Azurite Eagle

The azurite eagle is a large predatory bird native to Demacia, ranging through the mountainous northern reaches of the kingdom. It is a carnivore and a formidable hunter, once common enough that Demacians knew it well, but the breed grew so rare it was thought long extinct, and even now the sight of one is uncommon. The birds earned a reputation as vicious and untamable, which makes any bond between an azurite eagle and a person exceptionally rare. The most storied azurite eagle is Valor, companion of the ranger Quinn. Their bond began when, a year after her twin brother Caleb was killed by a one-eyed tuskvore, Quinn returned to his grave and was charged by the same beast. As her arrows failed, an azurite eagle swooped in, its talons and beak tearing gouges across the tuskvore's face while the creature's horns ripped through its wing. Quinn felled the beast with a final arrow, bound the eagle's broken pinion, and carried him home to Uwendale. She named him Valor, and their kinship rekindled her will to serve Demacia. Together they became known as the Wings of Demacia, the kingdom's eyes beyond its borders. Where knights and soldiers guard the walls, the pair range the dangerous wilderness most Demacians fear, gathering intelligence and stopping threats before they reach the kingdom. In the field Valor scouts ahead, wheeling above the canopy and striking like a blazing blue arrow to lead Quinn toward danger, then perching to wait for her. She calls him little brother and jokes that he is her one true love. Valor has fought at Quinn's side through Demacia's darkest hours. When the dragon Yvva descended on a subterranean settlement, Quinn and her eagle held the beast off until Shyvana joined the fight. Quinn also saved the life of Lord Barrett Buvelle, and years later, her eagle at her shoulder, she attended his funeral, where his widow Lestara thanked her for the extra time she had given them.