Authors note: So the battle begins. . . well very soon. And I know I have updated this story a lot today but I don't like to leave myself in the middle of a major part of the story and comeback tomorrow and have no idea where to begin. :)

Info about my story: Akzuna is the first queen of the feline shifters. Beorn is from the royal bear family. The canines leader you will learn in time. Navea is related to her. Anyone of.the royal lines can call to the other two for aid. 99.9% of the time it is given no questions asked.

PS Navea and Thranduil aren't typical buddies at the moment. They have a lot of respect for one another. Kinda like the person in school you don't like or don't hang with but you have a lot of respect for them. And she knows Thranduil from the first war of the ring. You all will find out more later. Read and hopefully enjoy. You guys are awesome.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

She reached the bears home knowing he would be there. She entered and didn't feel the need to knock. He was there by his fire drinking an ale.

"War has.come to the east. I will not fight." he said "You have wasted your time coming to me." he added.

"How can you say that?!" she said anger and admonishion in her voice.

"You who gave me a juvenile cub such courage and strength in those cages!" she said. "You who have suffered as much as I. You who helped me amass a force to take our.people out of slavery. How could you say that to me?" she moved forward with anger her words ending in a low growl.

"Whatch yourself. This is my home my territory and if your challenging me I would advise otherwise. I will not fight for the likes of dwarves and elves and men." he growled back his homes walls shaking.

"I don't fear you! I fear no one and nothing. My brother is out there my men are there as well. They could be dying or enslaved as we speak! For them I would challenge you. Damning the heirarchy that says bears beat leopards everytime. I would die for them." she hissed. "I would die for you!" she added softly.

He stood advancing toward her and catching her neck in a harsh grip. "You can't defeat me. And its not only your men! And your brother or me! It is that elf king of yours. That mate that makes you so reckless." he bellowed.

"I-ah" she couldn't get air in as he pinned her to a column.

"Yes I know of him. I have known for a long time. Even when in your youth you did not. The day on the battlefield he wrapped a small wounded leopard female up with his fine cloak. The day we were in the midst of war after our escape. He drives you to this insanity." he said releasing some pressure so that she could breath in a needed breath.

"I have known." he muttered.

"Yes he is mine! I wouldn't die for him. I don't accept him yet. As you guessed I only discovered it a short while before my last visit." she rasped hands digging into the corded arm.

"Why would you ask me to go to war with you then?" he asked letting her drop to her feet.

"Azog and Bolg are there with their Gundabad orcs and goblins from the Misty mountains. If you don't come I will have all the fun." she smirked up at her friend trying to vainly lighten the mood.

"They will.die soon enough." he said.

"A noble bear once told me. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We can't stand against orcs alone. We need the other races to help us end the line of Azog for good" she said.

"Fight with me just once more. Take up the oath we made so adamantly so long ago. Be the noble bear I know you are. Fight with me!" she pleaded.

***************★*************

Battle was nigh in the morning light they would fight. Nothing new Thranduil reasoned as he sat sketching a familiar sketch. Long ago during his first taste of war he had seen a strange sight. A leopard fleeing through the ranks of orcs and elves.

He had been fighting and didn't notice the orc at his back. The leopard did and launched itself behind him. It had suffered a mortal blow. The noble beast had garnered his respect for the rest of his long years.

He had wrapped the leopard in his coat and had stayed with it as long as he could. The image of it hadn't left him in all his years. It was burnt into his mind.

A Guard bid him to allow entrance and he called out the go ahead.

"My lord a Lady Navea of Akzunian is here. Her brother is Adrian. She is wondering what the situation will be for tomorrow." the guard said.

"Tell her to come here I will breif her personally." he dismissed him with a turn of his hand.

She entered as silently as her animal side. She waited respectfully.

"What makes you want to be apart of this battle?" he asked bending over he map.

"I have an oath to fulfill." she said simply he glanced behind him noting the weapons she carried.

"What oath is that?" he turned back back to note places they oils be used.

"You once wondered about my scars. I have good reason to want to end Azog and his commrade Bolg. Or any orc." pain was in her voice a deep burning pain.

"Very well I have a plan." he could understand that. He could respect that.

'Despite how much disdain I have for her.'

She and her fighters would be of good use. She would be a surprising advantage to their force.

**************★**************

An hour later they both leaned back and sipped the wine he had proffered. It was a good plan he reasoned. She had very good ideas. And she had a head for war strategy something at first he had had trouble le learning.

"You drew the leopard?" she asked noticing for the firstime the parchment near her arm.

"Yes long ago a leopard saved my life. It has ever been an image I can't seem to get right. An image that saved you. I respect leopards greatly which is why I captured you instead of killing you." he said softly.

"You tried to shoot me that night" she said.

"Yes I did. You confounded me. You angered me. Your intelligence and stealth instinctively challenged me. Even now i feel as if you challenge me simply because it is like two stallions in the same herd. There will never be no peace in the herd because the two will never cease to challenge one another." he explained sipping his wine.

"Yes I can understand that. But I do respect you Thranduil if I didn't I would have killed you the night I escaped. Of the night I knocked you from your perch. Your respect for the leopard made you not shoot me." she said standing and going to the door.

"How do you know I didn't intend to shoot you that night?" he wondered perplexed.

"You allowed me out of your sight. Into thick bushes. No hunter would do that." then she was gone into the night.

'very good intuition pet very keen indeed.'