the eternal hunters
Lore
“Tell me again, little Lamb, which things are ours to take?”
“All things, dear Wolf.”
~ Kindred
Separate, but never parted, Kindred represents the twin essences of death.
Lamb's bow offers a swift release from the mortal realm for those who accept their fate.
Wolf hunts down those who run from their end, delivering violent finality within his crushing jaws.
Though interpretations of Kindred's nature vary across Runeterra, every mortal must choose the true face of their death.
Kindred is the white embrace of nothingness and the gnashing of teeth in the dark. Shepherd and the butcher, poet and the primitive, they are one and both. When caught on the edge of life, louder than any trumpeting horn, it is the hammering pulse at one's throat that calls Kindred to their hunt. Stand and greet Lamb's silvered bow and her arrows will lay you down swiftly. If you refuse her, Wolf will join you for his merry hunt, where every chase runs to its brutal end.
Read more about Kindred's story here...
Kindred is the personification of death in Runeterra! As the lore goes...
Wolf: "Lamb, tell me a story."
Lamb: "There was once a pale man who was very lonely."
Wolf: "Why was it lonely?"
Lamb: "All things must meet this man, so they shunned him."
Wolf: "Did he chase them off?"
Lamb: "He took an axe and split himself in two, right down the middle."
Wolf: "So he would always have a friend?"
Lamb: "So he would always have a friend."
Kindred are two halves of the same coin. The same person, split in two, right down the middle... A yin and yang of sorts, which provides an interesting dynamic! Especially considering that they represent death together. For example...
- Wolf feels emotions, but doesn't understand them > Lamb understands emotions, but doesn't feel them.
- Wolf is melee > Lamb is ranged.
- Wolf provides a slow and violent death > Lamb provides a quick and peaceful death.
- Wolf wears a lamb mask > Lamb wear a wolf mask.
It's beautiful, to me, knowing that Kindred understood that no one wanted to meet them (given that they are death) and so became their own friend. They just didn't want to be alone... They are so special to me, and I love how they perfectly balance each other out. Complete, seperate, but whole halves. They are perfection to me! Such an interesting way to portray death, too!
Skins
Kindred have several in game skins! Here they are displayed below.
My favourite is... Spirit Blossom!
Original Kindred
It's impossible to fault the default— Just look at how pretty they both are! The theme of two halves is so perfectly represented in even their design, from Lamb being white, and Wolf being black. I really love this splash art too, and the blue wispy soul detail surrounding them!
Shadowfire Kindred
This one is so pretty to me too! I like how their original identities are still pretty consistent despite the unifying fire theme. And turning Lamb's fur into fire is such a lovely touch! Good skin overall, though not my favourite!
Super Galaxy Kindred
Despite belonging to a rather farfetched and out there skin line, I really appreciate this design for kindred! I love how sleek they both look, and the coloring is just gorgeous to me! I like that instead of relying on the wispy spirit aspects, they leaned more into the technology and mechanical side, and it works surprisingly well!
Spirit Blossom Kindred
Why is this one my favourite? Well... It's just downright pretty, in my opinion! It's elegant, and subtle, and all thins dainty. Themes I think work so well for Kindred! I absolutely adore that despite appearing human, given the hands shown in this splash art, Lamb's indentity remains hidden behind a mask. And Wolf's design is gorgeous too! With the painted mask look... I just love them so much here!
Porcelain Kindred
This is the only skin I dislike for Kindred. There's just something uncanny about how Lamb is represented here. I don't enjoy the humanisation, and wish they'd have remained animalistic in nature. Wolf does look absolutely stunning with the porcelain design, and I do enjoy the patterns on them both! But overall, I'm really not a fan...
Prestige Porcelain Kindred
Everything that I said above, but reversed LOL... The prestige version of the porcelain skin fixes so many of the issues I have with the original— Lamb returned back to her animalistic self! The colors here feel so much nicer too, a lot more regal in my opinion. I do, however, miss the patterns seen in the original porcelain skin... Oh well, you can't have it all sometimes. I'd still pick this one over the original porcelain!
Woof And Lamb Kindred
I love this silly skin so much! The skin line it belongs to is supposed to be silly and colorful, and I think they executed Kindred so well into it! Turning Wolf into an actual dog is so so cute, and Lamb looks so happy and cosy in their little faux onsie design! Everything about this skin is so chunky and cute, and I'm a major fan!
DRX Kindred
It might be difficult to find them, but Kindred is at the top left! This skin was created to commemorate DRX's Pyosik as they won the World Champions: 2022! Which Riot makes new skins for the winning team every year IIRC, exclusively for the champions used to win. And IIRC, it uses the teams branding and incorporates that into the skins, so like, I don't have much to complain about! It's pretty. Kindred suit blue very well, I think.
Videos
Some videos of and about Kindred that I love to watch!
They give a lot of insight into who Kindred is, as well as Lamb and Wolf's individual personalities, and how well they work together.
Quotes
Kindred voice lines are my absolute favorite in game, and I could honestly include every single quote if I could.
Alas, this would just become a wiki at that point. So, instead, I'll include a few of my favorites... And some that I think perfectly explain Kindred!
Lamb: "Never one..."
Wolf: "...Without the other."
Wolf: "Never one..."
Lamb: "Without the other."
Lamb: "Are you there, dear Wolf?"
Wolf: "I am, little Lamb."
Lamb: "Are you sad?"
Wolf: "I am."
Lamb: "What does it feel like?"
Wolf: "A long hunt with no kill."
Lamb: "And everywhere Lamb went..."
Wolf: "...Wolf was sure to follow!"
Lamb: "How does hunger feel?"
Wolf: "Always there."
Wolf: "I see water!"
Lamb: "They are called... tears."
Wolf: "They know we'll come."
Lamb: "Yet they are never prepared."
Lamb: "They laugh."
Wolf: "And scream!"
Lamb: "And dance."
Wolf: "And flee!"
Lamb: "Go easily."
Wolf: "No! Thrash! Flee!"
"How long will we be together?" Wolf asks. And after a moment or two, "Forever more." Lamb assures.