The very important author note: So, this took a while. At first I'd planned on uploading a chapter each week. However, a good friend and writer told me that I should aim on making the chapters a bit longer, and so I did. Now, not only will this take more time to write, but also for my beta to read and correct. And so, my beta. Big, big, big, shoutout (and kisses) to her. My chapters would be awful to read, and they`d get boring fast... However, that isn't the case now, (I hope). About Rin, she`s not my character. Search for RinTheYordle to find her (and her creator). I highly recommend checking her out, and give her some love as well, for she does amazing stuff... ^^ I was planning to match Rin+Ziggs at first, but she didn`t liked Rin to be in relationships etc. So I had to drop that. However, I`m also quite hyped for Ziggs x Lulu ^~^.

Guess that`s all to say. I hope you enjoy this new chapter, please leave your reviews at the end. ^^

Alsodef


Chapter 2 – M.I.A.

Ziggs

Slowly opening my eyes I looked directly at a fuzzy white ball of fur. A big pink tongue ran across my face, instantly waking me up. Taking a better look at the ball of fur I recognized a Poro in it. A Poro with a moustache to be precise. Slowly but surely my eyes got used to the light in the room what looked to be some sort of cave. In a chair next to my bed sat a good looking, fierce man with a huge majestic moustache. I looked into his sparkling eyes and watched his big smile underneath his moustache. "Good morning, little Yordle. Welcome to my humble home. My name is Braum, the Heart of the Freljord. I hope you slept well?" I nodded when I realized I had actually slept well, even though I should never have woken up again. "How long… How long have I been unconscious?" I asked him, fearing that many days had passed. Braum laughed, it was a deep and warm laugh, instantly making me trust him. "You truly are a cat, little Yordle. Caring for sleep more than anything else. But don`t fear, you`ve only been out for a few hours." He paused for a moment. He eyed me suspiciously, but his warm smile never left his face. "Now tell me, little one, how did you end up this far north? The Freljord isn`t the best place for a Yordle to be in." I nodded in agreement. The freezing winds really weren't my cup of tea. "Ashe, the Frost Archer, sent for me. Her tribe found an unstable liquid locked inside a one of the glaciers in the Avarosan territory. Over the centuries it has started melting away the ice surrounding it, and she fears for the lives of civilians. She turned to the League for help, who in turn contacted the Piltover Science Department to send someone over. Since I am more capable of handling explosives than anyone else, they sent me to this frozen wasteland."

One of the Poros approached my bed with a plate filled with cheese and bread. The bread looked very old and hard, but the cheese smelled like goat, which I loved. My hunger must've been very obvious, because Braum laughed again, his wonderful baritone bouncing off of the walls. "Eat, little Yordle. Eat and grow strong."

Of course I had no other option other than to take a few chunks of cheese and a loaf of bread.

"Mr. Moustache, you forgot the butter. Would you please fetch some for us? This bread is extremely dry without it." The fluffy Poro ran off and soon returned pushing a bowl of butter towards Braum. He picked it up and placed it on my plate. Just as the cheese, this smelled extremely good and tasty. With every nibble I took from the cheese a bomb of wonderful taste exploded inside my mouth. I could literally feel the power return into my limbs and heart. Braum smiled while watching me almost devouring the entire cheese. It was my first meal in… four days? "Well, this little cat certainly has an appetite!" Braum stood up and stretched, his huge form casting dark shadows on the wall behind him. "I`ve got some things to do outside, Mr. Moustache will take care of you while I'm out, he will get you anything you might need, okay?". I gave him a nod and dropped my head onto the pillow. My full stomach and the warmth of the furs made it hard to keep my eyes open. "Get some sleep, you will be strong when you wake up again." As Braum left, Mr. Moustache jumped back on the bed and nestled himself at my feet. With his tongue out of his mouth he studied me. I took a better look at him as well. The first thing that anyone would notice to a Poro was his huge tongue. It was said a Poro could lick his entire face without even have to move another muscle than his tongue. Out of my old biology books I knew his belly had the shape of a heart, because Poros are made of love. The second thing that will catch anyone`s eye are the cute little horns. They act just like cat`s ears, perking up when a Poro is happy, or dropping down when he is scared or sad. A poem popped up in my head. It was an ancient poem about the Freljord, and it contained one little verse about the Poro;

Born out of love, blinded by glee;

Innocent, pure, magic and free,

Faithful, trusting; often naïve,

Soft, furry; their hearts hold a key.

The key that was named in this verse was the key to love, or so many believe. And after having seen a a Poro like this little fellow, it is not hard to understand why people see love in it. The Poro looked around, scouting for Braum. Once the he saw Braum wasn`t in the cave anymore, he jumped off of the bed and ran towards a big pantry filled with cans. He used his body to take one of the cans out, and started rolling it to the bed. Once at the bed he looked up at me, apparently waiting for me to pick it up. I arched my back and moved my right paw to pick it up from the stone floor. "Poro-Snax, the best treatment for your little furry friend." I read out loud. At the words Poro and Snax all the little horns in the cave went straight up towards the roof. Swiftly all Poros gathered around my bed. Waiting for their share and treatment. I wondered if giving these cute fuzzy fellows some Snax would be a bad thing, or make Braum angry. One look into the eyes of Mr. Moustache made me change my mind and I opened up the can with Poro-Snax.

Braum

Keeping true to my word, I went outside, but stopped at the side of the entrance. Peeking around the corner, I spotted Mr. Moustache running towards the Poro-Snax and convincing our guest to open up the can and feed him and the other Poros. My friends were cunning indeed.

But I was fine with it, it would help the Poros connect with Ziggs, and it would make him feel more at ease as well. I stepped away from the entrance and walked towards a large wooden sledge. A few Poros wearing harnesses were waiting next to it, able and ready to serve as my personal reindeer.

Today we did not travel very far from home. All we needed was more firewood. The huge fire we had lit to warm Ziggs had had quite an impact on our stock. I attached the sledge to the Poros, shouted "Go!", and we were of.

Once I located a few good trees I signalled for the Poros to stop and got off the sledge.

I walked up to the first tree with my axe of basalt, and pulled it out of the frozen ground with my bare hands. I then crushed the wood and pulled it apart with my hands. The Poros dragged and pushed the firewood to the sledge as I worked. We worked our way through five trees in total, which left a satisfying pile of wood on the sledge. After we'd finished, we continued towards the frozen lakes. Here we collected blocks of ice that were needed to keep my milk and cheese cold. Once there barely was any room left for me on the sledge, we went back home. Once there I gave my faithful companions the Poro-Snax they deserved and went inside. Ziggs was fast asleep. The little Yorlde was covered in Poros and crumbs, and I saw a few open and mostly empty cans strewn about around the bed. The Poros were chuffed - their round bellies slowly rising and falling as they also slept on and around the bed. Mr. Moustache, who was obviously the cause of this Poro-feast, was leaning against Ziggs' head, lazily licking his ear.

"Ahum."

Startled, all the Poros woke from their slumber. They pretended nothing had happened, quickly cleaning up the mess. Mr. Moustache was now "hidden" underneath Ziggs' pillow, trying to look inconspicuous. I walked up to the bed and pulled him out. He let out a shocked yelp and squeaked for a moment, before looking at me with big eyes, round eyes that may well have been the most adorable thing on Runeterra. I laughed at the sight of him, and Mr. Moustache's horns jumped up again. I placed him next to Ziggs, where he laid down and fell asleep in an instant. Poro-Snax make a Poro grow tired very quickly.

Ziggs woke up again, realisation dawned on him as he saw the crumbs and the Poros. "Oh man," he started as he noticed me. "I'm so sorry for this mess. They, I... They sort of convinced me to open a can of Snax, but..." he nodded at the mess. "It kind of got out of hand...". Poor kitten, he looked so worried about something he couldn't be held responsible for. Poros were, after all, very convincing. With a big smile I took away his worries. "Don't fret, little Yordle. You've done nothing wrong. You made some really good friends and that is not anything to be ashamed of." The cavern quieted down a bit, most of the Poros had left by now. "You should get more sleep, and grow big and strong. Braum will make sure that nothing will happen to you here. When you wake up again I will get you some food, and show you the surrounding icefields." Ziggs nodded and let his head fall back down on the pillow. Mr. Moustache nestled himself against Ziggs' neck, who seemed to be asleep already. I cleaned up the remaining crumbs and cans, and tucked some of the remaining Poros in their respective beds in the back of the cave. After I'd finished I went to bed myself. Closing my eyes, I thought about how unexpected events really turn ones day around.

Tristana

Bandle City

"Hey Tristy, what's wrong?" someone asked. I looked up into a pair of shining emerald eyes with specks of glittering light. I sighed and answered the Fae sorceress: "There's nothing, Lulu. I'm fine." I faked a smile for her, trying to meet her gaze reassuringly. She looked right through my facade, and her sweet smile gave way for a concerned frown. "That's not true, Tristana," she started. "You're worried about something. Tell me what it is, and I'll help." I looked down at my feet, contemplating whether or not to give in. At last I looked up into her eyes again before answering. "It's Ziggs, he told me he would send a message when he arrived at Ashe's encampment. But... I never got word from him, nor did the PSD or anyone else in Bandle City. I fear something bad has happened to him, but I can't just leave now to search for him in the Freljord."

Lulu turned towards Pix, probably telepathically asking him for ideas. Then her smile grew wide and she jumped up. "We'll go find him for you! See you in a month or so!" And with that she ran off. "Wait, Lulu!" I got up and started to run after her. "Don't go, Lulu! It's dangerous out there!" But she had already vanished. There was no catching up with her now. "Great, now there are two Yordles less in Bandle City..." I sighed to myself before turning around and walked back towards my house. I had to speak to Teemo, maybe he had some idea about Ziggs' whereabouts. I also had to inform him that Lulu and Pix had left to search for Ziggs.

Rin

Piltover - Piltover Science Department (PSD)

I looked at the newspaper on my desk. The main articles were all about Ziggs' disappearance. "The Hexplosive Expert, M.I.A.?" was written in huge letters on the front page of "Piltover's Finest", the largest newspaper of the City of Progress. It included a picture of Ziggs with his great trademark smile. We had received some letters from Ashe and Tristana a few days ago. The letters from the Queen of Avarosa spoke of the fact that Ziggs had never arrived, and that he presumably was either incredibly late or deceased. Both options were recipes for panic, as Ziggs usually never missed an appointment. Heimerdinger had called for a council meeting, and he had invited me as well. As his personal assistant, I was more than welcome to join him. I, however, wanted to be left alone for now. On my desk was a picture with me, Ziggs and Heimerdinger in it. Ziggs had been my best friend since elementary school, we always stood up for each other. And to be honest, I couldn't have imagined all those years without him.

I looked up, seeing my reflection in a mirror on the other side of the room. Staring back at me was a twenty-five year old, brown furred Yordle with a pair of yellow goggles on her head. My eyes were like blue, bottomless pools, now filled with sadness. I let my gaze fall back down. My desk was a complete mess, covered in newspapers, documents and other projects. Looking up once more I saw myself in the mirror for a moment; ears hanging down and dark bags underneath my eyes. I had hardly slept the past couple of days.

There was a knock on the door, and Heimerdinger stepped into the room. He walked towards me when he saw the sad gleam in my eyes, his golden locks bouncing up and down. "We will find him, dear" he said a she patted my shoulder. "I promise you." I nodded and took a few deep breaths, not trusting my voice at the moment. "I'm extremely tired Heimer, I had little sleep last night. I can barely keep my eyes open." He shook his head slowly and gave me a sad smile. "You are not the only one worrying, dear. But it may just be worse for you, loving him the way you do." Now it was my time to shake my head. "It's not like that, Ziggs is my best friend. But I can't imagine a world without him... He doesn't arrive late or miss appointments, he just doesn't. Not even that time he was stuck in the middle of the Kumumgu Jungle." I sighed. Right now I just wanted for this whole ordeal to be over and have Ziggs waltz into my office with that big grin of his. But simply wishing won't make it true. "Please tell me you've got a plan."

"Lulu has already left in order to search for Ziggs," he told me. "Ashe will send out men to search for him as well. Apparently she knows a certain warrior that makes for a fine tracker, or so she says. For now we can only hope and wait for news. I am truly sorry, but there is nothing we can do." I nodded in response. Heimerdinger gave me one last pat and turned to leave. "Hey Heimer," I called after him, and he turned to face me. "Can I take the rest of the day off? I don't think I'll be very productive." I tried to rub some of the sleep out of my eyes, but without success. He looked me up and down for a moment and looked into my eyes with a look of compassion, then told me to go. Within a few minutes, after washing the sleep out of my eyes I picked up some of the documents from my desk and went home.

Heimerdinger

Piltover Science Department (PSD) - Piltover

The meeting had not lasted long. We received word from Tristana; she informed us that Lulu and Pix were heading to the Freljord, and that they probably would stop in Piltover for rest and food. The whole ordeal had started a few weeks ago, when Ashe, Queen of the Avarosan, had asked for our assistance in a troubling matter. A few of her scouts had found many large pools inside of the glaciers in the mountains close to the City of the Avarosa. Soon a group of miners were cutting away the ice surrounding one of the smaller pools, intrigued by the beautiful lights ranging from deep red to vibrant green. It looked like the northern lights were trapped inside the ice itself. However, when they had cut away the last barrier that shielded the pool from the cold air of the Freljord, it exploded. It disintegrated almost the entire glacier around it along with a dozen of the fourteen miners. The two survivors were lucky to be alive.

After a three day long slumber one of the miners had woken from unconsciousness. He immediately told the story to Ashe and Tryndamere. Ashe had immediately sent word to the Institute, also known as the League of Legends. They sent her request to the Piltover Science Department, and so we got in touch with Ashe. The problem was of explosive nature, and we had the perfect man for the job. It was quickly decided that we were to send Ziggs, the Hexplosive Expert. He was eager to go. He felt his bombs weren't strong enough any longer, even though they still packed quite a punch. The news of this previously unknown highly explosive liquid was like a dream coming true for him. If he could manage to find a way of using its abilities in his bombs he'd be on the top of the League again. "He'd shred the enemy team, it would get him back in the top-tier picks for important matches. They wouldn't even know what hit them!"

And so, after a short briefing, he went on his way towards the stout, ever white mountains in the northwest.

That was the last time we had seen or heard from him. He had promised to send word to the PSD as soon as he had arrived. But he never did arrive. Usually it would take a person exactly one week to travel from Piltover to the Avarosan, but Ziggs had been gone for nearly two. At the council meeting we agreed to wait for news. Hopefully Lulu would have some luck. Or the man Ashe had spoken of quite highly. She had told us that if there was anyone in Runeterra capable of finding Ziggs, it would be him. She had told me his name, but I couldn't quite remember it. I walked back to my desk, muttering a few commands that booted up the devices around it. A big screen, often used for showing League matches, now featured a newsflash about our missing Expert. There were cameras positioned around his house, and a few reporters stood close to the PSD skyscraper. On the screen I saw Rin walking past Ziggs' house. A reporter stepped up to her, and a cameraman followed only half a step behind him. "Excuse me," the reporter greeted. "But, aren't you Rin? Heimerdinger's assistant? Can we ask you a few questions?" The man didn't even give her any time to react. She just shook her head in response, but the reporter didn't care.

"Is it true that you are Ziggs' girlfriend? How do you feel about him going M.I.A.? How is the PSD going to respond? Why did Ziggs leave? When will the PSD give an official press conference?" The camera was fully zoomed in on Rin's face, capturing her annoyed look in HD. Shocked I kept listening to the reporter off-screen, his questions turning more and more personal. I pushed the blue button on my desk that would open up the hologram of the receptionist. "Please send Caitlyn upstairs, tell her it is an emergency."

Half a minute later Caitlyn stormed into my office, gun loaded and her eyes darting across the room, ready to shoot anything suspicious on the spot. When she saw me calmly sitting behind my desk she placed the gun back in its holster on her back. Caitlyn was the sheriff of Piltover, and we had been working together for over a decade now. "What's the matter, Bigbrain?" she asked. I pointed at the screen, which was showing the reporter pulling Rin back towards the camera as she had started to leave. He kept on asking his shameless questions as if he was stuck on repeat.

Caitlyn looked at the screen, possibly even more shocked than I was. "I want you to save Rin from this man, or maybe the other way around. It is a three kilometre walk between her home and Central Plaza, where she resides now. If this sorry excuse of a reporter does not leave her alone over the next five hundred metres, Rin might just decorate his face with her fists." If looks could kill, the reporter would have dropped dead this instant. And they just kept filming. "I'd gladly let her," Caitlyn murmured, and secretly I agreed. "We don't need more trouble than we have got. Go help my beloved assistant before she does something she might regret." Caitlyn was already inside the lift before I had even finished the sentence. Only a minute later the camera switched from Rin's angry face towards the running Caitlyn. The handful of reporters who tried to stop her for an interview were pushed aside as she kept running towards the Central Plaza in an attempt to prevent Rin from murdering the reporter.

Lulu

Bandle Forest - Home of the Fae Sorceress

I had always loved walking through the woods. The trees, the flowers, the smell. Everything was peaceful and quiet, and the seclusion was welcome indeed. Pix was flying in slow circles around my head. He had been my companion for a very long time. I had followed him into the Glade, the realm of the Faeries, when I was a little girl. We had such a wonderful time there, always playing games. But when I finally thought of returning home to Bandle Village, as it was called back then, centuries had passed. Time in the Glade behaved differently than it did at home, and so I had lost basically all my ties to Bandle. When I finally did return the citizens of Bandle City called me a witch, and wouldn't let their children play with me. Well, most of them did. I left Bandle City then, and I was left to my own devices for a full year.

Then, out of nowhere, I got a letter from Teemo. He had been one of the few Yordles who wasn't scared off by my newfound magic. This happened before the League existed, and Noxus had invaded Yordle land. Teemo had asked me to return as soon as possible and help defend our homeland. I returned, though sometimes I wish I hadn't.

There had only been one big clash between two armies in that entire war, where Yordles and Noxians had stood directly in front of one another. It would later be known under the name "The Battle of Bandle Forest". The images of blood and severed limbs still haunt me, the dying screams of my fellow Yordles stuck in my head. There was this moment... Urgot, one of the Noxian generals, tore a Yordle apart right before my eyes. He had carelessly dropped the severed head and the limp body to the ground. That was the exact moment when I had lost all friendly feelings for our enemies - they were no longer human in my eyes. Knowing I had to put an end to this madness I commanded Pix to find the Noxian commanders and unleash his magic on them.

With the entire squad of General Guards and the commanders turned into squirrels and cupcakes, the Noxian army lost all coordination. The general-cupcakes were taken back to Noxus by our fleeing enemy. We had won the battle, but not without a price. Thousands of Scouts, Medics, Yordle Soldiers and civilians were killed. Lives that were lost forever.

As I scouted the battlefield for wounded Yordles, Pix fell asleep underneath my hat, completely exhausted.

I came back to reality from my daydreams and walked towards the fire pit. I put a kettle over the wood and lit it with a spell. I wasn't really paying attention, though, and a pillar of fire rose from the pit. I quickly reduced the flames, and made the fire burn at its intended height. My attention was back now, but after I had poured water in the kettle I went back to daydreaming.

This time my thoughts turned towards Ziggs. He, along with Teemo and Tristana, was the only Yordle to accept me after my return to Bandle City. He worked at the Piltover Science Department, and he was quite handsome as well. Before he left for the Freljord, several weeks ago now, I overheard him and Teemo talking. Pix and I were lying under a tree near the place where we met when they walked past. Ziggs told him about his unknown feelings about me. Teemo in turn asked Ziggs if he might be feeling the same about me as he himself felt about Tristana. There had been a few moments of silence, but he said yes. My heart made a jump then. My crush, whom I had admired ever since I had come back from the Glade (and sometimes had stalked), felt the same way about me as I felt about him. I had my head in the clouds the entire walk home, musing about Ziggs, and me and Ziggs, and Ziggs and me.

And now he had gone missing. My shy, admirable and crazy cat was M.I.A. I feared for his life, though I knew Ziggs wouldn't die on me. The Freljord was a place that consisted of ice, snow and cold air. In other words not the ideal place for a Yordle. I was aware that the Avarosan scouts were searching for him, but I couldn't just sit here and wait for them to find him. I have never been good at sitting still, which is why I had offered Tristana to join me on my search.

A loud whistle escaped from the kettle, signalling that the water was boiling. I got up and walked to towards the pit, where I whispered a spell and made the kettle float behind me towards my makeshift table. Being a sorceress had some great advantages. I added some jasmine and a spoon of cinnamon to the water and stirred it. I have always loved cinnamon... I poured the tea into a wooden cup for myself, and poured some in a thimble for Pix. Now there was only one last thing left to do. I got a big jar of chocolate-chip cookies and placed it on the table. "Now we're ready, Pix!" The faery flapped towards the table and sat down next to his "cup" from which he started to sip. I blew over my own tea, cooling it down to make it more drinkable. Pix had already emptied his thimble, and was now chewing on cookie crumbs.

As for the adventure we were going on; I had it all planned out. Well, mostly at least. We had to go to Piltover, the PSD might have more information about Ziggs' whereabouts. There we would also stock up on food and clothing which we needed in order to survive the cold and harsh winds of the Freljord. And then... then we would go west.