Hello Everyone! This is the first chapter in my short story. I haven't been writing for very long so if you have any suggestions or want to help I am all for it. I have always been a huge fan of League of Legends lore and characters since most are pretty well developed and I am excited that they are releasing more stories and interactions between different characters. So without any more delay, Here is the story.

-Eastern side of Ionia-

The sun is setting as Ashe makes it into the Ionian jungle, deep into unknown territory. She fires a magic arrow behind her to slow the surviving Noxian jerks pursuing her. She finally gets deep within the treeline to find the forest dense and full of life. Ashe runs the best she can dodging around trees and leaping over obstacles in her way. Which get exceedingly harder to see in the fading light. The arrow, slowing them quite a bit, gives Ashe the time to change direction in the forest to hopefully lose them. As she runs she lays out her priorities; change directions multiple times to get them off her trail, find a some water and a place to camp since running in an unknown forest at night is very dangerous, and figure out how to get back to her people.

Her pursuers are non other than the famous Katarina and Draven of Noxus. Both not known for their subtlety when hunting or ever giving up a prisoner. Ashe shudders at the thought of being captured again. The dense forest, working to Ashe's advantage since she is running, also presents its own challenges. Ashe is a natural hunter and grew up hunting in the great forests of the frozen north. Although none of those forests were quite this dense.

Having changed directions 3 times and run for about an hour, she decides to climb into a tree to scout the land and hopefully find a safe path through the dark. She chooses a sturdy looking tree and begins her climb. She needs to get into the canopy for her hawkshot magic to give her a decent idea of the nearby area. She takes a deep breath and fires her hawk shot. She sits in the tree and closes her eyes letting the magic take effect, her mind fills with images of the nearby landscape.

Not to far up ahead there is a clearing and a river then past that the dim glow of firelight. A village she thinks? No no it's a campsite. a small one at that. The tents in the camp indicate that the group camping is 4 or less people. She's pulled back by the sound of footsteps cautiously walking on the forest ground below. Unable to see through the darkness she quietly makes the descent. The noises continue 10 yards to the west of her tree. Could Draven and Katarina really have found her so quickly? . . . Ashe peeks around the tree to see a woman with strange orange glowing eyes, ears and tail like a fox, and long dark hair. Ashe grabs her bow and draws an arrow. Swiftly she steps out aiming her arrow at her only, she's gone.

Confused and nervous Ashe blinks back looking around. Keeping the arrow drawn she takes a few steps, "I know you're there. Reveal yourself and I won't shoot. I mean you no harm". Ashe speaks only loud enough so that the strange woman can hear. Once again the footsteps can be heard from the west. Ashe catches a glimpse of a flickering orb of bluish light in the direction she had fired her hawk shot earlier. In the glow she catches a glimpse of the fox girl beckoning her to follow. Thinking it over, this fox girl could have killed her already with how quietly she moves through the brush, so she follows at a sprint using the light from the orb to run through the dense forest.

They both reach the clearing she saw earlier. The fox girl dashes through the knee length grass causing fireflies, startled by the sudden movement, to light it up the night. The fox girl stops at the river and turns to look at Ashe in the light made by the fireflies. Finally Ashe gets a good look at the beautiful human like fox in front of her. Ashe stops as well keeping a safe distance.

"Are you Queen Ashe of the frozen lands?" the fox girl says smoothly in the common tongue as if she spoke it all her life. Ashe stares awestruck for a second before replying, "indeed I am. Have we met?". The fox girls ears flinch as she looks behind Ashe. "Let's talk on the other side of the river there is someone who has been looking for you" the fox girl says in an instant taking Ashe's hand and leading her to a nearby bridge. Ashe goes along, anything is better than being caught by Noxus. The run through the forest which seemed so much harder before, is now much easier to Ashe with this girl as a guide. The paths that took Ashe forever to find seem to open up before this her they reach the outskirts of the camp Ashe had seen before.

The fox girl turns and looks at Ashe before speaking, "I am sure you have many questions for me but for now i'll be brief. I am called Ahri, I am what the people of Ionia call Vastayain. Your friend is waiting inside the camp and I owe him my life. He has mentioned you a few times and I . . . Well I wanted to introduce myself before we get to camp because I do not know you but I can sense you have a cold hart".

Without another word Ahri walks into camp. Ashe watches this Ahri for a moment then follows her into the camp. She is beautiful with 9 white tails behind her moving as they choose. Ashe, now within the light from the fire, recognizes the friend that Ahri was talking about. Its Braum, the crazy legendary strong man she had hired as a bodyguard before the council meeting. His massive shield sitting against a log near one of the tents. When he notices her approach he stands and smiles and places his large hand out to shake.

"Ah ha Queen Ashe good to see you," he says in his heavy mountain accent. Shaking Ashes hand he continues, "I knew Noxians wouldn't be able to navigate that storm. Your strong woman to get away". Ashe smirks sitting next to the fire, "I have my talents as you have yours Braum. I regret not taking you to the meeting. I may not have ended up here had that been the case" she pauses taking a seat nearby. "How did you meet Ahri? How did you find me so fast? I thought for sure you and the army would head straight for Noxus once I went missing". Braum pokes the fire with a long stick and twists his moustache like he always does and takes a seat.

"We followed Noxian ship, saw it go down. We lost it and followed the current here. Saved Ahri from a strange purple beast. My strength scared him off," he laughs with his deep resonating voice. "It didn't have much. What about you? What happened at meeting?" he asks honestly interested.

"It was a trap, a well set up trap. Katarina and her brood waited in the shadows for me and my men to enter then Draven closed the doors behind us. . . It was a massacre though we did take a few of them as well". Ashe looks off into the distance then to Ahri, "miss Ahri? Won't they be able to find us here with a fire? I am glad to be safe but I would rather not fall back into their hands". Ahri stands and her ears perk up, "this side of the forest is protected by magic from a rather crazy group of Vastayan. They won't be able to see the other side of the river. to them it will look like a large expanse of super dense jungle. So there is no need to worry".

"I was able to see it with my magic. Are you sure?" Ashe asks honestly her nerves getting the best of her. "As I have said there is no need to worry. I will keep an eye on their movement and try to draw them away," Ahri says heading once again off silently into the forest. Ashe lets out a sigh of relief as she finally lets her guard down. "Braum have you a way home? I would like to get back to my people as soon as possible". Braum looks up from the fire and stretches, "all things in proper order. Found you, then rest and head back to ship". he stands. They hear the sound of Draven's spinning axes in the distance. "Let us go!" Braum gets up grabbing his shield. Ashe gets up nervously pulling out her bow again. Braum looks to her and smiles, "Put away your worried face! Sometimes battle is unavoidable". He grips his shield looking in the direction of the fighting. Ashe takes a deep breath, "Avarosa guide me. Let's do this Braum, for the Freljord!"

Braum smiles and nods as the pair run towards the fighting to help their new friend. They reach the river and see that Ahri is fighting Draven. Katarina must be hidden in the trees nearby. Braum leads the way across the river the fireflies light up the battle in the clearing. "STAND BEHIND BRAUM," Braum yells leaping to Ahri's side and blocking the barrage of spinning axes. Ashe shoots out he hawkshot finding Katarina trying to sneak up behind them. She fires a frost arrow missing her only slightly Katarina nearly gets close enough to land a dagger into Ashe when Ahri lands a charm. Draven takes the opportunity to launch his spinning axes into the ground toward the group. Braum slams his shield into the ground stopping the axes early. "Ah ah ah, not today my friend," Braum taunts.

Katarina jumps back having taken damage from both Ahri and Ashe. She backs off rejoining Draven on the other side. She wipes blood from the edge of her mouth and spits to the side with confidence. Before the fight can continue, the sound of loud crackling fills the open field. Ahri, Ashe, & Braum group up to face the new threat as do Draven and Katarina. The ground shakes as the wind whips around the open field. On the ground a purple magic circle begins to form. It grows until it is large enough to get all 5 within it. The ground inside the circle opens up as a portal instantly teleporting them to another world. Ashe tries to run out but doesn't make it as her world fades to black.