Legends of Runeterra

The gathering place of the Winter Claw tribe.

As the new Warmother of the Winter's Claw, Sejuani began raiding and absorbing nearby tribes, gathering strength and amassing a motley crew of followers.

Her disdain for the Frostguard has also attracted many homeless shamans, spirit walkers, icebloods, and stormbloods, as well as conservative factions who worship the Old Gods from all over the Freljord to join her.

As a result, long houses sprang up one after another, and the size of the gathering place continued to expand.

But everything has its pros and cons. In just a few years after Sejuani took over, the Winter Claw tribe expanded at such a fast pace.

The consequence is that the once clear tribal structure has become complex and multifaceted.

Despite the existence of Sejuani, her will was able to unite these guys, whether real or fake, who generally came here with various purposes.

But hidden beneath this seemingly stable situation is a constantly surging undercurrent.

“Ah~~!”

He was a bit taller and stronger than the generally tall Freljord warriors. Wrapped on his left hand was a long strip of linen that was just wide enough to cover his eyes. The sturdy man with disheveled hair let out a long sigh.

As a wise man who looks like a tiger but has a heart that smells like roses, Udyr, who returned to the Winter's Claw tribe, had already seen the undercurrent hidden beneath this thriving scene.

But just like an avalanche sweeping down from the top of the snow-capped mountains, Udyr knew that anyone who stood in the way of the tribe, even if it was just to put a brake on the momentum, would be hurt by the power of the tribe.

Even if it was Sejuani... forget it, Udyr knew that as a war mother, she didn't have this idea at all.

She hoped that the Winter Claw would grow stronger at a faster rate so as to deal a heavy blow to the Avarosa tribe that was developing further south.

"Kokiya... How can I guide your child..."

Raising his left hand and looking at the eye mask given to him by his best friend Li Qing, who had guided him on the road of cultivation, Udyr recalled the days of meditation in Ionia, and the deep sadness in his eyes slowly faded away.

"Dong dong dong~!"

"Come in!"

"U...Lord Udyr!"

Looking at the stuttering warrior, Udyr had already gotten used to his attitude.

Although the Winter Claw had accepted Udyr at Sejuani's initiative, the terrifying rumors of the Spirit Walker reappeared in the tribe behind the scenes after being spread by some people with ulterior motives.

In the past, before Udyr had mastered his abilities, a pack of hungry, diseased Frostfang Wolves approached the camp.

The frenzy and hunger of the wolves rushed into Udyr's mind, causing him to lose himself in a thick fog and almost kill a child subconsciously.

In the end, it was Kokia and his mother Xijian's True Ice weapons that stopped him. After encircling the wolf pack, Xijian drove Udyr out of the Winter's Claw.

Udyr didn't bother to pay attention to the misunderstandings of the uninformed members of the tribe.

The reason why those guys let this rumor appear again is to distract Udyr's attention and achieve their plan.

"Don't be nervous. Tell me, what happened?"

Looking at Udyr, who was deeply trusted by the War Mother, the thin scout who entered the room calmed down.

"Lord Udyr, the Lost...The Lost have appeared in the northern snowy mountains!"

"'Lost'!? Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir. That twisted and weird appearance and violent and terrifying roar are definitely the 'Lost One'!"

"I understand. Keep the highest alert. I will personally lead people to check it out!"

"Yes, Lord Udyr!"

The scout saluted, stood up, and quickly ran out of the longhouse.

"Hoo~!"

'Friend...I hope we can meet again.'

Udyr let out a long sigh, looked at the linen strip wrapped around his left hand, and slowly clenched his palm.

...

The sky was covered with dark clouds and there was not a single star shining through. Tonight, there was only darkness and severe cold.

Without any light source, a group of hundreds of people dispersed in an orderly manner and walked silently on the snow that was three or four meters thick.

As the most elite warriors of the Winter Claw, although they have long been accustomed to marching in such conditions, if you look closely, everyone's face is extremely solemn and cautious.

And Udyr, who was walking in the front, also had a gloomy face.

'The Lost' - this is the name given by the Freljord people to the 'Ursine' after they committed one merciless and inhumane massacre after another.

Of course, if it were just these guys who would devour the enemy's corpses after killing, Udyr might have a headache, but he would definitely not be so solemn.

What really made him so worried and alert was the source of the 'lost ones' lurking behind this group of beasts, the true beast spirit - Valhal.

Or rather, His more traditional name - Volibear.

That was a true god that existed in ancient times before humans appeared. It was the physical embodiment of the storm and the will of wilderness and savagery.

According to legend, he tore out the "Wucha Fjord" with one palm strike.

His epic battle with the magma-bodied serpent Lund formed countless canyons and ravines. Volibear eventually defeated the beast, and its blood became the first river in the Freljord, and the huge bones it left behind formed the Dragonback Mountains.

Even one of the three frost sisters was rumored to have her light forever taken away by this primordial god.

In short, this is a real and terrifying god who has left an undeniable mark on the history of the Freljord people.

"Suck~!"

Braving the cold wind that was cold enough to freeze most people's noses, Udyr took a deep breath.

The powerful sense of smell given to him by the beast spirits made Udyr's expression even more severe.

Although faint, the slight fishy smell brought by the biting cold wind was so clear.

Udyr raised his hand silently, and hundreds of elite warriors of the Winter Claw immediately stopped their guard.

A certain unspeakable will was sensed by Udyr's magical talent, and an urge to completely embrace the beast's instinct emerged.

The first thing Udyr did was to tightly grasp the linen strip given by Li Qing and silently recite the meditation spell that the two of them had discussed, in order to isolate the sudden and terrible resonance.

"Hoo~!"

The cold wind swept the flying snow and hit everyone.

“Crack! Crack! Crack!”

The sound of snow being trampled pierced the howling of the wind and snow.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the first group of 'lost ones' slowly walked out.

Their skin was brown with blood. Their hair was matted together with dirt.

Some were naked, others were covered in bearskins or rags.

Next came the beasts, mostly bears, of varying sizes and coat colors.

Some species Udyr recognized, others he had never seen before.

They were all once beast walkers, now trapped in the form of ruthless giant bears, and have long forgotten that they were once human.

Udyr tried to sense the opponent's soul, but the only response he got was a beastly and bloodthirsty roar.

Finally, there is a group of indescribable horrible monsters.

They are all weird hybrids of bears and other creatures, the stuff of legends, nightmares, and folk tales.

They were all human once, but now they have been completely devoured by the true beast spirits and have long lost the appearance of normal animals.