Nidalee watched as the Bone Tooth Necklace glowed faintly. She stifled her tears in hope as she looked up to Ivern, who was smiling calmly.

"Wh-what? Wh-why is it growing? What's gonna happen to him?" she asked cautiously.

"That, my dear, is an old friend saving his son." Ivern kept his hand on Nidalee's shoulder in reassurance but she didn't feel any better. After all, she found no sign of life left in Rengar, no breathing nor heartbeat. She couldn't believe that he could be saved nor could she believe that he was really gone.

"How? How did this even happen? That thing died! How did- How?" she asked with an air of desperation in her voice.

"The witch... The one Rengar killed. Before she died she bound his soul to hers and when she died her soul was absorbed by that demon..." Ivern didn't want to finish the explanation for he knew how she'd react. However, Nidalee had already put the pieces together.

"So when I killed the demon... It took him as well." the guilt was apparent in her voice as was the self-loathing and pain. "It's my fault... I did this to him..." she was on the verge of crying again as her guilt overwhelmed her.

"And after he saved my life again, this is how I repaid him..." tears fell once more as she said this and curled back up and sobbed.

"You mustn't blame yourself. He chose this. I told him that if he moved far enough away the spell would break. But he chose to stay. For you. I can't say for certain but I think, in his mind, he chose to trade his life for yours."

"... That still makes it my fault. If I wasn't so pathetic maybe he wouldn't have needed to come save me." Her reply was bitter and filled with self-deprecation.

"Nidalee, you know that's not true. He wou-"

"How is it not true!? I thought I lost everyone! I thought I was alone! I was ready to just die! But he... He..." she was angry with herself and tears of sadness and rage fell from her eyes. She was angry at how blind she was. In her despair and anger, she had forgotten that there was one more person whom she cared for. She didn't even realise just how much she actually cared for him. But now that person lay on the ground in front of her, unmoving. She hated herself.

"Oh, my child. Enough of that. He'll come back to you. Just have a little faith in him. Alright?"

"How can you be so calm?! How could you be so certain that he'll be okay?! You told me yourself you were like his godfather, how are you so unemotional? Or are you just actually that cold?" she nearly spat that last word as she resented how unaffected he seemed to be from his godson's death.

"No my dear, it's called Hope. His father left that Bone Tooth Necklace to him and if you calm down you'll be able to see the wonderful enchantment on it. I suspect there were other reasons his father went to Ionia, after all Spirit Magic like this can only be found there. Hope is a fickle thing, but it is needed nonetheless; so have hope, after all, he told you not to give up did he not? And enough of the self-loathing. When he wakes up and sees you like this he'll probably give you a good wake-up slap."

Ivern chuckled as Nidalee just sat and stared. She didn't want to hope for the best because all of the evidence showed that he's dead. But she couldn't help herself. Ivern seemed so sure. Perhaps... Maybe, just maybe, there is a chance.

"In the meantime though, we need to dispose of that thing." He said looking over to the giant flower on the ground. He left Nidalee sitting beside Rengar as he walked over to Zyra who was examining her plant.

"Do you know what it is?" asked Ivern.

"I'm pretty sure the orb contains a cloud of poison, the same one that killed the cougars. It seems to be leaking out of your barrier. My plant tells me that the poison slowly withers all life it touches." Answered Zyra with a look of concern on her face.

"Can you identify the poison?"

"It originates from the Ajunta poison, but there's something else… It's enhancing the effects."

Ivern pondered for a second, wondering how best to deal with this, when suddenly the flower pulsed. Ivern and Zyra both took a step back in surprise as they stared at the flower.

"I think… whatever's inside just exploded." Said Zyra tentatively.

True enough, seconds later, the petals on the flower started turning brown from its original vibrant pink and began to wither. Puffs of yellow began to leak out causing the two to take a further step backwards.

Ivern inspected the puffs of yellow cloud that came out from a distance. He squinted his eyes until he saw what he was looking for.

"Is that…? Zyra, is it just me or is that Ajunta Poison infused with Death magic?" inquired Ivern.

"It certainly has that aura, but that shouldn't be possible. The only place with that kind of magic is in the Shadow Isles, it couldn't possibly be here."

"Perhaps, whatever abducted and possessed Teemo came from the Shadow Isles?" suggested Ivern.

"Possible. But why would the Shadow Isles want to take this Jungle?" asked Zyra.

"Who knows… Whatever the reason, we have to find a way to remove it." Urged Ivern, frowning.

"Well If it came from the Shadow Isles, I believe I have just the solution." Grinned Zyra.

Ivern watched her curiously as she crouched and summoned a small flower. As the petals opened it revealed a small vial containing a clear sparkling liquid. She grabbed the vial and showed Ivern, with a grin. Ivern just stared at her as if waiting for an explanation.

"Years ago, I met a nature spirit in the Plague Jungles. He told me he was travelling the continent to visit all of the forests and jungles to help prevent something that happened to his homeland. In each place, he left a little gift. When I told him, that I was from the Kumungu, he gave me this vial and told me to use it if and when the contamination of the Shadow Isles reaches here. I didn't know what he meant but I suppose now is as good a time as any."

Ivern nodded and watched as she poured the contents of the vial into the ground. From newly wetted ground, she grew another flower, larger enough to swallow the emerging cloud of poison whole. She grew the stalk out and from the stalk several leaves grew and began to absorb any puffs of the poison that escaped into the air.

They watched in anticipation, in case it didn't work, but the flower stayed strong. No signs of wilting, and the flower bulb was getting smaller. It seemed to be absorbing the poison, without much consequence.

"It worked!" exclaimed Ivern. "What was in that vial?"

"The nature spirit said that it was called the Tears of Life. I have no idea what was actually in it though." Replied Zyra, feeling a lot more relaxed.

"I'll have to thank the spirit thoroughly if I ever meet him. What was his name?"

"Maokai."

A young Rengar wiped his tears on the back of his hands as he was pulled into a warm embrace. The man in front of him patted his head and spoke in a soft soothing voice.

"Shhhh, it's okay Rengo, it was just a nightmare. Nothing more. I'm here now."

"Da- Dad? There was a terrible monster, i-it grabbed you and it t-took you away and then it grabbed me and then… it a-ate me an-and…" he sniffled as he recounted his dream.

"Stop now, it was just a bad dream. No monster will ever take me away from you. No monster can. I will always be with you, I promise." Pulling out of the hug, he looked right into Rengar's eyes, as he made his promise.

"O-okay…" The young Rengar closed his eyes once again as he nestled into his father's embrace.

Rengar's eyes opened slowly as his dream ended.

I guess even he couldn't keep that promise…

There was darkness all around. Nothing could be seen. Rengar was kneeling and his arms were held up on either side of him. There were purple ethereal chains wrapped around his limbs, keeping them in place. The chains disappeared into the darkness as if there was a wall behind him. His body was limp against the chains as his head sagged into his chest. He felt incredibly weak, lacking even the energy to lift his head. He could barely keep his eyes open and was just about to close them when a familiar voice sounded from in front of him.

"You can do better than that!"

Rengar's eyes opened once again as he felt the man pat his head.

Who…?

The man grabbed the chains and with a tight squeeze, the chains all shattered and dissipated into countless flecks of light that dispersed into the darkness. Freed from the chains, Rengar fell forward, lacking the energy to stay upright. He'd have collapsed face first, had there not been an arm wrapped around his chest, supporting him. The other arm wrapped around his back and he was in an all too painfully familiar hug.

"Father…?" He croaked weakly.

"I did promise that I'd always be with you didn't I?" was the response.

Rengar chuckled weakly as tears welled in his eyes. He felt happy, sad and angry all at the same time. There were so many questions he wanted to ask but he couldn't find the energy to ask them all. Instead he asked the only question that could give him an answer.

"How…?"

"I'm not really here. You're talking to my spirit right now. When I was in Ionia, I asked a good friend of mine to seal a fragment of my soul into that Bone Tooth Necklace I gave you. I promised that I would always be with you and I would never make a promise I couldn't keep. Isn't that right my little Rengo?"

Rengar just smiled as he hugged his father back as much as he could. However, that simple movement brought pain to his chest as his vision blurred temporarily. Noticing the grimace, his father released him from the hug and stared at him with sadness in his eyes.

"It's time you go back. It's dangerous to keep you here any longer."

No…

"No… I-" he began but his father interrupted him.

"You've grown so strong. I've watched you grow all these years and I can't put into words how proud I am. This may be the last time we can talk to each other but remember: I love you, I'm so proud of you and I'll always be with you."

As he said that, he placed his palm on Rengar's chest. There was a faint glow as suddenly the last chain shimmered into existence. It extended all the way into Rengar's chest and as the man grabbed the chain and squeezed, it too shattered and faded from existence.

He lowered Rengar down and stood up as Rengar lay on his back. The blackness all around was lighting up gradually until it was all white. As the surrounding kept brightening, it soon became hard for Rengar to see his father, but he wasn't sad. He felt reassured. His father would always be there with him.

Just before everything faded to white, he heard his father speak up once last time.

"Oh, and take care of that nice young lady you got yourself. Don't be a hermit like me."

Rengar heard his father's chuckle fade as everything turned a blinding white.

Nidalee wrapped her arms around her knees when she brought them up to her chest. She was rocking back and forth waiting for something, anything. She had calmed down considerably but she was still wallowing in her anguish and guilt. She was faintly aware of a commotion behind her, but she didn't pay it any attention. She was just staring at Rengar.

Now that she's calmed down, she found that what Ivern said was true. That Bone Tooth Necklace was indeed glowing and the magic infused in it was beautiful. Ivern had called it Spirit Magic, but Nidalee wasn't sure what that meant. She just saw the necklace glowing a faint beautiful white. For all intents and purposes, it was glowed a faint white light. However, to Nidalee, it was much deeper than that. She felt a strange attraction towards the glow and she couldn't stop staring at it.

She was so lost in thought, that fell backwards when suddenly the necklace flared with a brilliant white light. She scuttled back a bit with her arms behind her supporting her weight. As the white light shone, it revealed the purple chain that she saw before, which promptly shattered. She didn't realise she was holding her breath when she watched the chain in Rengar's chest shatter or even when the white light began to dim and fade. She only sucked in a breath when she heard the faintest sounds of breathing in front of her. She stared in disbelief as Rengar's chest began to rise and fall ever so slightly. She had to rub her eyes and blink repeatedly to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

Ivern and Zyra watched from afar, already aware that Rengar's body once again had life.

"Let's leave the youngsters to their devices." Suggested Ivern as the two walked away, smiling.

As Nidalee watched, Rengar's eyes slowly opened. She still sat there, jaw hanging open slightly, eyes wide and still as a statue. Rengar groaned and mumbled a bit as he sat up slowly while rubbing his head with his free hand. Sitting up he turned and noticed Nidalee sitting there not moving, just staring at him.

"Nidalee? What's wro- oof!" Before Rengar could finish, Nidalee tackled him into a hug, crying. Rengar was stunned, he didn't know why Nidalee was acting this way. But he just moved his hand slowly and tentatively patted her head trying to reassure her,

After a long while of her crying, she released Rengar and asked, "But… how? I watched you die…"

So I really did die huh.

"My father had part of his soul sealed within this Bone Tooth Necklace. I guess that magic was stronger than whatever magic the witch used." He said with a reassuring smile.

Nidalee finally realised what Ivern meant when he was reassuring her earlier. She hugged Rengar again and they sat like that for a long while.

"…I'm sorry." Whispered Nidalee.

"Hm? For what?" inquired Rengar. He was genuinely confused at what Nidalee was apologising for.

"It was all my fault… If you hadn't needed to save me…"

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Just promise me one thing though. Don't ever give up like that again. Okay?"

Nidalee stared into his unwaveringly sincere stare as she nodded. "I promise." She said, and Rengar relaxed as he hugged her back.

After a while, Nidalee stood up and Rengar followed suit. She had a very sad look in her eyes, one of longing and regret as she spoke in a very quiet voice.

"I should… bury the… dead." It was painful to say the last word, as part of her still blamed herself for not being able to protect them. She walked slowly over to her den and Rengar followed close behind. He wanted to be there for her, now more than ever as he remembered this father's last words to him and chuckled silently.

You cheeky old man.

A few hours passed and the pair of them finished burying all of the cougars in front of the den. Rengar had an arm around Nidalee as she sobbed silently, leaning into his chest. After standing there for so long, Nidalee finally broke the silence.

"Can I… stay with you tonight? It's too painful to be here right now…" She asked quietly.

"Of course."

The two made their way back to Rengar's den, and by the time they arrived, the sun had already set and the moon was high in the sky. They didn't go to his hut though, they made their way to the stream. Rengar led her to his favourite spot, where he would normally meditate, and upon arriving, they sat down. It was a beautiful night, the air was fresh, the moon was bright, and the moon's reflection in the glistening stream was mesmerizing. All that could be heard was the sound of running water and the occasional rustling of leaves as a breeze blew by.

They sat staring at the stream in silence for a good few minutes. Nidalee rested her head on Rengar's shoulder as she stared at the moon in the water.

The moon huh?

"Yes." Said Rengar suddenly.

"Yes what?" asked Nidalee, wondering what was going on.

"Yes, I will go to the Blood Moon Festival with you." He spoke simply. He watched the rippling reflection of the moon as Nidalee just stared at him.

This was honestly the best thing that she had heard all day. It was enough to distract her from her sorrow and replace it with joy. As such, she tackled him with a hug again and the force caught him off guard. They both fell back as he lay down with Nidalee's head resting on his chest. He simply stroked her hair as they both enjoyed each other's presence.

Together.

A few hours later, Nidalee fell asleep on Rengar, and feeling tired himself, he gingerly stood up whilst trying not to wake her up. He lifted her up, maiden-style, with his arms around her shoulders and behind her knees. He carried her all the way back to his den and placed her on his bed and covered her with the sheets. He was about to crawl into bed as well when he noticed a piece of white on his table. Walking over he noticed that it was actually a piece of paper with an envelope beneath. Picking it up he read what the paper said.

Your father asked that I give you this letter when you have found something (or someone) to live for, other than hunting. I do not know the contents of the letter, but my advice is: try not to die, or almost die, again. Also, should you need to know for whatever reason, the Blood Moon Festival next year is the first full moon after the Spring Equinox.

~ Ivern

Rengar just chuckled as he set it down and picked up the envelope. He took out the contents and unfolded the piece of paper carefully, and read.

My son,

If you are reading this, then I am most likely gone. I asked Ivern to watch over you as you grow up in case I left you too soon, and I am truly sorry if that came to pass. Don't feel you owe him anything, after all I did basically name him your Godfather.

I guess you must have a lot of questions about my death or disappearance, and I'm sorry that I can't answer those questions. However, there is someone who can. He lives in the forests outside of the city of Ionia. Seek him out if you wish to have these questions answered.

I asked Ivern to only give you this letter if you have something other than hunting in your life. In the hopes that that something can ground you so you don't become consumed by rage or vengeance, I ask that you go to Ionia some time and finish my work. A word of warning for when you do however… Beware the Blood Moon.

Hopefully I'll have made good on my promise and a part of me lives within the Bone Tooth Necklace which should be around your neck right now. If you didn't know before… well, I had a part of my soul sealed inside the necklace, so I would always be with you and watch you grow. Please don't feel as though I abandoned you, know that I will always love you and I will always be proud. I'm sorry for pushing my incomplete work onto you, but hopefully, once you finish it, you can live a good, content life.

Love, the only hunter better than you~

P.S. You should find a good woman to share your life with. Don't be a hermit!

He's irritating even when he's not here…

"Love you too dad." Rengar whispered with a chuckle. He folded the letter back and tucked it in one of the few books he had in the house.

He lay down happily next to Nidalee, and drifted off to sleep. For the first time in a long time, he felt at peace and content, now that he had someone to care for.

A/N: And that's a wrap! This story is now complete, but if you haven't realised already, there will a sequel which will take place primarily in Ionia. I would like to thank everybody who followed this story till the end and also thank everyone who reviewed and favourited! You guys are awesome! Now I've already got ideas for how the next story will go down, but there is an impending doom, uh I mean, lots of school work about to come my way. So if I find time, I'll begin writing shortly, however I may need to wait until after exams. Hopefully won't be too long! :D

Until then, I'm off to put out more fires! ~Ciao~