A/N: Small time skip, 5 years.

Five winters passed.

Talon, now a young teenage boy, had taken to working alongside his foster father in the smithy. He had grown taller and stronger, his muscles hardened from years of hard work. The forge had become a second home to Talon, a place where he could channel his energy and focus into creating something tangible. He carried a bunch of swords, ready to be delivered, over to the crates.

"Careful with those," Tarian called, his voice gruff as he continued his work. "Those are for the captain of the guard. They need to be perfect."

"I know, I know, Dad," Talon replied, his tone light. He carefully placed the swords into the crate, making sure they were secure. Before returning to start cleaning up as the work day was coming to an end. It was almost four in the afternoon, which also meant…

Quinn burst into the smithy, back from the big city training as a junior Ranger with Caleb.

They'd both grown too. They were taller than Talon actually, which he found a bit baffling. Noxian adults were often tall, and well-built. Noxian stock were often close to seven foot by the time they reached seventeen. Talon however barely reached five foot eight. The doctor mentioned something when he was ten, the words 'stunted' and 'malnutrition' were brought up.

"Dad, Tal!" Quinn exclaimed, her face flushed with excitement.

Talon looked up, a smile spreading across his face. "Quinn, how was your training?"

"It was so good! Mum says we're top of the class! And she's not just saying that because we're her kids!" Quinn boldly stated. Getting Talon in a playful headlock, ruffling his tousled dark hair before releasing him again.

"I don't doubt that," Talon said, wiping some muck off of his hands as she went on about her day. "You and Caleb will be great rangers. Just like mum is…Where is mum?"

"Ah, back in the city. We had to come home without her…Something serious is going on." Quinn explained. "People are going missing around here, she told me to tell you not to wander at night."

"Come on, I'm not eight anymore. I don't 'wander off'!" Talon said with a roll of his eyes. "But where are they going missing?"

"Near the forest. You know where we used to play a lot as kids? They say it's mostly hunters."

"...Shit…" Talon whispered.

His thoughts wandered, back to five years ago. That night in the forest, the monster. Talon had convinced himself he had imagined it, after all, a product of overtiredness, sickness, and stress from that day. Especially given he, Caleb, and Quinn had played countless times in that wood since, never once encountering something so terrifying. But now…Now he was starting to think maybe it wasn't a figment of a scared child's imagination.

Tarian looked over from his work. "Talon! The floor won't sweep itself, lad!" He called sternly, breaking Talon from his daze.

"Sorry, Dad!" He quickly called. "I'll see you and Caleb at dinner," Talon said, giving a smile to his sister before quickly getting to work before his foster father began to grow more irate at the lollygagging.

xxx

Days passed, and Talon saw little of his foster mother as the situation seemed to worsen. She came home one evening looking pale and shaken. Tarian ushered the teenagers to go wait in the front room as he spoke to her. Talon pressed an ear to the door with his siblings, just about overhearing a tale about a grisly discovery in the forest. They found the half-decomposed body of a missing man.

Caleb backed off, shivering a little. "Did animals get him, do you think?"

"Doesn't explain why six others are still missing out there," Quinn mumbled, straining to hear more through the door.

"Could be a really big animal. Like a murkwolf with a man-eating pack!"

"There's no murkwolves in that forest, dummy!" Quinn hissed. "Worst thing around here are tuskvores."

Talon stepped back from eavesdropping, saying nothing as he quietly returned to his attic room. It became much more personalized over the years. Collectible trinkets lined a small shelf Tarian had put up for him. He had a few prints of the Demacian countryside to add some color to the bland wooden walls. A collection of switchblades and knives he'd rather his foster parents didn't find, were safely hidden in a loose floor panel.

He picked up a small figurine of Galio he'd been gifted on his ninth birthday, wondering why the colossus didn't hunt down this monster. The monster seemed magical; wouldn't Galio come to everybody's aid? The figurine rolled about in his hand, his thumb gently tracing the gentle indentations of the golden wings. Before he carefully placed it back on his shelf, alongside his two soldier figurines and a dragon.

Quinn popped her head up suddenly. "Tal, you alright?" She suddenly shifted, snarling at someone nearly knocking her off the ladder. "Watch it! You're trying to break my neck, Caleb!"

"Sorry! Move your arse then!" Came the male voice under her, and both his foster siblings bundled into his attic room.

Talon sighed and made space on the bed for Caleb to sit while Quinn pulled up one of his chairs.

Quinn looked around the room, taking in the familiar sight of Talon's carefully arranged trinkets and prints. "So, what were you thinking about up here?" she asked, her tone curious. "You took off pretty fast after mum came home...You've not hidden another knife up here, have you? Remember when mum found that one when you were ten-"

"No!" He didn't confess he'd learned to hide his knife-taking habit better.

"Yeah, you alright, Talon?" Caleb chimed in.

They rarely gave him a moment's peace. He did care about them both, but they did both need to learn Talon wanted his own space sometimes. Talon glanced back to his figures for a moment.

"...When are you next visiting Galio? With mum and dad?"

"Next year. As always, we've asked you five years in a row, Talon. You never come! You keep saying Galio might come to life and squish you for being born in Noxus!" Quinn laughed.

"I stand by that for the moment. But I want to go. How long is the journey? I'm going tomorrow."

The twins blinked and exchanged looks with opposite raised brows. "You know it's a day's journey, right?" they said in tandem.

"We've traveled for a day before…" Talon said.

"Yeah, with Mum and Dad! They'd never let you travel alone, Tal. Why don't you just wait until the yearly pilgrimage? Mum and Dad will be thrilled you're finally coming, instead of dropping you off at Grandma's."

The first time he'd been dropped off at Tarian's parents' (Quinn and Caleb called them their grandparents), he'd felt like an unwanted stranger. Just like the first day he'd arrived at his foster parents' home. He could feel the unease of the older man and woman. But by year three, they'd all begun to warm up to one another.

Talon sighed, recalling those visits. The warmth of the hearth, the smell of their grandparents' freshly baked bread, and the tentative smiles that had gradually become genuine. "I have an idea to stop the people going missing. I know what's doing it. It's the mon—"

"Talon, not this again… If you walk up to the captain of the guard and tell him, 'Oh, sir, it's a monster who's making people disappear,' he's going to think you're crackers!" Quinn lightly scolded.

"You two never believed me… But I know what I saw. I know it's out there still!"

Caleb sighed, crossing his arms. "Talon, we're not saying you're lying. It's just... it's hard to believe. We've been in those woods so many times and never seen anything."

"That's because it's smart. It hides during the day and only comes out at night. It's a monster made of some sort of…mist! I bet it manifests at night and preys on the people hunting in those woods for nocturnal animals."

The twins looked at one another again. "Talon, what if we come with you then? Because I don't want you running off doing it!" Quinn said.

"You… You don't believe me though…?"

"Prove us wrong. We'll all go, whatever your plan is. The holiday break is starting now, so we'll have time to travel! What do you think?"

Talon looked between his siblings. "It's too dangerous."

Quinn nodded firmly. "Yeah, but this is what being a ranger is about, investigating. We'll go with you. If there's something out there, we'll find it together. And if not, then at least you'll know for sure.

Caleb however interjected. "But…We probably can't go telling Mum and Dad we're off hunting monsters in the forest."

His sister just smirked. "We'll tell them we're going on a camping trip near the great city. They'll be glad we're doing something together. And we'll be careful, we just want proof okay."

"Proof, then we get the local magistrate to make them wake up Galio and deal with it," Talon affirmed.

"It's a plan!" Quinn beamed. High-fiving both her brothers and they began to discuss in hushed tones when they'd break the news to their parents tomorrow.

Normally, when the trio wanted to do anything that involved gaining permission, Caleb and Talon would leave it to Quinn to try and convince their mother to let them go. She had a way that usually convinced their mother to let them go gallivanting off just about anywhere. This time, however, Monarri put her foot down hard.

"Not, not with these possible kidnappings!" the woman said firmly, unfazed by the trio of shocked and disappointed faces.

"Mum, come on! We can't just stay cooped up over summer!" Quinn protested, following Monarri around the house. "There are patrols up and down the area, we'll stay in sight!"

"...Where did you plan to go?" Their mother finally asked, seeming to start to give in.

"Up the road, not near the forest. Towards the city." Quinn said. Caleb's eyes widened a little at the slight lie but said nothing. "Talon wants to see Galio too!"

Monarri considered them for a long moment, her eyes searching each of their faces. She clearly knew how much this meant to them, especially Talon, who rarely asked for such things. Maybe finally engaging in Demacia's sights would do him a world of good for his citizenship application when he turned sixteen. "You promise to stay in sight of the patrols and not go near the forest?"

Her daughter eagerly. "We promise!" Quinn chorused.

She sighed deeply, her resolve weakening. "Alright, but only if you stick to your word. Stay near the patrols, avoid the forest, and check in with me when you get near the city. You know I'll be there."

Quinn erupted in a relieved grin. "Thank you, Mum!" Quinn exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

Monarri hugged her back, though her worry was still evident. "Just promise me you'll be careful. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to any of you."

The three teenagers hurried off upstairs, bundling into Quinn's room. Their parents were planning for a small extension to give Caleb an actual room. For now, they'd had to put temporary walls between Quinn's space and his. Talon had begun to realize he'd lucked out having a decent, spacious area he did not have to share.

Quinn flopped onto her bed, stretching out with a satisfied grin. "I can't believe she said yes. We did it!"

Caleb sat cross-legged on the floor, sorting through some gear they planned to take. "Yeah, but we need to be careful. If Mum finds out we lied about where we're going..."

"Don't be such a worry-wart, Cal. We didn't exactly lie, we just said where we're going in a different order!"

"But you said we wouldn't go in the forest," Caleb objected, stopping his packing to frown at her.

"What if you two don't, and I'll go? I know what the monster looks like and I'll find it," Talon stated.

Quinn blinked and shook her head. "Absolutely not! We're coming with you for a reason, doofus! So you don't go getting yourself lost, or killed!"

They continued their preparations, eventually turning in for the night with plans to leave early the next afternoon.

The following morning, Quinn woke up early, excitement buzzing in her veins. She quickly dressed and headed to Talon's attic room, ready to start their journey. But when she opened the attic door, her heart sank.

Talon's bed was empty, and his gear was gone.

xxx

His pace was brisk as he walked down the dirt path. Talon had been on the move for nearly two hours, his pack filled with supplies bouncing against his back with each step. It was like reliving his first few days in Demacia the further he walked. He even passed the old coal shed where he'd slept one night. His thoughts drifted back to the first people he ever encountered here, the man with his two small children. What if he'd just not pulled a blade? Would that man have taken him in? Years of reflection had taught Talon that until people learned he was Noxian, they were actually friendly toward him.

Some still would coax their children and pets back inside when they'd spot him. Even if he was accompanied by his foster parents or siblings. He'd learned to just let it go.

Talon's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of shouting. He stopped heart pounding, recognizing the voice all too well. Dulren and two of his friends stood just a few paces away.

"I thought I could smell something!" Dulren sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. The scar on his lip was faded now, just a thin cat scratch. But a permanent mark nonetheless.

"What are you doing out here, Noxian? Running away?" one of Dulren's friends taunted, stepping closer. "Finally taking your stink out of here?"

Talon remembered this one—one of the ones whose teeth he had knocked out. Such bravado in numbers. He wondered... and then suddenly walked right towards this smug teen, eyes fixed on him. Talon got the exact response he was expecting: a fearful step back.

"Not so fast, freak!" Dulren grabbed at Talon's arm, but Talon twisted free with ease.

"You didn't learn your lesson last time huh!" Talon said, his voice low and dangerous. "Leave me alone!"

But Dulren and his friends weren't done. "Get him!" Dulren shouted, and the trio lunged at Talon.

Talon's instincts from long ago kicked in instantly. He sidestepped the first boy, ducked under a wild punch from Dulren, and then kicked the legs out from under the third. He dashed for the woods, their angry shouts echoing behind him.

"Don't let him get away!" Dulren yelled. "Hunt that Noxian down!"

Talon ran as fast as he could, dodging branches and leaping over fallen logs. He could hear Dulren and his friends crashing through the underbrush behind him, their shouts growing louder. His heart raced, but he refused to let fear slow him down.

It was just like the chases through Noxus Prime. Running for his life from another, far older thief. Who hadn't taken kindly to Talon finding and taking his ill-gotten gains. Their chase went on for what felt like hours upon rooftops, only ending when his pursuer didn't want to risk a jump Talon barely managed himself.

He reached a dense thicket and squeezed through, branches scratching at his arms and face. Once on the other side, he paused to catch his breath, listening. Silence. He'd lost them for now…Leaving the safety of his hiding spot. Unaware that Dulren and his friends had split up, determined to find him.