[A/N:] H-Hi. It is I, PB, and I have returned to grant you access to the last chapter of LaG… I kinda wrote this entire thing during work yesterday because the office was quiet and I had some spare time to kill.
I have been inspired to (finally) get back to this after earning an S+ on Kindred in All for One (or was it One for All? I'm so confused…). It's not proof-read or anything, I just wanted to get it out there. Have fun reading =)
Kindred stuck around in the vicinity of their own base after the fight in top lane. Their team had managed to destroy both the inhibitor and one of the two nexus turrets. The enemy base pretty much lay in ashes — in the metaphorical sense.
Lamb refused to leave the sanctuary of their ramparts in order to make sure Soraka would be fine once she was brought back by the Institute's magic. Wolf knew of course that her claims of wanting to slay the Murk Wolves were just a poorly veiled excuse to stay as close to the nexus as possible, but he didn't comment on it.
Content to engage his jaws with some work, Wolf happily chewed away at whatever flesh his former brethren offered. Lamb distractedly knocked a few arrows out, driving them in deep beneath their muddy fur.
Lamb's head turned towards the nexus when a pale blue column of light shot down in the area; an indicator that a fallen comrade had just been brought back to life. Wolf hummed, "There we go. She's back, can we go hunting now?"
Lamb made a face behind her mask — a faint split remaining in the intrisic wooden shape — but refrained from scolding her companion. He had long since sniffed out her affection for the former celestial and as long as he teased her in solitude it was tolerable.
Kindred rushed off towards the river. The local Scuttle Crabs had just repopulated the area and the Eternal Hunters were keen on catching one of them. Wolf had his fun chasing after the terrified creatures and Lamb assisted him in taking one down, though her mind was elsewhere.
Her small chest bubbled with fury at the memory of Kassadin's gloating face as he skewered Soraka on his blade. Wolf licked his teeth and returned to her side, eyes shining with blood thirst, "If you're so angry with him, why don't we pay him a visit?"
He turned towards the other side of the vast battleground and Lamb nodded eagerly. She gave him a pat on the head before following his suggestion. Together, they made off to where the Sentinels in the southern jungle resided.
The two of them were in luck; the Voidwalker was currently engaged in a fierce battle against the Blue Sentinel. The monster smashed its fists down onto the ground — where Kassadin stood just a second ago.
He had vanished and reappeared right behind the beast, drilling his Netherblade into its back. None of the beings involved in the fight noticed a pair of exceptional hunters stealthily hiding in the brush closest to them.
Kindred held their breath; head ducked and on all fours Lamb patiently waited for the right moment to strike. Her eyes gleamed beneath her mask and she traced the faded crack in it with a careful finger. The low timbre of Wolf's growl shook the air into vibration.
They waited ample time, until the Sentinel was almost down to its knees, before they charged out of the thick brush and attacked. Kassadin's eyes blazed and he whirled around, his labored breath wheezing. The Sentinel fell prey to Lamb's Smite magic, while Wolf latched onto the Voidwalker with pearly white teeth and great pleasure.
Lamb nearly burst with satisfaction at catching the damned assassin off-guard like this. She was way past the point of wanting to kill him in honored combat; she wanted his blood. Lamb performed a graceful sidestep as Kassadin's blade sliced the air and fired an arrow point-blank into his face.
Her opponent huffed in annoyance before he evaded what would have surely been a killing blow with another dimension shift. The rift before Lamb closed in a flash of sickly purplish color and she turned so fast she nearly got whiplash, but just in time to dodge another swipe at her throat.
Wolf was right beside her and then pouncing on Kassadin, growing increasingly frustrated with him, "Come here, you!" A dark chuckle was the arrogant response and then Lamb felt a painful sting in her chest—
—she watched with wide eyes as Wolf took a strike to the head. A pitiful whimper echoed through the jungle and her dear, dear companion hit the ground in a cloud of dust. "Wolf!" Lamb shouted; panic, and fear, and desperation, and all the emotions she shouldn't have been capable of feeling anymore suddenly shot through her being.
Her throat seized up and for a split-second she was so paralyzed she couldn't even move her eyes from the cowering shadow on the floor. Kassadin made a show of wiping his sword on his sleeve, relishing her pain.
But Lamb only felt heat.
Burning anger whizzed in her veins and the overwhelming pain Wolf was suffering from was scorching her own mind. Her eyes lit up in ethereal light and Lamb drew an arrow infused with all the rage of a dying star.
The powerful gleam momentarily blinded the Voidwalker, but it was enough to startle him. Lamb took a flying leap and released the arrow with might. It was more like a beam of light that cut through the entirety of Kassadin's body and the three trees immediately behind him.
It drilled itself into the air, oscillating for a moment and then dispersing into faint crystals. Kassadin's cry was so pathetic Lamb felt the urge to spit the dirt where he just stood a moment ago. But— something was more important right now.
She whipped around to her fallen comrade and stumbled to his side, dropping herself next to him. With shaky hands, she reached out for him. His silky fur was a stark contrast to her own as she stroke it so gently, so delicately that her genuine concern was plain as day. "…Wolf?" she whispered, hands so careful on his cheek that one would get the impression he might break if any more pressure was added to the caress.
The twitching of an ear had Lamb let all the air in her lungs escape in a long exhale. Relief flooded her senses and for a second there, her vision swam before she blinked the irritating wetness away. An incoherent growl indicated her eternal companion had just said something, but the rushing in her ears only subsided slowly.
"W-What was that?" she asked. She searched for the faint glow in the hole of the mask where Wolf's right eye was located and leaned over him, hands on either side of his face. His eye rolled around until it found her inquiring gaze, and Lamb felt the tiniest smile tug at the corners of her lips at the amused wrinkles she spotted.
"…Gotcha?"
There was a pregnant pause in which Lamb only smiled down on her companion.
In the next moment however, she sprang to her feet and stomped down her hoof on Wolf's thick, stupid, unbelievable head of a dog! She lost it, "You played dead?! Are you serious, Wolf?! How dare you do that to me, you useless, shabby son of a—"
"Hah!" he barked a laugh while trying to escape her ire — or rather her foot. The moment he got up, a shudder ran through his being as he was being smacked hard on the head with Lamb's trusty bow.
"You are literally the worst!" Lamb complained as he howled in suffering. "I genuinely thought you had gotten killed! And— And you…!" Wolf licked his own nose in pleasure and dodged another angry strike from his comrade, "Be careful, I'm injured!"
The feelings entangled themselves until only a bunch of irritated mush remained in either of them and they seized their shenanigans. Wolf practically radiated happiness and Lamb found her own anger couldn't force his bubbliness into submission. She yielded to his fiery joy.
The heat finally subsided and faded into a warmth she wasn't sure she should grant him, but Wolf felt it anyways and affectionately tackled her, only receiving a grunt of mild displeasure in return. They left the clearing in companionable silence.
The fight was over shortly after. Kassadin didn't have a chance to re-enter the battlefield, because Kindred and their flock, their pack, completed the siege against the opposing nexus with relative ease. They had long since passed the high stone walls separating the jungle from the base and the red nexus had been growing weaker with each turret they destroyed.
After the magical currents initiated their return to Runeterra, the Champions were allowed to remain for a while on the Fields of Justice. Kindred joined up with their teammates and Lamb's eyes easily found Soraka's. The Starchild was smiling, not a trace of her former pain remaining on her beautiful features. A pleasant tingle trickled down from the top of her head to the bottom of her hooves and Lamb shyly turned away.
Vayne was standing in front of them, crossbow casually slung over her shoulder, as she eyed the broken remains of the nexus. Gnar was cheerfully digging in the dirt nearby, searching for hidden treasures or something.
He had certainly been a boulder between Vayne and her reapers today, Lamb mused idly. Such a silly little thing, but a powerful ally nonetheless. Cassiopeia's presence had already been removed from the battlefield; she was apparently needed in the reconciliation of another quarrel.
Lamb turned around when she felt Wolf missing from her side and spotted him begging for attention from Soraka. She narrowed her eyes; she could practically smell him wagging his tail. Soraka laughed at his playful antics but furrowed a brow when she laid a hand on his head.
"What's that?" She felt his skull and noticed a bump right above where his mask ended. Wolf glanced back towards Lamb and she in return inhaled sharply. They held eye contact for a moment as Lamb tried to communicate herself to him.
Her blood pressure increased, Oh no, you're not going to tell her I hit you. You wouldn't dare to do that to me. You can't really be thinking of—
"Lamb hit me."
—You're a blasted traitor!
Soraka slowly turned towards Lamb who vehemently refused to look at her. The Starchild hummed in contemplation, "Hmm. Did she now…?" Wolf whimpered tragically and nudged Soraka's leg, earning himself a scratch behind the ears.
Soraka found her smile again, "You know what always helps best against something like that?" Wolf gazed up at her, and both him and Lamb kind of expected Soraka to just dump a star on top of Lamb's head.
Instead, she took his face into her palms, leant down to him, closed her eyes— and touched a gentle kiss to his head.
It was like a punch right into her chest, but Lamb didn't feel any pain. Just Soraka's warm hands on Wolf's cheeks, the soft press of her lovely lips, and the blush she knew was spreading all over her body was rapidly extending to Wolf's body as well.
The nervous tingle came back with a force when Soraka finally, blessedly, released them both from her sweet torture. The Starchild, never one to be cheeky, threw a knowing look over to Lamb. Embarrassing! Lamb shouted at herself as she felt her jaw go slack and her mouth pop open. She must have looked like a fish.
Just in this very moment, a blue light engulfed Soraka and she broke their mutual stare. She looked down at her hands and then shrugged before she was released from the Institute's magic. Lamb stared after her for a long while, not even noticing how her dear Wolf had melted into a puddle on the stone tiles.
The magic started humming around them as well and Kindred suddenly felt a sharp desire to reply something, anything, to Soraka.
They awoke to the sounds of birds chirping in the trees, wind ruffling their fur almost affectionately. Lamb opened her eyes to be met with the clearing they had taken a break in before they had been summoned to the Fields of Justice.
Wolf was at her side, shaking himself and finding her eyes. They didn't say anything, but felt the same thing in their shared consciousness; longing. Then, Wolf barked loudly like the silly dog he was, the memory of a kiss coming back to them both.
Lamb grinned, her cheeks on fire. She tugged her legs closer to her body and let herself fall against Wolf's side, draping an arm over him. He, in turn, hummed in satisfaction and nuzzled against her.
Lamb spoke softly, as if sharing a secret, and only for them to hear, "What a good hunt."
[A/N:] Done! My first multi-chap fic that's actually completed — what a joy :-P
I hope you enjoyed reading and I would like to thank all of you who took their time and left me a review or a PM with their thoughts and ideas. I appreciate you all so much :-)
[2016-07-02] Edit: Just a small update because I found the beginning of the chapter in some awkwardly hidden folders on my computer! :'D