Monster Hunter in League of Legends

"A good hunter always appears as the prey," Tarlin said calmly. "It's good to get used to being the prey for now."

Upon hearing this, Rengar was slightly taken aback, then stared at Tarin for a moment before saying:

"An interesting point, I've noted it down... Hmm, so what's next? What are you two planning to do?"

Rengar turned his gaze to Tarin and Nidalee. Tarin and Nidalee exchanged a glance, then nodded and said, "Hunting."

"hunt?"

Rengar was taken aback at first, then nodded and said:

"Then take me with you. Although my body feels a bit unfamiliar now, it shouldn't be a problem to hunt ordinary prey."

Tallinn did not refuse, after all, hunting was indeed a good way to increase mutual understanding.

Thinking this, Tarlin nodded, then seemed to remember something and said, "Then you'd better be prepared, we have a whole family to support."

Upon hearing this, Rengar glanced at Tarin and Nidalee, then crossed his arms with a proud expression and said:

"Count me in. With your human appetite, even if I'm not in good condition, I can easily hunt enough food."

"Wow~" Upon hearing this, Tarin and Nidalee exchanged a glance. After a quick exchange of expressions, Nidalee raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you sure you can do it, Flesh-toothed Beast?"

"Why can't you do it?"

Hearing Nidalee's words, Rengar snorted and said, "How many of you are there? With your human appetite, I could easily hunt enough food for a day."

In Rengar's view, the so-called large family of Tarlin and Nidalee was at most a dozen people.

Humans are omnivores, so hunting a few shadow wolves or antler deer should be enough.

Seeing Rengar's effortless demeanor, Nidalee found it somewhat amusing, perhaps because felines are naturally opposed to dogs.

After raising an eyebrow, he said, "Then I'll trouble you to hunt more food for our settlement, Flesh-toothed Beast."

"No... um?"

Just as Rengar was about to agree, he suddenly noticed Nidalee's body rapidly expanding and sprouting fur. Moments later, she transformed into a giant Paka jungle cat, reaching a length of six meters.

Upon seeing this, Rengar's dog face showed obvious shock, followed by disbelief as it exclaimed, "Vastaya Xari?!"

"I'm just a shapeshifter, not at the level of your ancestors."

Seeing Rengar's surprise, Tarin calmly corrected him.

"A shapeshifter... yes, just a shapeshifter..."

Having explored the entire Shurima on foot, Rengar didn't mistake Nidalee for the legendary Vastaya Xari like the younger members of the Horde. Instead, he quickly came to his senses after being reminded by Tarin.

Shapeshifters are rarer than regular arcane mages in Runeterra, but they do exist.

However... this was indeed the first time Rengar had seen someone change so drastically, like Nidalee.

"After transforming, there's not a single characteristic of her previous form..." After calming down and staring at Nidalee for a while, Rengar said with some surprise:

"This is not something an ordinary shapeshifter can do." Although they are relatively rare, Rengar has seen some shapeshifters. But compared to Nidalee, who can switch between different forms so freely without any remnants of her previous form, this is the first time Rengar has seen one.

Thinking this through, Rengar nodded thoughtfully and said:

"I was wondering why a flesh-toothed beast would attack a human... The coming-of-age ceremony for young flesh-toothed beasts often involves a group hunt against a powerful prey. Now, if it's a Paka jungle cat, then everything makes sense."

As he said this, Rengar paused, then looked at Tarin beside him, asking with a hint of uncertainty in his voice, "Wait a minute... you're not also...?"

"Don't worry, I'm not Paka Jungle Cat," Tarin waved his hand.

This relieved Rengar.

"I am the Odogaron."

As he spoke, Tarin fully unleashed his Odogaron form.

If Rengar still remembers the Paka jungle cat, he might be able to understand it in the first moment.

So Tarin's transformation has completely impacted Rengar's spirit.

Stretching eight meters long, its massive, dark red body was covered with a layer of hard, tough, blood-like hide, overlapping and intertwining to completely envelop its form. Its thick, powerful neck was connected to a ferocious beast's head. The skull's outline protruded, and its eyes were murky, scarlet vertical pupils. Its fangs, sharp as snakes, reflected a cold glint in the blazing sun.

Most terrifying of all were its forepaws, as thick as mature tree trunks, their scimitar-like claws densely covered with fine serrations. The unprecedented double-layered structure added a touch of savagery to the chaotic appearance. They were practically natural weapons; even a mere sweep across the ground left mottled scratches, making it hard to imagine the gruesome scene of flesh and blood flying everywhere after they struck.

Rengar stood there dumbfounded, staring blankly at Tarin for a long while, then took a deep breath, closed his jaw again, and said:

"Just asking... does the 'big family' you two were talking about refer to cats like the Paka jungle cat, or something like you...?"

"Paka Jungle Cat," Tarlin replied.

"That's good then." Rengar breathed a sigh of relief. "It's only seven or eight. If it's ten or so, I can still hunt them down."

"Forty heads," Tallinn reminded him.

Rengar fell silent, then looked at Nidalee, who, in her jungle cat form, calmly nodded, then forced herself to speak in a monotone voice, despite the discomfort of speaking in cat form:

"I heard you can hunt down food for our whole family with just a flick of your wrist? No wonder you're a flesh-toothed beast, that's amazing."

To this, Rengar merely gave a sharp twitch at the corner of his mouth: "I... will try my best."

After a pause, Rengar, looking utterly bewildered, said, "But speaking of which... forty Paka jungle cats? Your entire forest farm must have been razed to the ground!"

"Otherwise, why do you think we came to the Shadow Wolf's forest to hunt?"

Seeing the incomprehensible expression on Rengar's face, perhaps out of hostility towards the flesh-toothed beast, Nidalee's mood improved considerably:

"So, keep hunting, Flesh-toothed Beast!"

Upon hearing Nidalee's words, Rengar sighed, then grinned, looking displeased, and said, "I, Rengar, keep my word... It's just the food of forty Paka jungle cats, no problem... Damn it."

As he said this, Rengar seemed to remember something, and then stared nervously at Tarin.

No wonder Rengar was so nervous; the pressure from Tarin and Nidalee's fully unleashed forms was somewhat exaggerated.

The food needed by omnivores and carnivores are two completely different concepts.

Simply put, carnivores tend to run away from their prey.

Especially carnivores like those in Tallinn.

The larger the body and the more solid and dense the muscle tissue, the more energy it needs for daily operation.

As for the creature that Tarlin calls the Odogaron... surely no one would think that those scimitar-like serrated claws grew because they were used for digging and eating vegetables, right?

But no matter how much of a headache I have, it's no use...

After adjusting his mindset, Rengar then joined the hunt.

Because Kha'Zix had already hunted down the entire Shadow Wolf pack, the group's hunt did not encounter much hindrance.

Including some scattered wolf packs, they quickly hunted enough food for the herd for a day.

After simply piecing the timber together and dragging her prey on the way home, Nidalee was noticeably more relaxed after completing her exploration of the forest.

The shadow wolves scattered and fled, leaving the forest rich in resources, enough for the herd to breed peacefully for a long time. At the very least, they should be able to safely get through the next breeding season without any problems.

After the cooperative hunt, Rengar was clearly much more relaxed – fighting is the best way to get to know each other.

As a hunter, Rengar is passionate about challenging powerful monsters. Now, whether it's Nidalee or Tarin, Rengar can feel their power and the 'threat' they pose as prey.

Although they were not enemies or prey, Rengar still felt a strong fighting spirit and began to secretly look forward to the battle with Tarin after his eyes were healed.

Nidalee's attitude towards Rengar has also softened considerably—especially after learning that he was not involved in the flesh-toothed beast's attack on the Paka jungle cat.

On the way back to camp, Rengar asked directly, "Speaking of which, if your tribe was attacked by those flesh-toothed beasts before, is it inconvenient for me to show myself?"

"...Don't worry about it." Hearing Rengar's question, Nidalee glanced at him and then quietly said:

"I will explain it to my people... and hunting the weak to ensure our own survival is the law of this wilderness. You have hunted a lot of food for my people today, and we will thank you."

"Hmm." Rengar nodded calmly.

In truth, he didn't care about Nidalee's expression of gratitude from the Paka jungle cat clan; his question was simply out of consideration for Tarin and Nidalee's feelings.

After all, even though the Paka jungle cat possesses a social nature that is rare for felines, it is still essentially a wild animal.

If it weren't for his concern for Tarlin and Nidalee, Rengar wouldn't even have taken the so-called attack to heart.

Sensing Rengar's concerns, Nidalee remained silent for a moment before quietly speaking:

"You don't need to worry about the matter of my foster mother's death caused by the flesh-toothed beast settlement... The children of the wilderness don't have the energy to remember those grudges; the daily hunts alone leave us no time for anything else."

As she said this, Nidalee glanced at her own paws and then calmly said, "Over the years, only a few jungle cats have actually survived that attack."

Tarlin could sense a hint of loneliness in Nidalee's voice... Although Nidalee never said it, she could actually sense it herself; she was different from ordinary jungle cats.

A moment later, the group returned to the Paka Jungle Cats' lair. Upon seeing Rengar again, many of the Paka Jungle Cats displayed wary and alert expressions.

However, the majority of Paka jungle cats' alertness stems from the wild animals' wariness of unfamiliar creatures.

Only a few scattered adult cats seemed to have remembered something, staring at each other with hatred, some even lying on the ground, arching their backs, and making whimpering noises.

Seeing this, Nidalee let out a few low growls, then gestured slightly towards Rengar beside her.

A moment later, Rengar nodded and then dragged the food to the open space in front of the nest.

This left the jungle cats looking on with suspicion, and with another series of low growls from Nidalee, the Paka jungle cats also crawled out of their den with some doubt, and then began to feast.

Thanks to the abundance of food they brought, and the assurances from Nidalee and Tarin, the Paka jungle cats, while still wary of Rengar, didn't really see him as an enemy; they simply kept a safe distance and observed him cautiously.

Rengar didn't mind. He removed one of the wolf's legs and stepped aside to rest, recovering his strength while feeling his body undergoing a second growth spurt.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, and making sure there was nothing else to do, Nidalee followed Tarin back to her lair to rest.

Because of Tarin's request, Nidalee did not transform into her beast form upon returning to the lair as she had done before. Instead, she continued to adapt to her human body and silently practiced the various power-generating exercises that Tarin had suggested.

Seeing how hard Nidalee was working, Tarin offered her personal guidance. As their relationship slowly warmed up, Nidalee's skills also improved rapidly.

As night fell, Tarin patted Nidalee's head and said, "When you're resting, don't maintain your human form. Do whatever makes you comfortable."

Feeling Tarin's hand stroking her head, Nidalee narrowed her eyes slightly, a hint of infatuation flashing across her face. But she quickly realized what was happening, hummed a few times, and then lay down on the ground, transforming into a jungle cat.

Tallinn didn't mind and simply leaned against the jungle cat's soft, furry, and warm belly to rest.

Tarlin suddenly leaned against that soft, unguarded belly. Nidalee's eyes narrowed slightly, but realizing it was Tarlin, she didn't pay much attention and instead wrapped her head and tail around it. Seeing this, Tarlin thought for a moment, then covered its belly button with its fluffy tail before settling down to rest.