Frostbound love

Chapter 3

Authors note: How is it guys? Please read review comment and vote.

Bound and bedeviled

She followed the much taller skin changer to his home. His home was in itself a sanctuary for many animals. She had been to long away from her friend. How she missed had him. They shared alot of horrible memories and experiences together. The bonds that connected them were forged in the darkest and hottest of flames.

'Bonds such as these are the strongest and hardest to break'

They had been friends since they were slaves. She had many times.asked him to come stay in her village. He had refused every time. He wasn't arrogant in his freedom just unable to control his animal. The orcs had broken him and the trust.he had with his more primal side.

If he had been a feline she would have considered taking him as a mate. Bears and felines didn't mix very well though. Besides that he had lost his mate long ago. He had many qualities she found honorable in males: strength, kindness, empathy, and a fighters spirit. He thought of the smallest creatures and their place in the  world. That was something to be respected in men with such troubled pasts. Feline females needed a mate to prove himself to her. Bears didn't do such.

They were much better friends and allies than they would be mates. She followed him into his home and waited for him to speak first. She sat near his hearth on the floor legs crossed as he threw her a blanket to cover her naked form. He came from his room dressed and sat in his chair gazing into the fire.

"What has brought you from the far north?" his heavily accented voice resonated in the quite of the night.

"I have come to visit a very old friend. Have you seen him anywhere? Big male skin changer? Sometimes a man and sometimes a bear, anyone like that here?" she teased him catching the small smile that formed on his lips.

"I think I know of someone you may know. Although this bear is getting old and grumpy." his voice remained light until he took a heavy breath in. "What advice do you seek from me? I know you have been going into Mirkwood to hunt the kings deer."

"I have. If i bring home a deer two families can be fed for a week. I would need to hunt rabbits constantly. We can't keep struggling to find food in the moutains." She defended softly.

"That is true but you risk the King of Mirkwoods wrath. He isn't an elf you want to anger. He will not only kill or imprison you he will raze your village to the ground. Our kind need a place in this world. All of my clan are dead there is no hope for the bears. The canine and feline skin changers are far more resilant than us bears." his eyes lowered sorrowfully.

"It is nothing about resilance my friend it is simply that we are underestimated. My clan still sorrows for the loss of the bears. Your family was well loved and respected by all of our kind. It was a sad day when most were killed and a few were taken." tears entered her voice when she thought back to those days.

"If it had not been for you. . . I would not have come back to my sanity. I am sorry to say this but I will be eternally grateful to the powers that be that you were fostering with my family at the time of our capture. If not for you I would never have made it from the pits." his eyes held a hint of worry as the scent of it washed over her.

"I am not sorry you say that because i was honored to be at your side and to have you at mine. We helped each other. I did no more for you than you did for me."

Silence filled the space around them and she knew he was gathering his thoughts for the subject to come. She sat and waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts. She thought of what words she wanted to say. Prehaps to get his go ahead or agreeance to her hunting in Mirkwood. She knew it was dangerous to her and not only her people. She just didn't want to hear just how dangerous it was. She couldn't think about that kind of thing. She had to look to the welfare of her people.

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Thranduil had carefully followed the pair to the barn type building that was obviously used as a home. He climbed up onto the roof thanking the Valor for the elves light footedness. He found a place to peer inside the building and lay himself down beside it. He listened to the conversation below.

". . . I did no more for you than you did for me." her voice was feminine and softer than what he thought it would be. Her voice made him want to close his eyes and listen to the silken tones of her voice.

"Do not go into Mirkwood anymore my friend. Thranduil is an elf you should not mess with. As I said before this is dangerous to you and others. I will be unable to do anything to help you. The fact that you have avoided detection and tracking for so long is a miracle. Eventually the king himself will track you himself. He is not the most patient when it comes to things of this nature." the huskier accented male voice spoke out to the female.

Silence followed betweent the two he waited on the knife's edge to hear what she would decide. And then her voice spoke out so softly that he almost missed it.

"Very well my friend do you know of better prey else where in the mountains far from the Elven Kings precious deer?" she said her voice slightly rose and a bitting tone filled her voice as she spoke the last of her words.

"You could try the mountain goat. If you are a good enought huntress and practice moving up and down the cliff sides you may be able to be successful with what quarry you seek from them. Leopards are excellent at branching out their tastes. On the plains surronding my homstead there are elk at times. You may catch them before they disappear inside the greenwood."

"Very well my friend I would stay longer but I must go before dawn shines and I loose the cover of darkness."

Nothing else was spoken and he waited for them both to exit and shift; the leopard went toward the forest and the bear went out into the open tree spotted plain.  He followed the Leopardess toward her home.

'you have already defyed me enought little girl for me to let you go. And you facinate me to no end. Waht are you? How did you survive the orcs killing of your kind?' He thought as he trailed the cat soon the oppurtunity would come to capture her.

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Navea shifted as she came to a beautiful pool near the northren edge of Mirkwood. She scooped water up and washed her sweat slick skin. She knew once she reached her home she would be too tired to bath. She took a few sips of water as she let her eyes close and her leg dangle into the water.

The smell of fallen leaves in autumn reached her nose her eyes jerked open but it was too late. The pain radiated from the back of her skull and blackness consumed her vision. She caught a flash of silvery blond hair and meanecing frosted blue eyes. A high elf she knew well finally had her within reach.

'I just blundered straight into his clutches! How stupid could i be !' she thought as she slipped into unconsiousness.