake.

Adrien pushed himself up, a horrible sharp dread settling in him as he clambered over the barrier, sprinting for his friends as Marinette did the same. He reached Nino at the same time she reached Alya, shaking her arms and calling her name but she didn't respond. Nino was still conscious, but barely.

"Nino!" Adrien called out desperately, falling to his knees next to him and gripping him roughly. "Why did you do that!? Are you okay?"

"Why do you think I did it," he chastised weakly, his eyes half closed and breathing heavy as he laid sprawled on the floor. He tried to speak but it was like his tongue was heavy, and he groaned, reaching up weakly to hold his head. "Agh... ah my head... crap my... fucking everything. I can't... stay awake."

"What did it do!?" Marinette asked in a panic, cradling Alya's head and trying to see any kind of physical injury but...

"Dude," Nino suddenly spoke weakly, his speech slurred. "Get away from... here. Something bad's... gonna happen. H-he said we'd be on his side. I don't want to... hurt you guys, or something. We'll be alright. I-..." he swallowed, his eyes starting to close. "I can't stay awake..."

Adrien watched horrified as Nino grew as still as the others, his hands falling to his side and his head finally lolling back when all of his energy had left him. His eyes were locked to his face until finally, quiet but audible over the distant panic of the city...

"Adrien..." Marinette said softly, her voice heavy but firm. "Let's move them out of the way. He's right... this kind of thing has happened before. If this akuma is getting recruits... they're on that list. We need to move."

Adrien looked up, finding Marinette standing and supporting Alya's weight with a grim fear written on her face. He grit his teeth, looking back down at the friend who saved him and felt his ring as his hands balled up into fists.

"Yeah," he said heavily, picking Nino up enough to drag him aside, Plagg shifting in anticipation out of sight. "You're right."

The two dragged their friends aside, Max up against the shelter of the planter and as safe as he could be... Marinette looked ready to run off, but Adrien stopped her, his voice firm.

"Mari," he said, taking her off guard by his sudden close hold. "Stay safe okay? Don't let this thing get you too. I've got to go and try and find the others, but get somewhere safe. We'll be alright, Ladybug's coming I know she is."

Something in her eyes hardened, and despite how worried he knew they both were he was impressed to see her slight smile as she nodded.

Marinette was a trooper... it gave him enough confidence to let her run off alone into a warzone. Even if he wanted to protect her, he'd be doing so best when he was out there with his lady. He only hoped she showed up fast.

With one final look at Nino and Alya slumped lifelessly in the open panther exhibit he steeled himself, shutting them inside and turning to flee in the direction of chaos.