As The Sun Rises (Marichat) Miraculous story

Chapter five of As the Sun Rises

Chat would glance out of the corner of his eye every few minutes to make sure the Princess was still following behind him. He doubted She would wander off anywhere, but he was being careful. The amount of careful Chat was having to be at the moment was starting to grate on his nerves. Eyes peeled, ears listening, spear at the ready, keeping him tense and the anxiety he was struggling to push down ready to boil over at any second. Every bird song was a threat, or an animal crunching a leaf underfoot.

He slowed his pace a little, letting the Princess get closer to him again. Chat had to remind himself that he couldn't walk at a fast pace. It was midday, he'd only let Her sleep for about an hour and by now She was probably ready to collapse.

They would reach the village just after nightfall where hopefully he'd stay a day or two and recover his strength. The Princess would have much more time to recover.

Maybe She suspected something at this point, maybe She didn't, but Chat was going to set off by himself. He saw himself without any other options really. No one knew what the Princess looked like, so she'd be relatively safe in a small village, but he could be easily recognized especially on the border of his own tribe's territory. And especially as the adopted son of the tribe's leader. Chat was sure Aunt Nathalie was on Felix's side. There was no way she would take his.

He'd get the Princess to safety, a place where She could stay a long while, and then he'd get as far away from Her as possible, making sure that She stayed safe.

Up ahead, Chat heard the sound of a running stream and stopped walking completely, letting the Princess catch up with him. She was out of breath, taking small steps, and Her feet were probably tired and aching.

"Let's get some water," Chat said. The Princess only nodded slowly. Her gaze was stuck on the ground, unable to lift Her head. Chat took Her hand to lead Her towards the stream, giving it a slight tug to signal he was going to walk forward. She had noticed and followed, but after two unsteady steps, Her legs gave out beneath her.

Chat caught Her almost instantly, dropping his spear to the ground to free his arms. The Princess's fingers clung loosely to the fabric of his tunic. He was quick to scoop Her up, only needing one hand to hold her, and took hold of his spear again. Chat ran quickly the rest of the way to the stream. He set Her down on a rock, looking frantically for something that She could drink out of.

The Princess seemed so out of breath, each one labored and heavy. Her eyes were barely staying open either.

Chat let out a frustrated groan, cupping his hands and plunging them into the icy water. He carefully tried to transfer the water over to her, keeping his hands as steady as possible. "Drink, Princess," he said, hoping She would be present enough to tilt Her head down. "Princess, please drink."

She stared up at him for a moment, as though slowly processing his words before closing the distance between Her lips and his hands. Chat dipped his hands back into the water when She was finished, coaxing her to drink more. She still seemed so tired, and it pained him. He wondered how long She had been holding on like this.

Chat's hands were still icy cold and he pressed them to Her forehead, trying to cool her down. "Will You need to rest long?" he asked. The Princess shook her head, mouthing the word no, but no sound came out. Chat tried to speak as softly as possible. "I can carry You if You need me to."

She shook Her head again. Chat wanted to believe Her but her limbs were like that of a newborn foal, shaking and unstable. He doubted She could walk even two steps at the moment unaided. Hesitantly, Chat placed his hand on Her shoulder. He'd give Her a few more minutes before they started moving again-