A/N: So, one of the longest chapters so far, and I actually broke it half way.

This chapter is Quinn's past, in case people get confused. I've received some messages about the whole Talon deal.

I personally don't think Talon is Quinn's brother only because that blatantly stated in her lore that she 'lost her brother in a tragic accident while adventuring'.

And yes, Quinn has black hair. Good lord.

I thought I would also mention one of many Quinn's relationships, if not the first, that she's had before she joined the League.

I made this character up, and I didn't give this chapter too much depth because I wanted to try and make this chapter seem very... Memory-like.

And memories are often very fast-paced.

Or at least mine are.

Anyway, I'll let you get to reading now, hope you guys enjoy it!

-10. A Darker Pair of Claws—

Demacia, a society based on the virtuous foundation of justice. In all of its glorious days, it has never fallen to its knees, and with the superior line of the Jarvan royalty leading the country, it is assured to never see darkness soon. Many of its population trust in the leadership of the current king, along with Prince Jarvan the IV, who symbolizes everything that means to be kind, passionate, and brave. Taking the reins of these qualities, the prince has never seen a defeat in battle. At worst, only stalemates against the powerful army that is Noxus.

That is until Talon came along.

He was always a different man, and always seemingly plotting against everyone, even his own superiors. Talon held his blades closer to his body than he does women; perhaps he even romances his own weaponry. No one knows what lurks within his thoughts… Until they feel the sharp blades across their throats and see a cold, calculating smile that signaled the end. That is when they know what Talon is truly thinking: Death.

Many warriors have desired to change this fact, but have always failed by getting killed or forfeiting at the very sighting of the man. He was a force to be reckoned with, and until this day, no one has successfully quelled his assassinations, and it continued even with the full force of Demacia after his tail. He did not fear an army, yet an army feared him.

"I want to know WHY this man can get to even the highest-ranking officers and get away with it." A gruff man spewed at a lower-ranking soldier, barely able to hold his spear right.

"S-sire, I-I—"

"He was at the HEART of Demacia. He was within these VERY WALLS we stand in. You cannot tell me you haven't even laid eyes on him! Where is your brain, did your mother not birth one to you!?" Garen shouted, sounding almost like a Noxian if these lowly soldiers didn't know who he was.

"Garen." A sturdy voice rang across the room, and a tall, fairly slender man was standing at the door. He was without armor, and was harder to recognize with a clean shave.

"Prince. I'm sorry you had to witness this. I ought to be switched into training division to really beat these bastards into shape." The mighty warrior set the man down onto his feet. He'd unconsciously picked him up earlier by the blue scarf, and being a tall man that he is, it wasn't hard to lift a person up.

Jarvan walked over towards the soldier, who saluted in respect in the presence of the prince. He held out his hand to signal to stop the salute, kindness in his tone when he spoke: "At ease, soldier." The Demacian prince radiated a certain glory that no one could resist, and so the trainee placed his arms at his side as Jarvan turned his attention towards Garen.

"I know how you feel, but we haven't been able to recruit true soldiers. Most of them are volunteers, and are but simple folk. Against Noxus, you can never be too careful, and training Demacia's civilians should not be left to a great Demacian general's care." Jarvan picked up the longer end of the soldier's scarf, "The blue is supposed to symbolize peace and tranquility, which neither are achieved at this current moment. I fear Demacia is already on its knees if Noxus continues its pressure."

"We must do something about Talon. That man is insane!"

"Insane or not, he's not the largest problem right now."

"Sire, he just assassinated another authority last night. With this soldier in particular standing guard outside of the delegate's room."

"So I've heard, but you cannot hold him accountable. Talon is an assassin, and a trainee like him couldn't have done anything about it regardless."

"Then I wish to be switched into the training corps." Garen insisted, his eyebrows furrowed, allowing an intense stare.

Jarvan sighed, knowing how stubborn Garen was, there was no way he could deny him of leading the training of troops. The soldiers could learn a lot, and he trusted this man with his life. "Alright Garen. But training them is not your priority. Protecting Demacia is. Should any emergency be called, I reserve the right to pull you out of your duties. Is that clear?"

"My heart is with Demacia forever. If I could do anything, it is my honor and duty." The two men exchanged glances and then a handshake as the prince parted to partake in his many other duties.

Garen knew the training camp has fallen into disrepair, but he never would have thought it was this bad. The camps were horribly built, most of the soldiers were chatting idly on the side, and none of them paid attention to their surroundings. They were busy bodies ready to be killed at any given moment. Except for one of the soldiers in particular, a woman, in fact. She stood at attention in the center of the grounds in front of one of the officers. Her uniform as tidy as could be, but he wish he could think the same of her hair. It was black, long, and probably had knots every single centimeter down the length of it judging by how disheveled it was. The strong warrior sighed in frustration and looked around again.

Despicable.

Garen stormed towards the central stage where a warning bell was held in place sturdily. Usually it was used to signal an invasion in camp, but he knew these people better. As he picked up the large stick, he held it in an iron grip and struck at the large bell, allowing a deep, grimacing tone to shoot throughout the camp, alarming everyone. He struck it again, and all eyes were on him. Everyone knew who he was, but none knew what he was doing here.

"Now that I have your attention, gather up." His eyes scanned the place. Many of the trainees walked over, but some were reluctant and paid no mind. "Those that cannot even follow this menial order shall be taken away from this training camp and never allowed back in."

Some of the people began leaving, but as they began shuffling like lifeless cadavers towards the exit, Garen yelled, "Take off your armor and fold your scarves neatly."

Some turned around and did what was told, but there were the arrogant ones that barked back at him: "I earned this uniform. I paid for it, and it's fair that I get to keep it."

Garen picked up a nearby trainee sword and threw it at the man, then picked up another and charged at him. He would have really swung that blade across the arrogant trainee's throat if he wasn't bound to his moral code. "YOU EARN YOUR UNIFORM THROUGH SWEAT AND BLOOD, NOT PETTY COINS!" He then tore off the blue piece of cloth from the other man, observing that he had pissed his pants out of fear. Garen raised up the fist that held the blue scarf, allowing each and every one of the trainees to see it.

"This is your color! Your pride! And where your heart belongs! This is Demacia's symbol of peace, justice, and honor! All of you standing here and wearing Demacia's uniform are PRIVILIDGED to be able to wear it! It is your duty and life to protect it!" Garen then turned to look at the leaving men and women with a scowl, "Those that leave are nothing but cowards. Afraid because they cannot stand against the dark tide known as Noxus. They threaten our lives, our young, and our future. We that wear this color, wear this uniform, should be HONORED that our civilians chose US to be their guardians, to be their savior, to be their shield against whatever that may come. It is never the other way around. Scuttle back into your dreary lives, where you belong." The gruff man's face inched closely, holding a murderous expression. "And none of you deserve to be here." He finished his speech and walked back over to the stage where many of the trainees were gathered. The woman he had previously observed when he came into camp was standing in the very front of the crowd, holding hope within her eyes as she looked up at Garen.

"Today your training starts. Today you become a true warrior. Today, you earn your title as Demacia's finest." He raised the scarf up high, and the soldiers all saluted in synch with one another.

Day 2

I finally made it into the army, brother!

I can't believe it! I saw Garen today!

You know how we used to talk about him all the time?

He was so cool! I can't really explain the scene

But everyone was on their knees by the end!

I'm so excited to be able to train under him.

I think. Maybe. Probably not directly under—

D'oh I set myself up for that one.

Anyway, see you!

-Quinn

"Today, every one of you needs to go through a process of hair-cuts, uniform measurements, and weaponry choices. The real training will start in the afternoon once all soldiers are prepared." Garen announced early in the morning. The sun hasn't even risen up yet, and the trainees were already called into an assembly. Most of the soldiers were still groggy and whined when they had to go through the grueling process, and some women played with their hairs nervously for they have probably never thought of cutting their hair before. The entire trainee corps was assembled from A to Z in by the order of first names. Curiously, the woman that Garen saw just yesterday was standing close to the end of the line. 'What kind of name would she have?' He wondered to himself, but brushed that thought off when he heard screams coming from the first camp set up specifically for hair-cuts.

"What's going on here?" Garen busted into the tent and stared at the seat with a woman holding her head, along with a trail of blood streaming down. She was screaming at the man behind her, holding a pair of old shears.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"You moved so of course I cut you!"

"You can't even handle shears right?! What family did you even come from?!" The woman continued her complained whilst medics rushed over and guided the injured woman out of the seat.

"This is going to be a long day…" Garen placed his large hands over his face, not ready to believe how disorganized the army training camps have fallen into.

By noon, many of the trainees have already gone through most of the process that he'd ordered them to go through. Most that were finished were lounging around with their supposedly 'desired weapons'. A lot carried the sword as he expected, the next majority picked a spear, and a few minor groups picking up ranged weapons like a longbow or crossbow.

Good, he had a variety to work with.

As soon as the process was finished with, they were summoned to the main stage again, and Garen announced an interesting idea: "Now that you all have weaponry, you will all be pitted against each other to decide which division you will be in. Divisions 1 through 5 are the elite division, and the rest are normal. Good luck to all, and the tournament begins right now." He pulled out a sheet of paper and looked at all the names at the heading.

"Artio and Quinn, please proceed onto the stage."

A tall man stepped out of the crowd and onto the stage. He looked strong, almost seemed to be a trained soldier like Garen if he wasn't wearing the trainee outfit. "I am Artio sir." He saluted perfectly, with elegant form. Quinn, on the other hand, looked like a playful child as it almost looked like she skipped towards the stage and saluted awkwardly. "I'm Quinn, sir."

The general raised his eyebrow, scanning the two. As far as the battle is concerned, Artio is definitely at a superior advantage, considering his form, but Garen was never the one to judge based on looks. He's seen tiny people, namely yordles, pack a punch harder than any man.

"For the most accurate measurement of skills, assume that this is a death match. If I do not assess your complete amount of skills, you may just end up dead during a real battle." He stated, backing off to the edge of the stage and signaled that they could begin the fight whenever. The man named Artio drew his broadsword, holding it in both hands while Quinn chose a short sword. It looked pitiful when they held their swords at a cross between them, as a vow to stop the fight before death.

With a thrust from Quinn's short sword, the fight began.

Artio fended it off easily, but wasn't agile enough to catch his opponent with a swing as she retreated easily and dodged the hit. The man, though, began advancing, swinging wildly while Quinn simply side-stepped to avoid most of it. The black-haired woman smiled, brushing her short hair back a little. It almost looked like they were just playing, except Artio is the one losing the game, and he is certainly frustrated by the looks of the areas he was trying to attack. Most of it were the legs, so he could disable the dexterous woman from dodging any more attacks of his, but it wasn't proving very fruitful when he couldn't land a single blow. On the other hand, Quinn herself isn't exactly attacking either. She was only dancing around the broadsword, and never even bothered to swing her own short sword. From Garen's observation point, the woman picked a weapon that didn't benefit her, especially when she's so focused on foot work; having a sword only distracts from it. Artio, however, also picked the wrong weaponry. He could likely wield a claymore better with all that strength. They were both at a hidden disadvantage, and the battle will be dragged on until one of them actually lands a single strike.

WHACK!

And the man was send staggering backwards in the blink of an eye. Quinn had been subtly making her way around his back for a while, and as soon as she got a chance to, she attacked his Achilles tendon harshly, shocking his nerves into reaction. Before Artio could recover, the woman held her sword at the back of the man's neck. If he dared move, he knew that he would die.

"Well done. Quinn is victorious." Garen raised his hand half way, and the woman backed off, allowing the man to slowly stand up. "You are in division one, Quinn. You are division five Artio. Congratulations."

The two combatants exchanged glances, and the man almost reluctantly held out his hand. "Well played. I didn't even notice."

"If I'd gotten hit before I got a chance to get behind you, you would have won." Quinn reassured, smiling genuinely as she took the man's hand and shook it with confidence.

It was later at night, when the moon hung up high, accompanied with glittering stars at her sides; Quinn had left her division's cabin secretly whilst everyone else was pulled into the realm of dreams. She took a lantern hung outside and proceeded towards the forest nearby, silently slipping by other trainee cabins. Sadly, as secretive as she tried to be, there were still prying eyes that settled upon her suspicious movement.

"Valor?" She whispered as soon as she reached a small clearing, where she could see the glorious skies. A moment later, she heard a familiar cry of an eagle, and her golden eyes followed the silhouette as it flew past the moon and swooped down towards her. The woman raised her hand, posing elegantly as the blue eagle settled upon her outstretched arm. Not a second later, she was in full embrace with the feathered creature, and it seemed to pay no mind to the hug. In fact, he enjoyed it.

"Oh Valor. I'm sorry I had to come so late. I hope you've found some food while I was gone. I brought some for you anyway." She took out the meager amount of bread and held it up to his yellow beak. He accepted it willingly, but hesitated when there was little left.

"Don't worry about me. I got promoted to an elite soldier today, so we'll probably have more than enough to eat." Quinn reassured, and Valor seemed to have nodded before taking the last bits, pecking at the soft inners of it.

Garen decided there was no use in observing any longer and stepped out into the tiny clear, approaching the young woman. It started her when Valor squawked in alarm and nearly attacked the approaching general had Quinn not held him in place between her arms.

"O-oh! Sire!" She spoke, panicking as she devised a way to explain what she was doing.

"You take your meal and share it with a wild beast? As far as I know, all the meals only have enough to support a normal being, if at all. I haven't looked into that part yet."

"Umm. Well…" Quinn sighed and decided to be honest about it, "This is Valor. He's a very important companion of mine…"

"How important?" Garen questioned in a serious tone, glaring at the blue bird, who was obviously struggling against the woman's hug.

"He… Is like my brother. I trust my life in him. He protects me when we are in battle, too. I learned to fight with him, but I don't think it is army standard to have a bird as a companion… So I've kept him out here."

"You fight with him?" The tough man raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, he covers the front line while I cover the back."

"With a sword?" He folded his arms, not necessarily believing this information.

"Well, kind of. If I had a ranged weapon, I would use it… But through my life I've only ever had a sword. And becoming a Demacian soldier was my brother and I's dream!—" Quinn stopped herself and cleared her throat.

"I'm surprised that you were willing to stay, even though the very first day of training camp was hectic and completely unorganized." Garen decided not to question where this woman's brother was. There must've been good reason she did not wish to elaborate on it.

"Well it was certainly discouraging because it's a different image from what I've seen of Demacia's army."

"Believe me, it is VERY different. I'm not sure why this camp fell ill in the first place. If I had known sooner, we might have fewer assassinations… Those undercooked chickens in the city can't even guard a door properly." He shook his head and looked at Quinn, "In any case. Before you go through basic physical training, it is not wise to partner up nor have your bird in camp. You will need all the food you can get, so I wouldn't suggest this secret meeting either."

"But I can't just leave him here to die—"

"I will personally make sure he gets fed. As long as you tell him that this clearing will have his food. Besides, he's a Demacian eagle. If anything, they are the toughest birds out there. I'm sure he can hunt should I not make it available for one day."

Quinn was surprised at this offer, but still looked at the eagle in her arms. "Valor, did you hear that?"

Squawk.

"Do you think you can do that for me? Tough it out until I get done with training?"

Valor looked up, eyes tainted with sadness as he realized that his partner will be gone for a while, and that they could not see each other for months to come. He then looked at Garen with the sort of glare where it was painted with bold wording of 'if you do not take care of her, I can, and will, hunt you down'. Such an expression was never thought capable until the general witnessed it today. They really had a strong companionship, and would certainly make for a very interesting duo.

Squawk.

The sound was of acceptance, and Quinn allowed the bird to sit on her shoulders. They stood quietly, enjoying each other's company before the eagle flew off after some hesitation. "Good bye, Val." She waved and turned to look at the general with a smile; a smile that was oozing with grief.

Day 17

I don't know what to tell you, brother.

The things I'm going through… Each day

I feel so tired after training. They don't

Let you go until you've finished your round

And if you didn't finish by the day, it's added

To tomorrow's amount of work. Many soldiers

Left because of this, and there are less than

Half the divisions left. Being on the elite one

Division, I am constantly challenged with more

And if another soldier desired to put me out of

My position and take over, all they need to do is

Duel me. If I lose, they replace me, and I replace

Their rank. It's quiet cruel because some of the

Other elite divisions do this a lot. Especially

When most of us are tired. Instead of being

In two or three, they wanted to hold the number I

Have. I'm really tired, brother. Wish I could

Write some more, but my body begs me to sleep.

I miss Valor.

I miss you.

-Quinn

As soon as her hands let go of the feathered pen, her head slammed onto the wooden table, and sleep has claimed her consciousness. One of the elite members came across her unconscious self and pretty much hauled her ass onto one of the beds, covering the sleeping woman with a simple woolen blanket that most of the division was using. The kind member sighed and took her place in her own bed, which is right next to Quinn.

The next day, as soon as she barely opened her eyes, she heard the loud ring that was the bell. It was no longer used for warning, but in fact, for assembly. Quinn sat up groggily, but her body resisted all of her movements as each and every piece of muscle she had screamed for more rest. Despite the complaints from her body, she got up and prepared for the day, dragging her legs along. However, she wasn't exactly watching her step when she tripped down the stairs. Her eyes widened when she realized that gravity was taking place, and probably desired to hurt her if another person hadn't caught her at the bottom of the short stairs. Quinn found her balance once more and left the brief contact she had. As her golden eyes looked up to search for a face, she found that it belonged to a woman.

"Are you okay?" the soft voice rang in her head, and she couldn't help but gawk at the other woman for a little bit, astonished by her beaty.

"Sorry, I'm.. Clumsy." Quinn admitted, feeling a little awkward as she felt the other slender pair of hands slip off her own hips.

"Yes, well, watch your step next time. If I wasn't from the same division already, I might have taken advantage of that weakness" the other woman winked in a flirty manner before leaving Quinn to her own devices.

'Wow.' Quinn muttered to herself, holding her spinning head. She wasn't sure if it was morning sickness that was bugging her, or if it was that woman. 'Do I have a crush on her?' she held her hand on her forehead, feeling a subtle heat that grew the more she thought. 'Oh my.' Quinn knew she had to catch up with that woman and at least get a name out of her.

Day 30

I can't believe it's only been 30 days. It seemed

Like so much more time has passed. I'm getting

Better at this whole physical thing, and Garen

Hasn't really given me a loose grip. In fact, I

Think he's tightened the hold he has on my

Division. I suppose that's good, it allows for

Improvement, but I'm seeing the people of my

Ranking drop rapidly. Even the people that replace

My division out of a duel, they never last long

Enough during training and begged Garen to place

Them back down into a lower tier, if not the lowest.

I got a challenge the other day from Artio, the man

I had my placement duel with. I think he wants his

Position back, but he doesn't seem like the kind of guy

To want to do this. Regardless, I was forced to accept

It since there were officers nearby. It's a rule to never

Refuse a duel. I'm a little nervous since I'm still stuck

With a sword, and basic training is far from over.

…

Do you remember the woman I wrote about in

One of my entries? The woman named Rose in the

Same division I am in. I finally got to know her much

More, and I found out she had the same dreams we

Did while growing up! Isn't that super creepy?

Anyway, I've taken a bit of an interest in her.

I hope no one ever reads my journals.

-Quinn

The last part of the scrap paper was crossed off heavily with ink. Only subtle traces of legible letters could be seen, and that should be enough. No one really took much interest in deciphering Quinn's handwriting to begin with. As far as she knows anyway.

Day 13?, Autumn

I don't remember how many journals I've written,

So I'm just going to write the season from now on.

How are you today brother? I'm much better today.

I feel better in general. I don't think I've felt so good

In all the years we've spent together. Honestly! And…

You won't believe it, but I happen to have a date tonight!

It's kind of not romantic because we're both still soldiers

And we don't really have a place to go, except for the

Clearing that Valor and I meet at. We'll both be

Bringing our dinners there so we could eat together.

She told me she had a surprise for me, so I'm super

Excited.

Anyway, it's almost time. I will write to you another day.

-Quinn

As soon as she finished, she got up and out of her chair, ecstatic about what was to come. She's always liked surprises, and it did not exclude this one. Quinn hasn't been this happy since the days she spent with her brother. She could put complete trust into the hands of Rose, and perhaps even trust her with her own life. The dark-haired woman couldn't hold her smiles and left the cabin once she knew that most of the other divisions have already went to bed in preparation for another day.

"What took you so long?" A voice chimed as soon as Quinn approached the clearing.

"Well, it wasn't easy slipping past people and not getting attention, you know."

"Yeah, I know. I did the same thing earlier, remember? So we're not seen frolicking into the forest doing god-knows-what?"

"I hope god doesn't get to know what we're doing tonight either." She smiled and sat down on the ground, catching Rose's gaze. Embarrassed, Quinn turned her face away as it grew pinkish.

"Anyway, I smuggled this in during the beginning. I was hoping it would help me through the nights, but I didn't really need them after a while." The ginger-haired woman explained, pulling out a bottle of wine from behind her back.

"Wow, and they didn't catch you taking a lot of these?"

"Oh don't exaggerate, it was only three bottles" Rose chuckled, uncorking the bottle and poured a small amount for the both of them.

They drank under the moonlight and shared stories of the day. Valor, of course, came to the clearing and landed on Quinn's shoulder, snuggling against her cheeks with his beak. "That tickles, Valor" She chuckled and nuzzled her nose against his before he hopped off to steal a piece of bread from his master's tray. It was like a reward before he went scouting for figures that would otherwise intrude in their date.

"So Rose, have you ever dreamed of getting this far in the army?"

"Of course. I said I'd make it all the way to general, right?" She chuckled, her blue spheres examining the gold ones laid in front of her.

"I hope you'll treat me nicely once you're a general."

Rose grinned and crawled over to straddle Quinn's sides, sitting on the strong thighs she's desired to lay hands on for a while now. "I will promote you to be my trusty bodyguard… So I'll always have you around." Her smile was contagious, and both of them giggled in happiness.

They shared a kiss soon after, but had no intentions to stop as clothes were then peeled off of one another. Vulnerable and out in the woods, Quinn loved the idea, the risk that they were taking, and Rose only happened to share that same exact passion. Both of them were scared, judging by how much their bodies quivered against each other, but soon these shakes grew to be more than fear. They became lust as their lips melted against each other's.

"Never let me go." Quinn managed to whisper as the woman on top of her agreed and 'sealed the deal' by claiming the lips of her lover.

"As long as I live, I will be by your side, forever."

Day ?

They killed her. I don't know where to turn to…

I'm… I… My Rose is withered…

Why do I keep losing everyone I cherish?

Why?

The ink would not stay in one place because of the dreary weather, and her own eyes were streaming tears. She couldn't stop. She lost her first love already. It was all a blur and she hated that up until the moment of Rose's death, Quinn couldn't remember much. The camp was raided, and the assembly bell returned to its original function of warning the camp full of trainees. They didn't have much time to realize that it was a warning until screams came from the lower-division cabins. They were panicked screams, not of laughter. As soon as this happened, many rushed out of their beds and most escaped. However, it was also the night Quinn decided to displace herself without telling anyone. Off on her own, she wanted to meet Valor after so long, and so she did. As soon as she heard, she wandered back into camp, thinking that it was some sort of emergency assembly, but as soon as she returned, the horrible sight of dead bodies plagued her thoughts. She looked around whilst holding Valor, ready to set him to the skies should any dangers arise. In an instance, adrenaline rushed into her mind when the thought of 'Where's Rose?' came into her mind. She looked around frantically, but there were no corpses that day that would match the beautiful red streams upon her lover's head. Quinn then spotted a trainee not far from her being chased down. She then threw the blue eagle, allowing him to fly high as she ran towards the raiders with a sword from one of the dead trainees on the ground. Remembering all of her training, she kicked towards the men and swiftly dodged many of their attacks, attacking more with her legs and striking the final blows with her sword—harshly driving it through their hearts as they did the same to her friends. The trainee looked at Quinn with wild eyes, wondering what's going on until she spoke: "Head towards Demacia, you'll find others there."

"What about you?"

"I will be right after you. I need to find someone first."

"Be careful" he spoke, "There's many of them further down to the low-divisions. Our swords aren't very effective against their thick armor." He warned and dashed off towards what he knows as home.

Quinn stared at the two dead raiders, recognizing them as Noxians. She scowled at the thought that they would stoop as low as killing off trainees to deny Demacia of its soldiers. A shine on the ground, though, caught her attention. She kicked one of the corpses to the side and picked the object up, observing it in all angles. It was a repeating crossbow. It could use some tweaking, but she had no time, and this should be good enough weapon to fend off some more raiders.

Quinn didn't hesitate to walk further down. She was desperate to find Rose, and until she is sure that she wasn't here, she won't give in.