Frostbound love

Chapter 2

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Games of cat and mouse

Months passed and spring became summer. The cat remained elusive and ever present in the mind of the king. The cat was at times seen and yet never were they able to put a stop to it.

The kills were not frequent and disruptive to the deer herds. To Thranduil's surprise it was simply like any other predator hunting for food. Why it drug its kills so far he didn't know. Many times warriors told of being face to face with the beast yet none were killed or harmed.

This animal was for all intents and purposes a normal apex predator. Still not thirsting after the blood of higher beings. Though it was more cunning than even the dragon he had faced long ago.

The cat had done a grievous wrong in the eyes of the king. It had taught him that even kings can die. Even he could be brought low. This was simply unacceptable. He would not be bested by a cat. Top of the food chain or not.

He would take back his forest from the arrogant feline. It was an oath he had made the night it had dared clamp its teeth upon his throat. It would rue the day for its stupidity.

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Navea crouched upon the boulders overlooking the waterfall. The river traveling from the mountains was rough and fast flowing.The cold water fell below her on either side of her rock. Speckles of water flicked upon her skin raising goose flesh upon her arms.

Many of her clan were enjoying the pool of water below. She let her gaze rove over the trees to her left. The trees of Mirkwood were gloomy across the flat lower level plain streched south from the river. No elves ventured this far north for fear of bring down the dragons wrath.

She only knew of one elf whose arrogance would draw them here if he suspected anything. If he knew his mysterious feline called this place home he would come here personally and put and arrow in her. She smiled revealing her catlike incisors; pronounced but fitting neatly inside her mouth.

The elf amused her in the way a rodent would a house cat. Entertaining until it was no longer struggling. Her smile vanished and her lups hardend into a thin line.Her kind couldn't afford to be known to others. Last time orcs had discovered a use for them.

The horror of those days were still too fresh. Her nose took in the scent of snow coming from the mountain range high above. She let out a call to tell those below of the change.

They all got out and made thir way up back toward the mountains. This was their home. This was their sanctuary. A place of safety and free of the threat of slavery. She didn't follow her people.

Instead she looked to the south and knew she needed to see an old friend. It had been too long since her last visit with the male.He was someone who preferred isolation to safety in numbers.

'time to trek through Mirkwood once more'

She stood from her crouch loosening the muscles that had tightened. In a short moment of shifting bones and sprouting fur a leopardess stood in the woman's place.

Proud and noble the beast surveyed her surroundings with disdain. She was master of the natural world. Even the forest dared not to reveal her presence to her quarry. She was the perfect killing machine. Engineered for the ambush take down.

The pale golden green eyes were the same. Darker instincts lay within her eyes though. In one crouching leap she propelled herself ten feet to the bank of the river. Then she was off trotting with great purpose to the murky forest

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The leopard made its way through the far southern edges of Mirkwood. She was wary of going out into the open when she smelt the scent of orcs so strongly. She found high grass to dart into and headed on toward her destination.

When she entered his territory she smelly his scent strongly here. She cautiously called out into the night as she sat herself into the tall grasses. She continued her serenade to the bear man. She didn't know who she would find in her presence.

His animal was too far out of his control. The man however was a gentleman. His bear form would better accept her cat form easier. The man would recognize her by sight.

Leopard female feline skin changers were rare in the small numbers left of her clan. He was only on friendly terms with her. So she continued her calls into the night. Waiting. . . her patience was resolute and immovable.

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Thranduil had long since followed the cat as it had silently passed beneath his perch. He had been careful to remain undiscovered while trailing the cat.

When he saw it call out and lay in the long grasses he paused to study the creature. She was magnificent if such a malcontented beast could be considered magnificent. The leopard continueously called out.

The large shape of a bear came running toward the cat. It remained calm as the bear snifed about its hiding spot. The cat waited until the bear was calmed and stepped toward it and rubbed herself along the bear.

'Never have I seen such a sight. What bear and leopard would be so calm in each others prescense?'

As if speaking silently with each other suddenly somethinvhe had never seen before happend. Something that had not been seen since the war of the ring (1st ring war). The bright lights that filled the darkness were momentarily blinding.

In the place of the animals were human figures instead. It was impossible, there should not have been any more of their kind. His animal was instead a common human poacher. His rage was unspeakable.

'She will pay dearly for poaching in my wood! '