Chapter Text
The jungle running through the Outer Bandle Rim seemed quiet, peaceful. The shifting night that had descended upon it with the arrival of the Moonwalker was calm and chilly, though every creature with a speck of instinct sensed just how unnatural, dangerous, feverish it was; the Moonwalker did not come as an ally, it came as a conqueror.
A foolish young buck stepped forth from the treeline, surveying its territory from a starlit meadow. The stag thought itself mighty enough to defy the seething dark; swiftly it was shown the error of its ways, brutish claws tearing its flesh apart in a single savage pounce. The Moonwalker claimed its heart and retreated back into its domain, unseen and unchallenged.
Miles away, a sculpture of brass and steel stomped through the undergrowrth, following a bloody trail left behind by the Moonwalker. This wasn't the first time Rumble ventured into the Outer Rim, yet he felt so unwelcome here now, a clumsy intruder that did not respect the laws of the spirit forest. He could feel hundreds of tiny eyes upon him after every step of his whirring mech, and he constantly had to remind himself that the time for subtlety has long since passed; the Moonwalker's senses reached much further than those of a regular yordle, and not even the best scout would be able to hide from its ravenous maw.
Of course, that didn't stop the recon forces from trying to guide the angered god back where it belonged, beyond the borders of yordle realms and into Kara Nimu, the plane of Reigning Dark. Most of them haven't reported back in weeks, and Rumble had no desire to save them from their own stupidity, but he was soft, too soft; he gave a promise he never wanted to give, to a girl that was probably never going to love him, and now there was no going back.
He would've sunk into self pity were he not pulled out of his melancholy by a threatening roar. A shadow leapt of out the darkness, a massive shifting beast with a singular intent: to destroy the intruder. Rumble didn't think twice about blasting it with the mech's flamethrower, briefly illuminating the creature's horrific maw. He shuddered, breathing a sigh of relief when the monster retreated back into the thick jungle; knowing well that it was going to be back soon, Rumble set the machine into a faster pace and began cutting through the hanging vines.
When the shadow wasn't returning for a good while, Rumble figured it was safe to stop for a moment. He halted his metal juggernaut near a deep jungle ravine, projecting a map onto the front glass before him. He was trying to figure out where he was, but then he saw a little flickering spark down by the river that ran through the chasm. The pilot squinted, stowing the mech's weapons and switching from artillery mode to salvaging; large metal hooks made it possible for him to climb down the steep walls, and he hoped he'd find living yordles by the dimming fire. The camp below was abandoned however, or so it seemed until a familiar voice hissed at him from a nearby shrub.
„Rumble?“
„Teemo?“ the mechanic squinted into the dark, „is it you?“
The raccoon dared step out of his hideout, standing beneath the metal suit. He looked miserable; his cap was gone, as was his supply backpack, and his uniform was torn and tattered. Little scratches littered his fur, matting it with blood and dirt. It was an unnerving sight; Rumble had never seen Teemo struggle before. In fact, he doubted that anybody ever did.
„What are you doing here?“ The scout stoked the fire again, his voice dull and weary. „You shouldn't be here.“
„Neither should you.“ The mech let out some steam as Rumble opened the cockpit and jumped out of it. „This isn't a task for the Mothership Scouts. The higher-ups are calling the spiritualists and the feyfolk. Moonwalker won't just leave this time.“
„We can't let that happen,“ Teemo mumbled, sitting down by the fire, „no - it's dangerous. The Outer Rim is a delicate ecosystem. Removing the Moonwalker also means removing the long nights, and the consequences of that could be catastrophic.“
„Less catastrophic than letting it link Kara Nimu to Bandle City. Come back with me.“
The scout gave Rumble a long, blank look. Then he turned back to the fire, not a single hint of emotion in his face.
„Tristana will kill me if something happens to you,“ Rumble growled, shaking Teemo's shoulder, „you can't do anything here.“
„Ah, Tristana,“ the scout smiled into the fire, „why did she not come - why did you?“
„I wanted her to stay safe.“
Teemo didn't say anything, and Rumble couldn't tell whether the scout didn't understand or didn't care. It sucked either way.
„Return with me. Please.“
„Help me guide the Moonwalker back to its homeland.“ Teemo set his sharp blue eyes back on the pilot. „We might be able to do it together.“
„No. It's too dangerous. We need to go home, Teemo.“
The scout eyed him warily, pushing himself up on his short legs. For a moment, Rumble thought that he was going to pounce him; in a way he did, but it wasn't as violent as he anticipated. It was... A hug. A sudden embrace. A desperate squeeze. And it was horrifying. Rumble had never seen the scout approach anybody this closely, least of all him.
„Please,“ Teemo's voice was shaking, „if the Moonwalker dies then so will this forest, so will the Outer Rim. It will never be the same. I can't let that happen. I can't.“
Rumble frowned, slowly patting the smaller yordle's head. He wasn't sure what to think.
„Teemo, you're tired and hungy and injured. If you stay, you will die.“
„No,“ the raccoon wheezed, „not in a way that would matter. Why can't you see? Why can't you... Understand?“
„Teemo—„
Rumble expected him to collapse, and so when he did, he was ready to catch him. He quickly checked for the scout's breath and pulse; both were still there, though they were weak. Teemo must've gone entire days without any sleep or sustenance, and he badly needed to rest. Rumble had half a mind to just throw the scout into his mech and carry him back to Bandle City whether he wanted it or not, but something inside him protested that thought, told him not to do it; this was more important to Teemo than anything else, and to just kidnap him felt like betrayal. And even if Teemo was the sole reason Tristana shut Rumble's crush down, he was still a friend.
No. There had to be another way.