CHAPTER 2

One thing about Noxus that never changed was its weather. It always rained; it was always gloomy. These were certainties Noxians could count on. The temperature stayed mild, so most people wore thicker layers. Talon's own clothing came from pilfering various clotheslines. The risk of stealing from shops was far too great. If you got caught, you often were not seen again—especially if you were an urchin.

A boy who called himself Razor had recently been apprehended by local guards. He had stupidly tried to threaten a vendor with a weapon in broad daylight. There was a certain poetic irony in it for Talon. Razor had once shoved him into the mud and pressed his head into the deepest puddle, trying to drown him while remarking how pathetic and weak Talon was.

What he would've given to witness him being dragged off. Some would pity, try to intervene and save a fellow slum dweller. To Talon though, it was just less kids to compete with for food, gold and shelter.

Talon peered around, looking from left to right, taking in the area around him. It seemed far too sunny to be Noxus… But he'd never left the capital. Maybe the borders were nicer, warmer.

His ears pricked at the sound of conversation—two men exchanging gold and words about the contents of the crates.

The crate to his left had been pried open. Talon's eyes spotted what he'd gone through all this trouble for. Weapons. Various blades and swords, carefully crafted to not resemble a Noxian style. His little hand slowly slid out of the crate's opening, snaking its way towards his bounty. Just as his fingers brushed against a handle—

"Hey!" a snarl rang out.

He'd been spotted.

Talon flinched in fright, using all the strength in his small body to burst from the crate. The lid tore away, and in his scramble, he managed to grab a single sharp blade from the other crate.

"You little stowaway rat!" one of the men shouted, reaching for a weapon on his belt.

Talon bolted, his little heart pounding in his chest. He could hear the men shouting behind him. A loud bang exploded meters behind him, barely grazing his shoulder. Talon ran and did not stop, nor look back. Not until the voices and loud bangs were no more. After ten minutes of non-stop running, he stumbled upon a small clearing and collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. The field stretched out in all directions, giving him options, and Talon chose to head west.

The path was dirt-filled and worn, walked over by many. Talon followed it, finding himself in acres of countryside with large fields of wildflowers stretching for miles. The vibrant colors and gentle sway of the flowers in the breeze were a stark contrast to the grim, deadly streets of Noxus. He detoured off the beaten path, wandering into the large field of flowers.

His fingers traced the delicate seeds on the flowers curiously, causing them to drift off into the sky. He tried to even be delicate in his touch but still the seeds drifted. Talon had never seen such flowers before. They intrigued him.

A feeling suddenly came over the young boy. He couldn't place it, excitement? Similar to when he'd found an abandoned apartment, warm and safe. Talon allowed himself to forget the harsh world around him. Instead, letting the feeling come to a bursting point, as he began rushing through the fields, forcing hundreds of seeds up into the air.

For the first time in his young life, Talon was not running from something but running towards everything. He threw himself down into the meadows as he tumbled down a steep hill, giggling at the thrill of it all. Talon had no idea where he was, and for now, that did not matter to him. He'd not heard his own laughter in so long, it didn't even feel like it was coming from his own mouth.

Eventually, Talon dropped to the ground, lying on his back amidst the flowers, staring up at the clear sky as his chest heaved with effort. He wanted to just lay here, in this strange but peaceful place. …But the pain of his eye began to flare up once more, followed by the low growl of his stomach. Of course, his misery could not be silenced. He had to always be hungry, always sick, always miserable.

Hunger was a constant companion, Talon had become used to it despite his young age. As long as he could remember, he had been hungry. When food had been semi-consistent at one point in his early life, it was often unfulfilling and cold. The adults then overseeing the building told any of the orphans who complained if they did not like it, to simply 'go and find parents then'.

Talon slowly got to his feet. They hurt now, the exuberance fading. It was time to find somewhere to shelter for today, before he'd begin to find his way back to Noxus Prime.

He finally found a suitable place to bunker down after two hours of walking. It was a cottage—or at least, what was left of it. Right in the middle of the building was a huge crater. Talon cautiously entered, trying to think what would've caused such damage to this home. The roof was decimated, as if a large force had smashed through it. To Talon's delight, though, the home was completely abandoned due to this. No furniture was left, besides what was too beyond repair anyway.

The air in here was thick with dust, from years of falling into disrepair. Nature itself had begun to claim this cottage, vines and moss creeping through the shattered windows and cracked walls. Talon found himself a cozy corner that wasn't too full of debris and sharps. There was no water running through the cottage; Talon tested the taps, only to find them dry. Instead, he resorted to what he'd hoped to avoid: scooping up handfuls of water from a puddle in the overgrown garden.

He picked a few leaves and roots while outside; it was all he could find to eat for the moment. Too exhausted to start another journey to find something more substantial. While outside he noticed oddly shaped craters in the grass, in a way they looked shaped like a large four toed paw. Very, very odd.

Talon returned to his corner and kicked off his oversized boots, giving his feet a bit of a reprise. The blade he'd taken was his most prized possession now, and he kept it within arm's reach as he bunkered down for the night. He ate a few of the leaves and chewed on the root. Their taste was bitter and unpleasant but edible, which was all that mattered to the starving boy.

At nightfall, Talon curled up in his corner. Pulling his oversized hoodie tighter against his scrawny frame, to conserve as much warmth as he could manage. It was getting colder by the hour and far, far darker. He'd endured worse, it wasn't raining at least. Tomorrow he'd find a more filling meal then find his way home. Thinking of little plans to get himself back before finally succumbing to exhaustion.

Talon woke around midday. It was a sign of exhaustion when he slept so late, and sleeping late was never something he enjoyed. Wasting the day meant wasting opportunity, gold slipping through the fingers. His body ached from the hard floor, and his stomach growled in protest. Talon put on his oversized boots and stood up, stretching his sore muscles.

Find food, find his way home.

He continued west, having a gut feeling he was headed in the right direction.

Eventually, his hunch paid off. A very small community appeared in the far distance. Talon could see smoke, meaning people were living there. His first thought was how he could pilfer small things from it to help his journey.

As he approached the outskirts of the civilization, Talon moved stealthily, staying out of sight and ducking behind various walls. He spotted a well-maintained garden, fenced off with rows of vegetables. His mouth watered at the sight, and he stepped closer to begin taking what he could manage. Slipping through the fence and edging closer, but something caught his attention.

Laughter.

At first, Talon flinched and scuttled back to a hiding spot… until he realized what made that sound: children.

Children his age. They were clean, healthy, and dressed in neat clothes. Talon crouched behind the fence, watching them. One boy chased a girl around, as they screamed in some garbled play-language he couldn't begin to decipher.

Curiosity beckoned Talon closer. As he did so, he caught his reflection in a greenhouse window. Dirty, scrawny, and riddled with disease. His face was smudged with grime, and his clothes hung off his bony frame. The more he looked at himself, then to the children he was watching, a deep bubbling resentment began to fester within Talon.

Why did they get to live like this while he struggled every day just to survive? What had he done to live as a dirty, unwanted rat?

His lips curled into a snarl, turning away and scorning his reflection. Going back to looting the vegetable patch. They didn't know what it was like to go to bed hungry, to wake up in fear, to fight every day just to see the next sunrise. He ripped up some orange shaped vegetables, stuffing the dirt clad carrots into his pockets.

As Talon gathered more vegetables, he felt a presence approaching behind him. Heavy work boots against the soft grass. He turned his head slowly, his heart racing. A tall man stood there, his brow furrowed, hands on his hips, clearly not happy to see Talon. He wore simple, sturdy clothes, typical of the work he probably did on his makeshift farming plot. He must've been the children's father. Both children now stood behind the man, curious and nervous as they observed Talon.

The man spoke to him, seeming to ask a question. But whatever he said was the same garbled speech the children were using in their play. It wasn't Noxian; he couldn't understand.

Now his gaze was focused on Talon's state, especially his eye. He asked something else, if Talon didn't know better, it almost sounded like…Pity.

The man reached to take hold of Talon's hood, and that was when Talon's panic couldn't be contained any longer. He drew his blade from his jeans and pointed the blade at the man. He snarled as menacingly as he could.

"Go away!"

This man wanted to hurt him, take him off like the Noxian guards would to any urchin sleeping rough.

It had its desired effect. The man's eyes widened, and he quickly ushered the children back, keeping a hand outstretched towards Talon. A clear gesture for him to keep back, don't hurt us.

Talon slowly put distance between himself and the strangers, his good eye fixed on the man and unblinking. Until he was sure he was a good distance away, then he fled the farm, not stopping as he ran towards a large, sweeping forest.

The forest was dense and dark, offering ample cover for someone trying to escape. As he ran deeper, the thick canopy overhead began blocking out most of the sunlight. Talon finally stopped, placing a hand against a large, ancient tree to lean and catch his breath. The events of the past few minutes replayed in his mind.

The man's eyes, filled with shock and fear. He'd tried to harm him, why did he look so scared when Talon showed he was not a vulnerable target? Talon shook his head and slowly slid his back down the tree until he was in a sitting position. Suddenly he was very tired again, wanting to just sit in the silence the forest offered.

He thought again about the two children, cowering behind their father.

The infection must've gotten into his other eye now too, as it was watering. Tears running down his face.

A/N:

Hi everyone, I've not used in nearly a decade. So I hope I'm not being cringe putting an A/N here lmao.

thank you for reading so far! this story is being cross posted to this website, and you'd like more it can be read further ahead on my AO3, which can be found in my bio.