…

…I remember when I first tried to head into the Ionian forests by myself. If my memory serves me correctly, I was maybe seven. It was probably my first time out of the house without any supervision at all actually. Back then, it was considered a dangerous thing, and staying inside of your house was the closest thing to a haven you could get.

Before that fateful decision of mine, I was a fairly obedient boy. If my parents told me to eat all my food, I would. If they told me to read a book, I would. If they told me to sleep, I would. I was a bit gullible yet naïve at the same time. However, I eventually began to enter the 'rebellious stage', as they would put it. I would start pretending not to hear their orders, or I would straight up just refuse. I couldn't help it; curiosity became another permanent quality of mine.

"Just what would happen if I didn't listen? Will something change?"

That was the one question that drove me to my disobedient deeds. Thus, I had my chance with time. One day, my parents left to get some ingredients for dinner, and I took the opening. I waited for them to go away before sneaking out through the backdoor. I was immediately bashed with the unique fragrance and wind that only belonged to Ionia. It was the smell of teeming nature… or the smell of freedom as I would describe it as. Taking uneven strides through the long blades of grass, I gradually distanced myself away from the small house that I spent the majority of my lifetime in.

I was generally surprised to see so many people out on the streets. The only other living beings I would see were my parents or the delivery man. Well, I guess I could see people from my room's window upstairs, but it was different than actually seeing them up close. I moved away from our house's backyard and into the streets, smiling as I weaved around the confused adults. Some pointed at me with a worried look on their face.

"What's a child doing outside by himself?"

I ignored the question and ran down the street, occasionally being awed by the rows of food upon wooden stacks. People behind the stacks would shout things I couldn't quite comprehend, things about 'low prices' and 'fresh from the lake'. Still, I couldn't stop, because I had something else I wanted to focus on.

Within time, I made it to the outskirts, looking and realizing how vast it was. It stretched on farther than I could see, and the trees and flowers mixed into a pretty array of colors. It was certainly different compared to the view I would always see out my window.

I gulped. Here it was, the moment of truth. I was about to endure the consequence of entering the forest, the dreaded forest that my parents always warned me about. I closed my eyes before taking a huge inhale of oxygen. Then…I dove forward!

…Nothing? I opened my eyes to realize the gravity of the situation. Nothing really happened to me besides a few grass stains from my crazed stunt. I then stood up, dusted myself off, and smirked.

"The forest is not so bad after all!"I said with triumph before heading even deeper within.

I whistled, or at least attempted to, as I strolled along an imaginary path. Around a rock, through the space between two trees, into the bushes…it was just random. I kept on moving around like that without a care in the world. There were occasionally birds that flew overhead and small animals scurrying on the ground. It was something extremely calming to my senses.

For some reason, I spent a long time in there, because the sky soon became a dark shade of orange, and I began to hear the familiar singsong calls of insects.

At first, I thought it was okay, because surely I was able to get back home without any trouble. But as the sky became dark and the owls began to coo, I panicked. Every tree looked the same, the flowers were patterned together, and the rocks were the same shape. Which direction did I come from? If I only walked a little ways from the town, I would have known, but the forest was too dense now.

The sound of twigs snapping made me tense up. Something was out there, and it was near. Fear was creeping up my back like a spider, striking my nerves and urging me to run away as far as I could. A shadow moved across some trees, and a tear dropped down my face as I searched wildly for something to protect myself with. A nearby branch seemed thick enough, but was embedded into the ground. I reached for it and planted my foot down as leverage to aid me in pulling it out of the ground.

The shadow moved again, and the owls cooed louder. I felt streams of tears down my face as I finally pulled the branch out from the ground…but my rough landing caused me to wince. There was a pain similar to when I get paper cuts, yet the difference was that it hurt more and it was bigger.

I held up the branch weakly with my right hand while my left arm tingled with pain. The shadows became faster and various noises grew louder as the world began to spin. I wanted to end it all. I wanted to end all the torment and pain. I dropped the branch and curled up into a ball, watching as the shadow made its way to me. I couldn't do anything, so I screamed and closed my eyes, just hoping this was some horrible nightmare.

There was a long moment of silence before I did anything. When I felt the same feeling I had when I entered the forest, I slowly lifted my eyelids. There in front of me was a strange creature. It looked like the small dogs that some of the villagers had. However, it had a much more pointed snout and was accented with a more slender body. Its fur was white and looked soft and majestic as moonlight gleamed off of it from an opening in the forest canopy. The irises in the creature's eyes were alluring; a bright, rich gold. Yet…there was nothing that amazed me more than the nine tails behind the animal, swirling about as if going along with the flow of an invisible river.

The animal advanced towards me with grace, and it eventually stopped in front of me. It seemed curious, almost as curious as I was about it. I slowly extended my hand to touch it, to confirm if it was real or not, but it reared back. It appeared to be scared, but for what reason? I giggled and wiped my tears from my eyes. I felt so tricked: the thing in front of me wasn't scary at all. I raised my hands, trying to signal that I wasn't going to harm it.

The animal eventually lowered its head and braced itself for my hand. I laid my hand on it and stroked it. I went behind the ears and down the back, eventually reaching the tails that I was mesmerized by.

"You're a really pretty animal," I chuckled.

Its ears perked up and it looked at me with interest. That was when I recalled what the animal was identified as. I believe it was a fox. My parents would tell me how the villagers were always trying to find ways to keep foxes out of the town because of their tendency to dig around and steal food. I asked them what one looked like one day, and they showed me a book with lots of pictures; pictures that showed all the animals around Ionia. There were also parts in the book where it showed the animals found around 'Noxus' or 'Demacia'. Perhaps those are two other towns in Ionia?

So the animal in front of me was a fox…right? I couldn't be too sure, because the foxes in the book only had one tail.

"…You're a fox…right?"

The creature simply moved its tails around. Of course it would, it couldn't speak.

"Well…first…first…oh yeah, introductions! My mama and papa always told me the first thing to tell a stranger is your name…although; do you count as a stranger? I think you do…ugh… Well, my name is Artieryal Dieu Solstys! What's yours…oh."

I blushed. What an embarrassing mistake to make. Well, if it can't speak, it won't tell me how dumb I am, right? As if to spite me, the fox hit its paw to its face.

"W-well…if you can't talk, you won't be able to tell me your name…if you have one that is. Umm…oh, I know, I'll give you a name for now! Is that…okay?"

The fox yawned and walked in circles until it lied onto the grass. It seemed as if it was telling me to go ahead…I think.

"Let's see…how about…Coco?"

The ears drooped.

"Sorry…maybe…Whitey?"

No change.

"Fido?"

"Ichigo?"

"Alexander the Great?"

A low growl was emitted from the fox's throat, indicating its obvious impatience.

"Well…I've never had a pet before…uh…"

I scrambled through different letters and sounds through my head. But I've only learned a little bit since I was homeschooled instead of going to the town school with the other children…

"Is…is Ahri okay?"

The fox lifted its head from the ground, finally showing a different reaction.

I grinned, "Then…Ahri! Ahri! Ahri! Yeah, it seems like a pretty name to fit you. Do you like it?"

The fox…Ahri, came up to me and rested its head on my lap.

"Um…this may be a weird question, but what are you? Like, girl or boy that is. Oh, and can you answer like you always do, with the ear lifting and such?"

Ahri didn't do anything.

"Well, let's just get on with it. Are you a boy?"

The ears drooped.

"So that means you're a girl…no wonder you're so pretty."

Ahri raised her ears, supposedly signaling her affirmation.

I yawned, rubbing my eyes gently after doing so. It was nighttime after all, so I should have been asleep by now…but returning to the town now would be dangerous. My mama and papa always told me about the wolves that come out to eat naughty little boys, and I guess I was really scared. I was a boy, little, and I haven't been listening to my parents' warnings…the wolves were probably hungry by now.

As if to sense my fear, Ahri nudged me and started walking, turning her head every now and then to see if I would come along. I stood up and did a little hop to catch up to her. I wanted to stay close as possible, so I held onto one of her tails, hoping she wouldn't mind.

Ahri kept up a fast pace, but it was slow enough for me to keep up with. She led me around trees and rocks, and I realized that there were places where she could have taken a shortcut. The shortcuts, however, were only fit for her size. She must have realized it, and deliberately chose to take different routes out of concern for me.

The cooing of the owls soon began to fade away as the forest became less dense. I could faintly see the destination we were heading to, and it certainly wasn't my town. Still, any place was certainly better than the forest. I smiled as the thought that Ahri was bringing me to her home dawned upon me. I definitely wanted to see what her home would look like.

"Ahri, is this your home you're leading me to? I wonder what it…huh?"

The place where we stopped was really just a clearing in the forest. Ahri ran ahead of me and grabbed a vine with her teeth. The vine was attached to a circular rock the size of…me. I was worried if she could possibly move something…like…that… She ended up moving like a twig.

"…Wow…you're strong Ahri."

I peeked at the hole that was once covered by a rock…and I couldn't see the bottom. The hole went down for a few feet before everything went black. I swallowed my saliva and watched with awe as Ahri hopped into the pit, seeming unfazed by its depth. Although, it was reasonable considering how many times she could have done this.

"A-Ahri…do I really have to jump a-all the way down there?"

I heard nothing, but steeled my resolve anyway. If Ahri led me here, then there was no reason for her to hurt me, right?

I shut off all thoughts and let myself fall into the hole, feeling the sickening pull of gravity as I descended at a very high speed. My head felt like it was spinning atop my shoulders as I kept on falling, not knowing what was going to happen to me. I closed my eyes tighter as the end came near…which consisted of a fluffy landing on an immensely huge pile of cotton.

"…I…thought I was going to die…"

I put a hand to my heart to feel how fast it was beating, and thought it impossible that it was beating so fast. The fall wasn't that long, but it still scared me to death.

A pathway was in front of me, dimly lit up by gemstones and strange glowing plants. I saw fresh tracks, inevitably belonging to Ahri, and crawled to follow them. The tunnel was big enough for me to scrape my head with, but crawling seemed more comfortable. The tunnel probably went on as far as the hole before was deep. At the end of it was a big igloo shaped room with lots of those strange glowing flowers. How could plants grow underground anyway?

I saw Ahri huddled up near a thick patch of those flowers, patting her tails on them to gesture that that was where she wanted me to lay. I did so and yawned again, stretching my arms out and relaxing my whole body on the flower bed. It was then that Ahri stood up and hopped over to a small hole. When she came back out, she had a pair of fruits in her mouth. She laid them down next to me and began cutting them with her teeth and claws. Once the skin was off, she grabbed a chunk of the fruit and used her tails to hand it to me.

"Is it really okay for me to have this?"

She dropped her ears slightly and lifted them up again. It looked almost as if she was trying to nod.

"Thank you…"

I opened my mouth and bit a small piece, feeling the juice squirt into my mouth. It was a really sweet taste, and was like a mix between a watermelon and a mango.

"Mmm! It tastes really yummy! Thanks a bunch, Ahri!"

The fox just kept on slicing up the fruit for me as I ate, and I fed her a few times as well, stroking her ears as I did so. The fruit was all eaten after a while, and I wiped some of the juice off with my hand. I was about to take my shirt off, when I remembered that I didn't have my pajamas with me. All I had on was a plain beige shirt and dark brown shorts. My shoes got lost somewhere in the forest without me realizing it. Just then, I felt a wet sensation climbing up my left arm. It was Ahri, who was licking my left arm, the one that got cut some time ago. I heard animals lick themselves to heal faster, but there was no telling whether or not it would work out for me. Still, I laughed and petted Ahri.

"Hehe. Thank you Ahri, I feel much better now!"

I hugged her and fell back onto the bed of flowers, letting her lick my face as I giggled from the tickling sensation. My heart suddenly felt warm…and fuzzy? It was something I rarely experience. Playing with Ahri made that feeling grow stronger and stronger; and it felt weird. It hurt, but it also felt good at the same time.

We continued messing around until I grew sleepy at last. I laid there with Ahri facing me, her eyelids struggling to stay up as well.

"Hey, Ahri…tomorrow, I have to go back to my home…my mama and papa must be really worried by now…"

The fox kept her eyes open slightly.

"…I wish I could keep you, but I heard about what they do to some of the foxes in the village. They leave out traps that poison them or they bring out weapons to…kill them. Some of the villagers even sell fox skins… They would definitely try to kill you if they saw you, since your fur is so beautiful. Still, can you lead the way to my home? Just to the outside of town, you don't have to come all the way in…"

She blinked.

"I'm sorry, but I'll be sure to come back as soon as I can. I can't do every day, since my parents don't go out much…but maybe on weekends. I'll definitely come back to see you, six days from now! We'll do all sorts of things! We'll play tag, we'll collect berries…there will be lots to do. Then, when I am ten years old, I can start going out…on my own to hunt! We can be together every day once that happens…so please, wait for me, okay…?"

The fox nudged my cheek and I lost control of my exhaustion. Right before I closed my eyes, I could have sworn I saw Ahri attempt a smile.

The day after, I found my way back to the village with Ahri's help. She hid behind one of the outside trees and watched as I ran to my parents. My mama hugged me hard with tears in her eyes. Both her and papa kept on going on and on about how they were worried to the death. Then they both flicked my forehead to show their discontent at my disobedience.

"Don't you ever go into the forest again, you hear me? What if wolves really did come to eat you!?" My mother scolded.

Then Ahri would protect me; she's really strong. Is what I wanted to say, but I just nodded to their order. What a naughty boy I was, lying to my parents right in their faces. I must taste amazing to those wolves.

"But Papa, I'll be able to go hunting when I'm ten, right?"

My father widened his eyes, "Artieryal! Your mama is right here…"

My mama scrunched her eyebrows and put on her angry face.

"Honey! You're going to get him into hunting!?"

"W-well…you know, he'll be a tough young boy by then, so why not…?"

She hit him, "And how do you know that!?"

I spoke up, "I will be strong when I grow up! I really will! I can do ten push-ups without any breaks already! I'll eat all my vegetables and drink lots of milk! I'll be even stronger than Papa!"

They both looked at me, then each other before sighing.

My mama patted my head, "Well, I'll be cooking differently to make sure you grow up strong, alright?"

I nodded and turned back to the forest. I couldn't see Ahri anymore, but I gave a thumb up in her direction anyway.

Just you wait Ahri; I'll grow strong so that we can be together every day! Just three more years until then…

After sending a silent farewell to my new friend, I began walking into my house, my mind finally set on a goal worth working to achieve.

It's been around five years since I met Ahri. I'm twelve now, and I've been hunting for two years. As promised, I started as soon as I reached ten, and met Ahri every day from then on. I hunted with her as my aid, and we played all sorts of games. I even told her all the new things I learned.

I learned many things from my parents about the outside world, and found out that Ionia was really just an island on Runeterra. Knowledge about all of Runeterra, the world in which we live in, revealed to me that the world extended farther than our little town in Ionia. However, such knowledge also revealed the dangers. There was a certain city-state on the continent of Valoran that wished to one day conquer us. Noxus. Soldiers from there were already down here in the southern parts of Ionia, obviously declaring war. Word of this terrible news spread through Ionia like wildfire, where it eventually reached the north.

My parents…they've already decided to send me off to the north of Ionia, where I'll be far from the battle if it reached our town. At first I thought they were coming along with me, but they told me that they would be participating in the defense. They were going to give me money to last me a good fifteen years as well, although I should have a job in four years. Thus today was my last day in this place that I called home for so long.

I was in the shower, washing away the dirt and grime from my last and final hunt. Ahri knows the usual routine. I wake up early in the morning, head out into the forest, hunt with her, have fun, then I return home. She always stays on the outskirts of the forest as I head back, and once we can no longer see each other, she runs back to her home. Today, however, was different. I was planning on heading back into the forest after this shower. I needed to tell her about my leave…

When the water was off, I stepped out and stared in the mirror. I was obviously not the frail little child I once was. My body was lean and fit due to always hunting. My hair was messy and the same color as my father's; a fairly bright shade of red. However, I had my mother's eyes, which were a green-yellow hue. Admittedly, my face was still a bit childish, but it would change with time.

"I shouldn't waste any more time…"

I put on the clothes I had ready for after my shower. A plain, white, button-up shirt and some black slacks. It was better to look presentable when I reached the boat. My suitcase was all packed up, but I didn't need it right now, so I let it stay where it was. I ran down the stairs and checked my appearance in the hallway mirror one last time before heading out the door.

I laughed at myself a bit. Who was I trying to look good for? Ahri?

The path was the same one I always took whenever I would pick up Ahri. I would head straight until I saw the bird-shaped rock, then I would turn right and reach her home eventually.

Within minutes, I was there and knocking on the circular rock that always found a way to move back to its place after being moved out of the way. Really, if Ahri could talk, I would have asked her how it does that. Soon, the rock began to move up and down until it was moved to the side by Ahri. I helped her move it a bit more for her to squeeze her whole body out before hugging her and sitting down.

"Hey Ahri…it's nice to see you again."

She licked my chin playfully until I gave up.

"Hahaa…alright, you got me, I give up!"

I rubbed her head and squeezed her a bit. I didn't really want to tell her about my leave, but she should have the right to know.

"Hey…Ahri, I have something really important to talk about…today…is going to be my last day…"

The small fox stopped squirming and a harsh silence overcame us.

"My parents, they've decided to send me away to the north of Ionia…there will be an invasion here soon from the Noxians… That's why I am here…to tell you goodbye. I don't know if I'll ever be able to return either…" I shakily said.

I picked the fox up and placed her in front of me. I heard her whimper and sadness started to swell up inside me…

"Sheesh…I told myself I wasn't going to cry, but you're not making this any easier you know…"

Ahri snuggled up next to my feet, still whimpering. That was it; I couldn't take it anymore after that. I cried and embraced her body; thoughts of staying here plagued me. That's what I really wanted. I didn't want to leave this place. I spent twelve years here, and in a few hours, I will be someplace I've never been to in my life. I wasn't the tough, strong boy I wanted to be upon arriving here. I was crying, despite my telling myself not to.

"Why…why do I have to leave…?"

We stayed like for a few minutes, in each other's embrace and not letting go even if it were to kill us. Yet, time passed on, not giving a damn about who it hurt. I wiped my tears and attempted to keep my composure.

"Ahri…Ahri…I have to go now. The boat won't wait for me… However, before I go, I want to give you something at least…"

I pulled out a red, ribbon-like object. It was similar to the ones my mother would use to tie her hair with to keep it bunched together. The one in my hands was one I tried to make, using some cloth from one of my mother's old-but-expensive dresses. I messed up a lot of times, but I eventually made a good one.

I tied the ribbon around Ahri's neck, letting a pentagon-shaped piece of cloth rest on her back. I then brought her up and hugged her one last time, feeling her lick my cheek affectionately.

"…One last thing…please be safe Ahri…"

I let her down and ran away as quick as I could, not wanting to turn back, for if I did; I would have never been able to leave.

Two years after my departure from southern Ionia, the Noxians struck. Our forces, surprised by the action, had to rally their men for a counterattack within a limited amount of time. Met by little resistance, the Noxians had the upper hand. Still, the Ionian forces chose not to give up and kept on fighting. Eventually, Noxus called for mercenary reinforcements from their ally city-state, Zaun. The Zaun mercenaries were ruthless in their ways, and paid no heed to the non-combatant civilians as they slaughtered countless lives.

Finally enraged from these acts of terrors, the Ionian forces released their full assault on the Noxians, slowly-but-surely gaining ground. Soon, the turning point arrived in the war at the battle known as the "Great Stand of the Placidium". The Ionians pushed the Noxians back to the south in a brave effort to stop their advance. The Ionians suffered heavy casualties, but eventually halted the Noxian advance. However, the Noxians still held control of three of the wealthiest southern provinces; Galrin, Navori, and Shon-Xan.

Then, the Ionian forces made a petition to join the League of Legends to fight the Noxians for the land. The victory was with the Noxians in the end, but it was questionable whether the Noxians did some pre-match tampering or not. Still, following the rules of the League, the Noxians were to keep the land for fifteen years until the next League battle.

After four years, the Ionian diplomats began to make several requests that the next League battle happen earlier. They said that fifteen years was too much time for the Noxians to stay. Although the Noxians claimed that they were there to make sure the southern provinces of Ionia were growing properly for the next battle.

Still, despite the requests being illegal according to the League rules, many other diplomats supported the Ionians. Most of the League eventually became in favor of the requests as well. Soon, the Noxians accepted the request, and an earlier date for the battle was discussed. Negotiations between the two city-states were also placed. If the Ionians were to win, the Noxians would withdraw from the three southern provinces and immediately halt any and all extractions of Ionian resources. If the Noxians were to win, Ionia would fully surrender the three provinces and would furnish a seat among the Ionian Elders to have a voice and ear in the Ionian government.

Thus, the next battle to decide the fate of Ionia…was going to arrive soon.

I was laying on one of my couches in my apartment. It was my eighteenth birthday, yet there was no one here to celebrate it with me.

"Happy Birthday…huh?"

It was really not one at all. My parents, after the Noxian invasion, became prisoners of Noxus. The small town I lived in…was razed and burned to the ground. The forest next to it shared the same fate…which could have well been Ahri's fate too. I sat up and grabbed the glass of water next to me. I drank it, but grimaced as it did nothing to the weird feeling in my throat. I tightened my grip around the glass until it gave away and shattered, some of the shards digging into my flesh. I opened my hand and watched as the pieces lay embedded into my skin, blood seeping out from the miniscule openings.

Everything was taken away from me. Everything. If I just sat down and let time pass on I would have felt the easing sensation of death…would have. Sadly, even that pleasure was taken from me. Some few years ago, I was tricked into drinking a potion in exchange for money. I can't even remember why I did it anymore, but when I was done drinking it, I knew something was off. I had myself checked by one of the monks at the temple nearby…and he said I had become immortal.

Immortal as in never aging. I could still feel pain, I would still die if my heart stopped beating, but I could no longer die of age. It was quite an experience at first…but why live for an eternity when you're all alone?

I looked at my hand again after a few minutes. The glass pieces had fallen off at some point and the wounds were beginning to close up. Another perverse side-effect of the potion. It may not be instant healing, but I certainly heal faster than a normal human. Eternal youth and rapid recovery…would I be able to die easily?

"Yet time still goes on…what a bitch…"

I stood up and pulled my cloak off the couch. The cloak, along with some other clothes and a katana, were all part of my equipment… After four years of training, I was finally heading out to reclaim everything that was stolen from me. I was going to bring down Noxus.

A/N: Greetings, this is Akatsuki Ojito (well, it's not my real name, but…) and I want to thank you for taking your time to read my fan fiction. This is my first one, so I really hope it is adequate enough. I've always wanted to do an Ahri fan fiction, but never actually put forth the effort to make one until now. During these author notes, I guess I'll be answering any questions concerning this story. Some that I can already foresee include how I wrote the history. For those that actually read about the history of the League, you can tell that I have tampered with the history of Ionia a bit…or a lot considering the fact that it is still technically ongoing.

Regarding the overall story…I was really worried. The past between Artieryal and Ahri was something I spent some time thinking on, but it was questionable whether or not I could portray it in a way that reached out to you readers. Also, getting near the end of the story, you can see things are becoming quite…dark. Well, I assure you that it won't stay that way. At least, not for long.

Seeing as I really don't know what to put in an author's note, I'll just speak about the next chapter. In the next chapter, we'll finally witness action taking place, as well as new major characters being introduced in the story. Remember, even though it did not give off the vibe of being one this chapter, this story is M rated. Prepare for situations of all sorts. This is Akatsuki Ojito, and I bid you farewell until next time!