An unnatural roar echoed from the depths of the wood. Everything in the area remained unfazed: the tall, foreign trees, the brush underfoot, the large stone mounds that comprised the jungle walls. In the distance, one could hear shouting-voices of men and women, and of something other. The sounds were coming from the south where, faint in the sky, sparks of gunfire could be seen along with wisps of magical aura.
Talon was silently treading through the trees with the subtlety of a master assassin. As he padded along the damp earth, he listened for footsteps other than his own. Though the fighting sounded far off, the threat of a predator hung in the air like the lasting stench of blood. When Talon was alone he felt untouchable, but things were different in the jungle.. He understood the danger. Despite his caution, Talon knew, far too well, how to take advantage of an opportunity. If he could make it to the southern road in time, he could get a jump on his adversaries, putting him and his squad of champions ahead in the ongoing war.
Everyone knew that in the jungle—in the Rift—the only rule was "kill or be killed." Other Noxions he had talked with in the past had given different reasons for their survival in the Rift. Some would claim to fight for honor or for justice, but Talon could see through their facade. When war started, people changed instantly. He could look into the eyes of the most righteous man in the world, and in the heat of battle, all he would see is lust for killing. In the end, the only reason to fight was to slay your opponent, and if you believed otherwise, you were a fool. Or dead.
He passed a camp of what appeared to be some sort of raptor, ignoring their vicious snarls ran on by. Talon had learned over the years that if you kept your distance, the creatures of the jungle would remain passive. Even the neutral inhabitants knew how dangerous selected champions could be. Talon turned his back to the raptors and continued into a ticket of trees.
On entering a familiar clearing, a slight shifting of bushes brought Talon to a halt. He immediately put his back to a tree and scanned his surroundings from left to right.
"Reveal yourself now!" He shouted angrily. He heard the movement again then, but in a different direction. "Show yourself and be spared a painful death."
A bush adjacent to him rustled and he heard a sharp, whistling crescendo as something flew past his head. The thump behind him confirmed that the projectile had met a tree. He fought the urge to look behind to see what type of weapon his assailant had thrown. In one fluid motion, Talon brought two knives from his sleeve to his hand, and from his hand to spiral into a bush at his two o'clock.
"Getting sloppy, I see."
The voice was on his other side now. It was feminine and eerily familiar. His attacker was quick. A cold chill ran up and down his spine, and the Noxion took a low stance that was meant to be threatening.
"Now, now. No need to be afraid of an old friend. You haven't forgotten me have you, sweet thing?"
A woman emerged from the darkness of the trees. She was tall, just a few inches shorter than Talon. She wore warriors garb—lightly armored black breeches with matching leather top and gloves. Her mid-section was left open to reveal toned, dangerous muscle. She sported a malicious grin that was nearly hidden by a flurry of long hair more red than a forge fire.
"Keep your distance, Katarina. I have no problem with killing you where you stand."
The woman stopped and gave him a mock frown. "Nice to see you too. Not like it's been five years or anything." She looked to be just shy of ten years younger than himself, although it may have just been his stoic appearance that made him look older.
"Maybe longer. Doesn't matter," he said. "I have no business with you and do not plan on doing so. Therefore, you move on or-"
"It has been five years. I've been counting." She gave Talon a cold stare that revealed nothing.
"I guess that means you've been waiting a while to throw that blade at me." He gestured behind him to where her thrown weapon had stuck in the tree.
"If I wanted to hit you, I would have. You know better than that. Anyway, I'm here for the same reason as you."
Talon merely huffed. That much was obvious. As if there was more than one reason to be in such a place. Even so, she was not lying. Talon knew that Katarina was a killer. Never a match for himself, but a killer nonetheless.
"I'm here for answers. You left the estate shortly after the general went missing. I know you wen looking for answers, and this is where you ended up. Though I don't know what you expect to find here. I would appreciate it if you filled me in on what you know." The woman braved a step closer then.
"Foolish." Talon shook his head. "Do you really think I came to fight a war so that I could solve some romantic mystery about your father? Do you think I even care? I pledged fealty to General Du Couteau because he was the only man capable of suppressing me." He raised an empty hand. "Now he's dead and I'm here to do what I do best." He relaxed a little then, feeling less threatened than before.
The woman across from him bit her lip in frustration. "That's horseshit and you know it." She folded her arms across her heightened chest. "You were a part of our family as much as anyone. More than some of our household turned out to be." She looked away in disgust as if recalling certain memories had put a bad taste in her mouth. "You weren't yourself during those days when father left. Our whole house was falling apart and you were moping like a lost pup, waiting for his master to return. You did nothing but wait, until you ran away."
Something Katarina said had triggered Talon slightly. "You know nothing about me. Don't try and pretend we're-"
"Pretend?" Katarina spat. "Like how you pretended that nothing was wrong, and ran from all your problems? Ran from us?"
It was Talon's turn to frown now. He didn't speak. There was nothing to say. She was hitting on more truth than he had liked to admit. He slumped his shoulders a little and walked within touching distance of the woman who claimed to be his family. He saw then at a closer glance that there was hurt and betrayal underneath her cold exterior.
"I looked for your father," he said. "It was fruitless. I still don't know what happened to him. But I do know that the league is involved. It has to be."
"You know this how?" She asked flatly.
"Is it not obvious? Your father was a general. Wars are not fought with generals anymore-they're unnecessary.. More than that, generals are a threat. Du Couteau owned an army that could disrupt the new order. There's peace now." He glanced around at the dark, mystical jungle, giving pause to allow sounds of distant fighting to intervene in their conversation. "If you call this peace."
"I don't believe you!" She shrieked. "You're holding back information! I know when you're lying, Talon." She was grasping the sleeves of his tunic.
"Would I be here for any other reason?" Talon asked. "I belong in the city. On the rooftops. I'm as out of place here as you. This is the same as one of the General's tasks to me. I'm going to get the job done as quick as I can and move on. I suggest you do the same."
"A job," she repeated incredulously. "This is more than just a job. Us meeting here is a sign that we're on the right path. I'm going to find him."
"He's dead."
"Shut up!" She emphasized her words with two quick slaps across either cheek. "Stop acting like you have no connection to me. You know he's not dead, it's just easier for you to believe he is. You're a coward! All you ever do is run away."
Talon subconsciously put a hand to his stinging cheek. "I do what I have to," he said, simply.
"Leave us all behind? Is that what you had to do? Or was it just easier? The cowards way out."
Talon glanced down at her, her face now almost as red as her hair. He met her green eyes once more. "Believe me, I wouldn't just leave you." He had meant that he wouldn't leave the Du Couteau household to which he vowed his allegiance, but the statement sounded much more personal once it left his mouth. The words had slipped out from somewhere deeper, and he knew that they had reached her.
Katarina dropped her hands to her side and stared with awe. She looked much more young and innocent then, like a highborn daughter rather than an assassin. Talon noticed her face slowly return to its normal color while maintaining a fair amount of redness in the cheeks.
Seizing the opportunity, Talon brought his own hand around her body to lay on the small of her back. He brought his other hand smoothly along the backs of her shoulders to entangle in her fiery red hair.
This time when Katarina's cheeks redened, it was far out of her control. Her eyes went wide, knowing what was to come but unable to react in time.
Talon pressed her forward so her body met his own—her body that had been a familiar sight but had not yet been familiar to his touch. He felt the fullness of her breasts through the thin leather on his chest. Her backside curved in a way that only a woman's could. He brought her pelvis firmly toward his, and still meeting her now watery eyes, he leaned his head forward to taste her lips.
In a moment that lasted a decade, the two were entwined, body and mind. The darkness of the jungle seemed to disappear along with the lingering threat of danger. For an instance, there were only two people basking in a long anticipated moment that somehow still came as a surprise to them both.
Talon brought his head back, reeling for a much needed breath. He saw Katarina's eyes become wider than before—not from shock of their intimate moment, but the shock of betrayal as Talon drove his dagger skillfully through her back and into her lungs. She choked out an inhuman, incomprehensible sound as her entire body convulsed. Talon eased her onto the ground, gentle as her first-time lover.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "But there's only one reason to be here, and it's not for answers."