A/N: This isn't gonna be Christmassy at all, in fact it gets quite dark so given that it's Christmas, it may be a good idea to read in a few days time. I don't wanna ruin any festive spirits :) Merry Christmas Everyone!

As the sun rose, Nidalee found herself waking in the bed. She wondered where Rengar was since she was in the bed and not him, but upon seeing his belongings still besides the wall, she relaxed and had faith that he didn't sneak away in the night. She yawned and stretched as she walked out of the room; the other cougars were all still asleep so she left them to their dreams. As she exited the den, the sun was bright in the sky and the early morning breeze had a crisp chill to them. She looked around but couldn't find Rengar, so she went to the stream and washed up. The water was cool and refreshing as she savoured the sweet natural taste of the water. Upon returning to the den, she saw Rengar walking back with what appears to be a buck slung over his shoulder. He was grinning as he walked up and seeing Nidalee, he raised a hand in greeting.

"Did you go hunting?!"

"Yeah, you were all asleep so I thought I may as well go get breakfast. Besides, I had to pay you guys back for the meal last night."

"I told you not to do physical activities! What if you had reopened your wounds again?" Her question carried a hint of worry as she scolded him.

"You don't need to worry about me. I was careful. I can take care of myself you know. All I did was trap it with my bola and then slew it. No strenuous activities whatsoever." He said nonchalantly.

Nidalee huffed but calmed down when she saw the bola still wrapped around the buck which seemed to confirm his story. "Fine, just be careful. We'll leave right after breakfast."

Rengar smiled as he walked over to the fireplace and set the buck down. He collected his bola and then proceeded to prepare breakfast. It wasn't anything special, just something he had learnt from his father. He cut the meat expertly and cooked them over the fire. He left some raw in case the cougars preferred it that way. His father used to put herbs and spices over the meat too, but it made no difference to him. Meat was meat and he didn't like the flavour the spices brought. The smell of cooked meat wafted through the air, and woke the cougars up. Smelling food, they immediately ran to the source of the smell. They were cautious as they saw Rengar cooking the meat, they didn't dare step forward for fear of his possessive nature over his prey. Rengar senses their displeasure as they turned to walk away, so he called to them, "This meat is yours. It's repayment for the meat you brought me last night."

Hearing this, the cougars turned and faced him. They were still skeptical and stepped closer cautiously to inspect the food. Rengar held a piece in front of him and offered it to the cougars. Taking a tiny bite, the cougar's face immediately lit up and started ravaging the meat. Seeing this, the other cougars followed suit and soon, they were all digging their faces into the food.

"They seem to like your cooking." Stated Nidalee as she walked up besides Rengar.

"I don't usually cook. It's just something my father thought I should learn to do. When I asked him why, he just said that I might need it someday. No idea what he meant, and I personally prefer raw meat, but… I guess this is growing on me."

"Well then let's see what all the fuss is about!" She said as she reached to grab a piece of meat. She had to admit, it was good. She liked it better cooked than raw so this was delicious to her. "Hey, this is really good! You should cook more often!"

"You can cook it yourself. After all you have the tools and I won't be staying for that much longer. See? It should heal in a few more days." He said as he pointed to his stitched wounds.

"I suppose so…" Said Nidalee. She was a little sad to hear that but she didn't know why. Did she want him to stay for longer? She couldn't tell.

Hmmm she suddenly looks a little sad. I wonder why…

After all the food was eaten, leaving the skeleton of the buck behind, Rengar went to collect his belongings. He donned his armour once again and sheathed his hunting knife.

Ah it feels good to wear armour again.

He grabbed Kha'Zix's head by the antennae and stared at it. All the blood had drained out so it wasn't dripping, but more importantly it hadn't rotted. At all.

I guess not even bugs want to eat this…

He walked out of the room and found Nidalee standing with her javelin in hand. She turned to him and asked, "You ready?"

"Let's go." He replied with a nod.

"Alright, you guys stay here, don't do anything stupid. We'll be back tomorrow." She said as she addressed the cougars.

The young cougars were jumping around the place playing with each other, and the adult cougars just sat there and watched the two of them disappear into the jungle.

The two of them walked for an hour before they reached Rengar's territory. It was marked by animal heads on spikes along the perimeter of his territory and they sent shivers down Nidalee's spine. It was hard for her to imagine that the one responsible for this horrific display could be as honourable as Rengar.

Home at last

Rengar sped up as his excitement grew. He was in familiar terrain now and began to run back to his den. Nidalee could barely keep up with him, so she was forced to assume her cougar form to dash alongside him. Rengar prepared to sprint on all fours but Nidalee stopped in front of him and growled up to his face.

"Grrrr, fine. I get it. No heavy physical activities." He submitted to her demand and walked back at a brisk pace. Nidalee had turned back to her human form and walked besides him.

"You know. I've been meaning to ask... What happens to your spear when you turn into a cougar?"

"Okay first, it's a javelin, it's only really for attacking from range. And second, well, it's hard to explain. When I turn into a cougar, the javelin just sorta transforms with me. I don't fully understand it myself, but the javelin is connected to me magically, it's why it always returns back to me when I throw it."

"Wow, that's handy. Wish my bolas could do that."

Nidalee chuckled as they pushed past some bushes.

"Ah, here we are. My humble abode as my father calls it."

Nidalee was impressed. It wasn't like her den, which was essentially a large burrow in a hill, Rengar's home was an actual house! It was quite large too and despite its size, it was well hidden. The trees canopy completely obscures this place from the skies, the area is entirely surrounded by the undergrowth and tall bushes, and the house was well camouflaged with its roof made of branches and leaves and its walls made of logs. Rengar smiled as he presented his home to Nidalee, but immediately his expression turned stern as he said in a low voice, "You are the only other living being to set foot in this place other than my father, I trust that you won't disclose its location."

Why did I lead her here anyway? I could've just had her wait somewhere else.

"Of course, you have my word." Replied Nidalee, still marveling at his house.

"Before we go in, I'll just say that I have a lot of… trophies, so you can stay out here if you want to."

"I'll be fine." Insisted Nidalee.

As they walked in, Nidalee was immediately greeted by the dead lifeless eyes of all of Rengar's preys. All of their heads were mounted on all of the walls and ask they walked further in, she felt a little sick in her stomach. Seeing her discomfort, Rengar just chuckled as he walked over to the bedroom. The wall facing the bed had one empty space right in the middle, and standing in front of it, Rengar savoured the moment as he carefully mounted the head.

With his trophy collection completed at last, he relaxed and laid down on his bed with his hands behind his head. "I'm going to take a nap, you can explore the area a bit, but don't wander too far or you'll get lost." Warned Rengar.

Nidalee turned and exited the house and was glad to be outside. It was far too morbid inside for her liking. Walls filled with rows upon rows of heads, some looking more savage and dangerous than others, but all of them seemed like predators in their own rights. Nidalee wondered how Rengar had managed to kill all of these creatures and muttered to herself, "Just how powerful is he?"

Thankful for the fresh air, she turned into a cougar and went to explore the land. She first tried to find the stream because she was getting a little thirsty, he had mentioned that he liked to meditate by the water so there ought to be one nearby. She wandered a few minutes before finally hearing the sound of running water. Heading in that direction, she was met with a glistening stream that was as clear as the one back in near her den. She sat on the banks as she drank the water and stayed there for a while enjoying the atmosphere.

Two figures stared into their cauldrons as each of them swirled and displayed an image of Rengar's home. They were both female but one was incredibly short and the other had large bat wings protruding from her back. The bat lady had red hair and wore a pointy hate with a single green snake-eye in the middle. She adorned her fingers with many crimson rings and wore a fat dress which had purple smoke billowing out from underneath. The short girl was a white-furred yordle with blonde hair and had large fangs like a vampire. Her pupils were surrounded by green instead of white and she too wore a pointy hat, though it was slightly crumpled. Both of their cauldrons were spewing purple smoke as they watched and cackled in a high-pitched witch-like manner.

"He has once more returned to his nest,

And he seems to have brought a female guest.

A live one too who hails from the west,

Then the plan shall proceed at His behest.

The more the merrier, the more who'll die,

And the more our Lord will rise up high.

With their deaths we'll call a Crimson Sky,

And Praise to our Lord as the Blood Moon's nigh."

Another shrieking cackle followed as they began their incantations.

*"Double double toil and trouble,

Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,

In the cauldron boil and bake.

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,

Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."*

As they cast the spell, they cackled once more and a low voice echoed from behind them, "So it's begun."

Rengar was once again dreaming of his battle with Kha'Zix. As the scene played out he remembered saying 'I win' just before he cut Kha'Zix's head clean off. He enjoyed that dream, every time because it reminded him of the Thrill of the Hunt and his greatest achievement. As he woke up, he got up and walked to the opposite wall. He stood in front of Kha'Zix's head as he inspected his trophy. He was frowning because something was different.

Did I mount it like that? Something's wrong…

Just as he thought that, he suddenly saw an eye twitch. He was shocked as he watched the head come to life, antennae now flailing this way and that as the murderous green eyes shot up and stared him.

What. The. Fuck. What? I can't move!

He tried with all his strength, but his muscles didn't obey. Something had paralyzed him and he watched in horror as Kha'Zix slowly emerged from the wall, dragging the rest of its body out from inside the wood. Still frozen, he heard that hideous laughter again, as he felt a cold sharp object running up his abdomen. The tip rested at the same place as his wound, and Kha'Zix slowly pushed. Rengar felt the claw pierce his skin and slide deeper and deeper inside. Blood rushed to his mouth as each nick in the claw cause shots of pain throughout his body. Soon the claw reached his back and with a forceful push, Kha'Zix thrusted his claw through Rengar's entire body, which caused him to splurt blood through his mouth. Kha'Zix brought his other claw up to Rengar's neck and staring him down, he hissed, "I win!" and with eyes wide in shock, he watched as Kha'Zix swung his claw around and cleaved his head completely off of his body, all the while a high-pitched laughter was heard in the background.

With a start, Rengar sat up in his bed, panting and sweating profusely. He checked his wound and saw that it was still stitched and closed. He then stared over at Kha'Zix's head and was relieved to find it still mounted on the wall just as he left it.

What the fuck was that nightmare? It felt so real…

He disregarded it as just a nightmare, and figured he should go find Nidalee, but as he left his room, he noticed a piece of paper lying on the floor in the doorway. Looking around, he moved cautiously towards it and carefully picked it up. It read:

Toying with lives is such a thrill,

One will die, by our Lord's will,

Whatever happens blood shall spill,

Whatever happens we shall kill.

As soon as he finished reading the note he immediately shot out of the house. He needed to find Nidalee and fast. For something to be able to find and dare to enter his home like that, they were either incredibly powerful or incredibly stupid, and he had a feeling it wasn't the latter.

After drinking, Nidalee felt refreshed, but as noon rolled by she felt hungry again. She looked around for something to eat, like a rabbit maybe or maybe another deer, but this wasn't her territory so she didn't want to hunt here without permission as it would have been disrespectful. Instead she opted to look for fruit to eat, but even that was proving difficult. Eventually, she gave up and went back to the stream. She figured that a fish or two would be okay, Rengar would never know. She turned back into a human and steadied her javelin. It was easier to fish like this than in her cougar form because she could've been swept away by the current if she wasn't careful. As she eyed a fish, she drew back he arm and just before she threw it, she heard a thud from behind her.

She spun around quickly, hiding the javelin behind her in case it was Rengar, but as she looked, there was nothing there. All there was was a green apple that wasn't there previously. She figured that her luck had turned and gave it no mind as she picked the apple up. She washed it in the stream and then took a bite. It was delicious but there was a subtle aftertaste that she had never tasted before. She stared at the apple for a second but then she saw everything split in two. Realisation set in not long after the double vision and as she dropped the apple, her legs gave out beneath her. She could hear someone calling her name in the distance as darkness set in.

"NIDALEE! NIDALEE!" he called frantically. He had been following her tracks and they pointed towards the stream. He hurried as fast as he could but when he got there, what he saw pained and angered him.

He found Nidalee lying unconscious on the creek bed and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't wake her up. He looked around for any evidence of what happened. There was no blood so it couldn't have been a weapon attack, which confused him as to what caused this, until his eyes set on the apple with a single bite in it.

Poison!

He took the apple and gave it a smell; it was obviously laced with something but he couldn't tell what poison it was. Of course he couldn't he wasn't trained in working with poison at all. So lifting Nidalee up and place her on his back with her arms wrapped around his neck, he ran to the one person he knew who could help.

"Stay with me Nidalee! I'm not gonna let you die until I can repay that debt. If you live, then we'll be even, so don't you dare give up on me!"

A/N: Yeah, sorry for the dark chapter on Christmas day, I hadn't intended it to coincide this way, but it just happened. Anyway, I'm sorry if any festive spirits have been spoiled but I did warn you. Anyway, Merry Christmas to all, and for those of you who did read this, I hope you enjoyed it. We're finally meeting our villains, though admittedly I probably should've written this during Halloween time. Oh well.

P.S. * I took the liberty of quoting some Shakespeare. It just seemed too appropriate to pass up. Not infringing any copyright laws, the bit marked between ** is owned by Shakespeare.