Nighttime, the hour of predators and shadows and wandering creatures of darkness. A lone figure is currently standing on top of a tall building overlooking the infirmary, gazing down at the magnificent gardens and the soft blanket of the snow choking the grounds of the Institute, brown eyes lost in though and scarred body wrapped in tattered bandages.

Serenity, small already melting snowflakes get stuck on the figure's ebony hair littering them with frigid droplets of water and tiny pieces ice. The pale light of the moon shines brightly on this pathetic creature all the while the wind is howling around it mercilessly whipping its body and yet the creature ignores it as if it can't even feel a thing or as if it finds the lack of shelter irrelevant, unnecessary.

"SHAUNA!"

Another figure suddenly rashes into the scene, a young woman dressed in the golds and blues of the pompous country of Demacia, possessing eyes of pure amber. The soldier dashes around the bushes and flowers clearly searching for something important, frantically repeating that single word. The creature on the rooftop just ignores her.

"Cawwww!"

Suddenly another creature makes its presence known, an enormous avian, strong and proud gliding effortlessly among the snowflakes whilst ignoring the fierce wind and the low temperature of the night, feathers already wet from the tears of the sky. The eagle caws once again and then starts circling above the wounded vampire and Vayne hisses in annoyance as the human ranger whistles, causing the avian to land on the rooftop in front of her eyeing her accusingly, while the scout races for the staircase.

A moment of silence ensues as bird and woman proceed to stare down on each other like wild beasts fighting for dominance, ready to pounce at their respective opponent. Shauna hisses lowly, small flickering embers dancing inside the thirsty earth of her irises as Valor perches his head and ruffles his feathers staring at her defiantly. Quinn arrives a moment before they actually go at it, pale and out of breath, body hunched and palms resting on her kneecaps while trying to force some oxygen back in her lungs. Her amber gaze is full of rage and other conflicting emotions swirling under the surface. Sadness, panic, exhaustion, happiness, worry, those are all the feelings Shauna manages to decipher before the scout suddely takes a step forward and hugs her tightly.

"Thank god, you are alright."

Alright, Vayne is pretty sure that she is in fact not actually alright, but she decides to hold her tongue and wait for the human to calm down before pointing that out, or at least that was her plan until Quinn abruptly grabs her shoulders and starts shaking her making her whole body quake violently.

"What's wrong with you? How could you just up and leave your room when you can barely stand in the first place? Are you trying to make me worry to death? Because if so it's fucking working!"

Vayne remains silent for a moment eyeing the scout silently, carefully asserting the situation through the flaring intensity of those beautiful amber eyes and the scout's angry expresion. She silently raises her hand and waits, fingers suspended at the level of the younger woman's eyes until Quinn blinks in confusion.

"What are you doing?"

The vampire doesn't even pause before answering, the words escaping her lips to dance in the frigid air of the night.

"Letting you break some of my bones in order to appease you. Why, would you prefer stabbing me?"

The scout blinks, horror and wonder overwhelming her being in less than a heartbeat and it isn't even because Shauna is still treating her like an enemy. No it is because that's the first time she has heard Shauna's voice in more than a week and it is as neutral and cold as her gaze and the snowflakes swirling around them. The scout sighs before carefully grabbing the bandaged appendage and pressing a soft lingering kiss on each bandaged finger, eyes pinned on the muddy eyes of the huntress the whole time as if searching for some kind of answer.

"Did I hurt you yesterday?"

Her voice is low and gentle but the vampire just stares at her coldly while shaking her head.

"What about the day before yesterday, did I try hurting you in any way?"

Another mute reply and Quinn almost flinches when the vampire silently removes her hand from her own, but he ranger just puts a smile on her lips and continues anyway.

"Have I actually tried tormenting you since the day you woke up from your slumber?"

"No. Not yet."

Quinn nods and takes a deep breath before resuming in that same sweet, soothing tone she usually reserved for when Valor somehow injured himself while hunting.

"Then why are you assuming that I am going to start hurting you today, or at all anyway?"

A small pause, a glazed glare, cold brown eyes staring into oblivion. The smallest whisper finally escapes the vampire's throat booming inside the scout's heart with the intensity of a thunderstorm. The two of them remain silent until the Night Hunter finally decides to break the silence.

"I said because you are a human."

Quinn just nods, her thoughts shattering like gazelles in the presence of a lion. How can she possibly answer to that accusation, how can she possibly deny the part her species has played in the suffering of the woman standing in front of her? She can't and both her and Shauna know it.

"Caw"

Quinn blinks, glancing curiously towards Valor, but the avian isn't looking at her anymore. No, the eagle seems to be far more interested in the sickly green light and the ghostly form emerging from the most distant part of the garden and Quinn doesn't have to glance at it twice in order to recognize the ancient deceased warrior.

"Kalista."

The specter doesn't respond to her and it remains silent for the longest of times, standing eerie inside the blizzard, ghostly blue eyes silently staring at them through the veil of death and Quinn can't help but shiver as the specter slowly raises a single incorporeal limb in order to point at their direction.

No, not actually ther direction, Vayne's, Quinn suddenly realizes and the scout's heart sinks inside her chest as her eyes follow the trail of the offending appendage only to come face to face with the motionless visage of the Night Hunter.

*Shhhhhhccccrrrrriiiink

An ethereal spear slides out of the warrior-ghost's ribcage, spectral light dimming inside the blizzard only to flare with blinding intensity a moment later and when Quinn finally manages to regain her eyesight, the ghost is gone, there is the black shaft of a spear buried beneath the snow and Vayne is laying on the ground unconscious.