"Sorry, Logan, Jinx—Winter's Claw doesn't have enough empty huts for the two of you, so for the next few days you'll have to sleep with me."
In the deep of night in the Freljord, aside from the crackling bonfires burning outside, you could also hear the noisy calls of animals.
Inside a not-too-large hut, Logan and Jinx sat by a stove. The place really was small—only a few square meters at most—and the indoor fire pit used for cooking and warmth took up a full quarter of the space. The rest was nothing but a rough bed made from piled dry grass and animal pelts.
The woman who had been sharing the hut with Donna had, at Donna's arrangement, gone to squeeze into another hut, leaving this place to Logan and Jinx.
Right now, Donna was smiling at them while stirring a small pot with a clean bone—no scraps of meat on it at all. A smell drifted up from the pot: a little gamey, but more than anything it was the rich fragrance of meat.
Logan's first attempt to negotiate with Sejuani hadn't gone smoothly. The moment Darius came up, Logan immediately said he hoped Sejuani would send warriors from her tribe to search for Darius. Sejuani, however, insisted she needed to see some of the food first.
Otherwise, why should she believe Logan?
After all, the terms Logan offered—if Udyr hadn't warned Sejuani in advance that Logan was a dangerous man, and if Udyr's judgment wasn't so rarely wrong—then the instant Donna relayed the deal, Sejuani would have just hurled her weapon and smashed Logan to death in a single blow.
As if.
Was she supposed to be some idiot like Ashe, always willing to trust people and then getting hurt for it?
So in the end, when Logan left Sejuani's hut, what they agreed on was this: Logan would have someone bring over part of the food first. Then, based on how much food arrived, Sejuani would release a batch of Noxians—and she would also issue orders to her tribe and outward in every direction to search for signs of Darius.
Logan, naturally, agreed.
For Logan, finding Darius was about building goodwill with Swain. As for what happened to Darius while he was with Winter's Claw… well, Logan knew the broad strokes from what he'd seen before.
In Darius's "Dreadnova" skin line and related materials, there were brief mentions of his escape—how he fought through multiple dangers, broke out alone, and ultimately made it back to Noxus.
But the real reason Darius succeeded was that Winter's Claw didn't take his escape seriously at all. Put it this way: Darius led people to invade Winter's Claw, lost, got captured—and when Logan brought him up just now, Sejuani didn't even know there had been someone like that.
If Donna hadn't mentioned it was that Noxian who'd escaped—jogging Sejuani's memory that something like that really had happened in the tribe recently—Darius would've been completely forgotten by Sejuani.
And Logan agreeing, of course, was to sell Swain a favor. Darius making it back to Noxus on his own versus being sent back because of Logan—those were two very different things. Even if Swain would hand over the rune framework process either way, the latter deepened the relationship between Logan and Swain.
That was why Logan planned to notify Janna before bed, have Silco prepare food, and get supplies moving no later than the day after tomorrow. The day after that, Janna would act as the "radar," and the food would reach Winter's Claw.
A big chunk of venison bubbled in the pot. After watching for a moment, Logan couldn't help saying, "Donna, want me to take over?"
"Hm? You can cook?" Donna, still stirring, looked up at him.
Jinx had been holding it in for a while. "Alright, Donna, move. Let Logan cook."
Come on. Jinx couldn't cook, but after watching Logan cook every day, she understood the basic process.
The moment she saw how Donna was cooking, Jinx almost couldn't stand it anymore. Just look at the foamy scum rolling on top—that was the blood and impurities being pushed out as the venison boiled, and Donna wasn't skimming any of it off!
Did they not know that scum made the broth taste unbelievably gamey?!
Even now, Jinx could smell that sharp, unpleasant funk, and Jinxie genuinely felt like if she cooked this pot herself, it might even turn out better than Donna's.
Logan chuckled, grabbed the backpack to the side, and opened it. Inside was a whole pile of gear: a frying pan, a skimmer, a spatula, chopsticks, and several small jars and bottles.
Seeing Logan actually about to cook, Donna gave up her spot and crouched nearby, curious, watching him use a round silver ladle to scoop things out of the pot.
"You're going to drink the broth?" Donna said. "But Logan, it's not ready yet. You still have to add crushed salt-rock and stir, or it won't taste like anything."
Logan shook his head, skimmed off the foam, and said, "I'm not drinking it. Donna, fresh meat tastes good no matter how you roast it—but if you boil it, it's best to skim this off. If the blood scum breaks into the broth, it'll carry a strong gamey taste."
"This step is called blanching. It helps remove impurities and off-odors."
Logan had eaten venison before. You didn't see deer in Zaun or Piltover, sure—but that didn't mean there was no venison. These days the Twin Cities had everything, so Logan had cooked it plenty of times.
As for venison… Logan's take was that it was delicious, but easy to overcook into something dry, and unlike beef, even very fresh venison still carried a heavy wild musk. You needed tight control over the heat and a generous amount of spices to handle it.
So after skimming the scum, Logan reached for a few jars.
They were seasonings he'd brought from Zaun—pepper, chili, salt, and also a factory-made spice packet unique to Zaun.
Honestly, if you used one of those packets, even someone who couldn't cook could toss it into water, light a fire, add meat, and still end up with something that tasted pretty good.
And sure enough, before long, a strong, mouthwatering aroma filled the hut as the pot simmered.
Donna swallowed several times, staring at the pot. Before making dinner for Logan, she'd already eaten some dried meat, but she was still hungry. She was at the age where she was still growing, her appetite was huge—and because food had to be saved for the tribe's children and elders, Donna had long since gotten used to going hungry.
But… this smelled way too good.
Her stomach growled. Donna awkwardly pressed a hand to her belly.
Logan saw that, ladled a bowl of meat broth for Jinx first and handed it over. Then he picked up another bowl, smiled at Donna, and said, "Want to eat with us?"
Donna froze, instinctively about to nod, but her head barely moved before she forced a bitter smile. "But… I only managed to get this much meat. You two might not even have enough, and if I eat too… you'll go to bed hungry."
"It's fine. I've got more things with me." Logan found it even funnier after hearing that.
In a way, Donna reminded Logan of Isha back in Zaun. The two were similar. If Isha could talk, maybe she'd sound like Donna.
Like Donna, Isha looked like a little hedgehog on the outside—touch her and you got pricked—but once you spent time with her, she was soft inside.
Donna was the same. When they first met, she was cold and proud. But after a few days together, Donna was exactly her age—prone to overthinking, curious about the stories Jinx and Logan told her, interested in what she'd never seen.
And like right now… she was clearly craving it so badly she was practically drooling, but she still tried to endure for the sake of pride. She wasn't nearly as perfectly "cold and battle-hardened" as she claimed.
Logan filled a bowl with broth and a big chunk of venison and handed it to Donna.
Donna stopped resisting. She took the bowl—and immediately tried to grab the steaming meat with her bare hand.
But Jinx called out to her.
"Hm?" Donna turned to look at Jinx.
"Use this." Jinx handed her a pair of nice chopsticks, dead serious. "You're really not afraid of burning your hand, are you?"
Donna took the chopsticks but didn't know how to use them. The next second, Jinx started teaching her—Jinxie was absurdly good with chopsticks.
Meanwhile, Logan pulled bread from the backpack, tore it open, and tossed pieces into the broth.
Hard, frozen wheat bread was perfect for soaking. If you tried to chew it dry like this, it would punish your teeth.
In the hut, the three of them ate from the pot together. Donna never got fully comfortable with chopsticks, and eventually just held them together like a fork—spearing the meat and lifting it that way.
Jinx didn't comment. It wasn't that she thought eating with your hands was "unrefined"—she was the kind of person who loved grabbing meat with her hands too.
Vi, Vander, and Jinx were all the same in that regard. Jinx only made Donna use chopsticks because she was worried Donna would burn herself on the broth. As long as Donna didn't get scalded, she could eat however she wanted.
"So good—really good!"
"I've never eaten anything this delicious before, Logan. How did you make it?" Donna said after finishing a piece. When Logan tried to give her more meat, she refused no matter what, but she still drank two more bowls of broth and ate plenty of bread.
With her warm belly full, Donna looked energized. It had been the first time in ages she'd eaten until she was properly stuffed. Even the bread she used to think was hard to swallow tasted incredible dipped in the salty, savory broth—so good it didn't even feel worse than the meat.
"It's the seasoning. Seriously—do you all cook by just throwing meat in a pot and dropping in salty rocks?" Jinx said before Logan could answer.
Donna nodded. "Always… and sometimes we don't even use salt-rock. Salt is a precious resource in the Freljord."
"You're miserable," Jinx muttered, a flicker of pity in her eyes.
When Jinx was eight, she ate better than Donna did now.
Actually, Jinx hadn't really lived a life of suffering. Zaun had been poor and chaotic when she was little, sure—but Vander and Vi protected her well. Every few days she could even get juice from Vander, and she still ate vegetables and meat. Sometimes she even got fruit.
And after Vander "left," Silco raised her well too. Honestly, Jinx had never truly gone without food.
So when she looked at Donna's blissful face over "a pot of meat," Jinx—strange as she was—didn't feel smug. She just felt Donna was genuinely pitiable.
Over these past few days, she'd already started thinking of herself as an older sister to Donna.
After dinner, Donna carried the pot outside to scrub it clean with snow and ice.
Logan and Jinx stayed in the hut. Jinx set up the sleeping bags, while Logan called for Janna, ready to use her as a messenger.
By the time Jinx finished the bedding, Logan had already explained everything to Janna. Janna left, and Donna returned as well.
But Donna looked anxious.
The moment she came in, Donna shouted, "Logan! Jinx! Stay here—don't wander off!"
As she spoke, she grabbed the knife nearby, slung it with her gear, and ran back out.
Logan and Jinx blinked at each other. Then Jinx immediately chased after her, flipping up the curtain and sticking her head out to look.
As if she'd listen. If someone told Jinx not to do something, that was exactly when she'd do it. The word "rules" didn't exist in her dictionary.
"Logan, I think they're fighting!" Jinx yelled excitedly.
Hearing that, Logan stood up and moved behind Jinx, the two of them peeking out together—one above, one below—watching what was happening outside.
This was the core area of Winter's Claw, but right now the whole tribe looked like it had been jolted awake.
Warriors poured out of their huts with weapons in hand, rushing toward the edge of the tribe—and Logan also saw Sejuani.
She sat astride a drüvask war-boar even larger than Vanna—Bristle.
Wearing heavy furs and armor, a chipped helmet on her head, Sejuani looked fierce and commanding. Her right hand held the haft and chain of her flail, the end of it glowing with an icy blue cold, while her left arm was raised high as she barked orders and directed the response.
Donna appeared again, riding Vanna as she followed behind Sejuani. She spotted Logan and Jinx peeking out, said something to Sejuani, and then rode over fast.
"Why are you out here?" the girl on the boar snapped unhappily.
"Get back inside. Don't come out—if you do, you'll be treated as spies!"
Logan looked at Donna and asked, "What happened?"
Donna hesitated, glanced back at her war-mother, then lowered her voice to Logan and Jinx.
"The Frostguard showed up—up on the ridge above the ravine."
"The war-mother says it's an enemy raid."
Then she added, "Alright, get inside. We'll protect you."
Logan narrowed his eyes, then smiled. "You know I'm strong, right?"
"I think I can help. Don't you?"
Beside him, Jinx dashed back into the hut and started getting dressed.
She'd already laid out her sleeping bag, ready to brush her teeth and go to bed—but now? Something interesting was happening. Of course she was going to join in.
Jinx wasn't stupid.
The safest place in the world was right next to Logan. As long as Logan was there, she wouldn't be in danger.
"…"
"Fine. I'll tell the war-mother." Donna remembered how Logan had subdued Vanna with one hand, and she nodded. Riding Vanna, she hurried back toward Sejuani.
Then Logan saw Sejuani look over.
Sejuani's gaze settled on Logan. After a moment, she nodded, then turned her attention away.
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