Hi,
A few word to warn you on this one.
This is the translation of my French first fic. I don't know why I felt the urge to translate it in English, I never done such a thing before and I am a little nervous. I hope you will like it.
English is not my first language; please forgive me for the mistakes or spelling error I made.
The main will be Darius/Lux and Talon/Quinn but there will be more as the story progress, like Garen/kata and other. I am not sure who but I will figure it out eventually. XD

Enjoy. ^^

Chapter 1:

The sun was barely raising, piercing the darkness with a pale, cold light and giving the sky and snow a pinkish glow. For weeks, a freezing wind blew over the area and it snowed most of the nights. But none of that seemed to bother Quinn as she walked slowly down of the stairs leading to the Institute of War's park, muffled in a thick winter cloak.

As soon as she put her feet in the thick layer of snow covering the lawn, Valor uttered a satisfied cry and took off with powerful flapping of his wings. For a moment, Quinn looked at him while he described wide circles above the park, before diving to a distant grove and disappearing behind the bare trees.

It was their little morning ritual. Used to get up early, Quinn always took advantage of the quiet morning to go out with Valor. Both were accustomed to the wide space and freedom and staying within the Institute's walls waiting for their matches was a painful change for them. Both were missing their long runs in the wild fields, the forest and the missions in enemy territory. Quinn knew perfectly well that Valor had nothing to do indoor. His wild nature drove him to freedom. He was made to soar in the sky, hunt prey and follow his instincts. He stayed within the Institute facility only because she was his friend and he wanted to please her. She was grateful and felt guilty for inflicting this to her friend.

For what? ... Of course, she was proud to be a demacian champion, proud to have been deemed worthy to wear her city's colors, proud to have Prince Jarvan's confidence. But she did not have many friends, someone to talk to, even within her own faction. She had never been very comfortable in society and obviously some demacian girls seemed to see her as a savage. Some particularly snobbish women like Fiora, did not seem to want to be seen with someone who took pleasure in rolling in the grass, sleeping in trees and wading in mud. Besides the duelist seemed to find ridiculous Queen's habit of carrying Valor everywhere with her and talk to him as if he was a human being. But that did not matter. Quinn knew he understood her and that was the most important thing.

Valor suddenly reappeared, carrying a white rabbit in his talons. He landed near the young woman and began to eat his breakfast with quick beak strokes. Quinn sighed and brushed a nearby bench with her bare hands to get rid of the thick layer of snow. She sat down, drawing a sketch book bound in leather from one of her pockets. While Valor devoured long shreds of raw meat, Quinn took the opportunity to draw the winter landscape. She had always loved drawing and was doing pretty well for someone who had never taken any courses. Her diary was full of her drawings: people portraits, sketches of buildings or landscapes seen during her travels.

A big icicle suddenly fell from nearby branch, making it crack loudly in the garden's muffled silence. Quinn immediately leapt to her feet, alert, while Valor flew of, screaming, leaving his meal. For a moment, she looked around her with a sharp look until a mocking laughter made her jump.

"For Demacia's elite scout, you're not very observant," said a mocking voice.
A figure jumped from the pine tree from which the icicle had fallen and stood tall, eyeing Quinn.

"I could have killed you ten times, if I had wanted to."
The young woman crossed her arms under her breast:

"And being excluded from the League?" She asked dubiously.

"Well, not if there is nobody left to prove that I am guilty. And since you're the only one able to recognize my methods for sure ..."
He left his sentence unfinished. Quinn shuddered but could not tell if the cause was cold or the young man's sneer. She knew perfectly well that he was able to kill her, she knew him well. After all, she had spent days tracking him, not to avail. She knew better than anyone else what Talon was capable of. Better not take him lightly.

"You came just to prove you can catch me off guard?"

"No need to proof, everyone knows it," argued the assassin while crossing his arms over his chest with a defiant look.
Quinn sighed, wondering why she was trying to argue with the Noxian. After all, he was like all his fellows: arrogant, provocative and dangerous. She silently held out her right arm to the side and Valor came to perch on her wrist.

"You know as well as I that habits are dangerous," said Talon.

"I do not see what I have to fear," replied the young woman turning back to the Institute main building. "Any aggression against another champion outside the Fields of Justice is strictly prohibited. The culprit would be expelled from the League and bring severe punishments upon his faction. I don't think Noxus could afford the risk just to see me disappear. I'm not that dangerous for them."
For some reason she did not understand, Talon followed her as she entered the building.

"As I said: no evidence, no culprit!"

"Don't worry about it," said the demacian without looking at him. "I left enough notes and sketches on your assassination methods in my books to allow any fool to prove you are guilty."
It had at least the merit to silence him, even if the smile on his face told no good.

After all, it was not completely wrong. Her notebooks really were overflowing with notes and details about the noxian assassin. She had begun to take note to gather her knowledge and information while tracking him, the first time. She continued as a habit and because, almost unconsciously, she began to admire his prowess: his deadly accuracy, effectiveness and boldness. Although actively sought by all possible demacian forces, Talon still managed to break into the royal palace to kill one of the king's closest advisers, before entering Quinn's home to put on her pillow his victim's hand whish still wore his official ring. Needless to say, his bravado was hard to take for Quinn as for all other demacian, and knowing that Talon had managed to escape after that made it even worse.

"Can I know why you follow me?" The scout asked, annoyed.

"I don't," nonchalantly replied the assassin. "It turns out that we are going in the same direction."
Quinn gave him a sharp look over her shoulder, not failing to notice the smirk gracing his lips.

"It is rather you who follow me," Talon accused without losing his smile.

"What?"

"Before you came, I was the only one to come here at this time and enjoy the quiet solitude."
The demacian wondered for a moment if it was true or if it was one of these cat and mouse games he always seemed eager to engage with her.

"Well, you don't have to give up. Val and I would have found another place."
Still that damned smile!

"Who said I gave up?"
She turned to him, dumbfounded.

"What?"
She suddenly realized what it meant.

"You spy on us!?"
Furious, she began a movement towards him as if to slap him, but he was faster. With an almost superhuman agility, Talon ducked her fist and slipped into her back before moving an arm around her neck and squeezing hard enough to block her, but still not enough to cut off her breathing. During the brief struggle, Valor had flown away to go to perch himself on a nearby statue's head. False friend! Quinn thought at her companion's flight. But she was not worried or angry. She knew perfectly well that Valor would not have left her if he had felt her unsafe.

"Now what?" She asked.
She was surprised to hear her voice trembling.

"I don't know," Talon whispered in her ear.
His warm breath caressed her cold skin making her shiver.

"Lets play a little game, kitten!"
His lips brushed against the Demacian's ear and she had to hold back a gasp. But she did not have time to be offended or to show her outrage at his proposal, and even less to protest the use of the nickname he had given her.

"Quinn?"
The young woman felt relief washing over her. Talon turned his head to see, coming from the other end of the hall, the girl Katarina had nicknamed Miss Rainbow: Luxanna Crowngard, flanked by the imposing figure of her brother, Garen.

"What's going on here," the demacian general groaned, one hand on the hilt of the sword he always carried with him.
Instead of answering, Talon let Quinn go and she moved away from him as if he had burned her. For a moment, the assassin eyed the three demacian without a word, and then he turned away without making any aggressive move toward them.

"I am leaving you three among defenders of justice," he said with a hint of sarcasm. I hope you will do better than that during the match, kitten.
And with that, he vanished, leaving the three demacian a bit frozen.

"This dirty snake!" Garen snarled looking where Talon stood just a second before.
Lux rushed to Quinn:

"Are you all right, did he do something to you?"

"I'm fine," said the scout while her heart began to regain a normal rhythm. "He did nothing to me. I think he just wanted to play."

"Play?" Garen repeated, frowning.
Quinn nodded while Valor came back to perch on her shoulder.

"It's hard to explain. I sometimes feel that all our encounters were just games for him, a game in which he is a mouse and I, a cat unable to catch him. Every time he escapes me shows how I am way below his level."
She said that without looking at her companions, absentmindedly stroking Valor's blue feather.

"And that kitten thing?" Garen asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"Same thing, sighed Quinn. Kittens are unable to catch mice, aren't they?"
The demacian general do not seem convinced, but Quinn did not care. She was disturbed. Kitten? ... She had repeatedly referred to this game in her notebook and had even compared herself to a clumsy kitten in her inability to capture the noxian assassin. How could he know? Quinn knew it was no accident. Did Talon had taken the risk to go to the Institute's demacian area to learn more about her? After all, he had managed to get in home in Demacia. Enter her apartment, in the Institute, to read her notebook, should not be an impossible task for him. Rather, it was the kind of challenges he loved to take up. The most amazing thing in that was she had never realized the slightest intrusion into her apartment, either in her presence or not.

She really was not at his level!

Garen seemed to want to go further in the interrogation, but Lux dissuaded him with a glance. She grabbed Quinn's arm and dragged her into the hall, towards the Institute's common dining room.

"Come on," she said with her usual good mood. "A good breakfast and everything will seem ridiculous. You're going to kick his ass during the game."
The game! Quinn had almost forgotten it. She was in no hurry to play it. Talon will be there as well and, as always, they would find themselves face to face. The assassin always managed to fight her, just to humiliate her more.

Damn noxian!

Seeming to understand her discouragement, Valor tried to reassure her by stroking her cheek with his head. He made a strange little sound, like a cat's purr. Quinn thanked him for his support by placing a quick kiss on his head.