First of all, I want to say that if you are in DC, please stay safe and aware. It's literally a warzone, be careful, be smart, stay inside if you can.

Secondly, hi. Li Shuwen's banner drops soon (tonight I think) and I Live In Fear And Anticipation. I will be streaming me rolling for him on my twitch channel twitch. tv / penguinkiwis so if you just want to follow so you can watch it live when I do roll or if you want to check it out later (and probably hear me screech and/or cry depending on the outcome) have at it.

Third, I hope you guys had a decent new years despite everything.

Despite how much he liked Thranduil's dry humor and sharp wit, Li happened to hate Greenwood the Great— or rather, Mirkwood as it was called now.

It was hard to see with how dense the trees were and there was a deadly stillness in the entire forest— something that one would not find in any other forest. Gods, what he would have given to see it in his prime. To be straight to the point, however, the forest felt sick.

And no matter how many times he visited, nothing changed. So he agreed with Bilbo when the Hobbit remarked how sick the forest seemed. The Hobbit had remarked as such after Thorin had tripped over a root fallen on his face and Dwalin had made some sharp comments about how to walk.

The two almost got into a fight, and Li had almost just let it happen, if only because he had grown so tired of the fraying tempers— a fight would have done them all some good. But he, instead, broke them up and made Dwalin walk in the back. He had told Elrond about it later that night when he told him that they were in Mirkwood. The Elven Lord had only wished him luck in the coming days.

Throughout the days they traveled, Li had told the Company a number of times to stay put while he checked out what was going on ahead, the position of the sun, and if anything large was making its way through— and by large, he meant spiders.

And twice, Li had dropped back down from the trees to see the Company almost at each other's throats, with Bilbo looking helplessly exasperated. After that, he started sending Bilbo up instead— the Hobbit was a decent climber and had a sword with him, so it was alright. He always told him to just drop down when he didn't see anything and Li caught in every time.

It was one of the times when Li had climbed up himself and returned to the Company arguing when it became all too obvious that they needed a break for at least a bit. The stress and how the forest bore down on them was just too much and the Company could not continue on. So Li called over to them, telling the group that they would stop for a break.

For the first time that day, the Company seemed to brighten up and were happy enough to agree.

Soon enough, they were all seated in a loose and somewhat lumpy circle on the Elven Path, though Li had decided to sit upon a boulder next to it. Food was rationed and he cleared his throat as he gazed down at the Company while they ate slowly.

"This forest is a bit dreary and dark," He said as the Company turned towards him. "But a story would at least raise your spirits, if you would like to hear one."

Both Kíli and Fíli brightened and nodded at his offer, as did Ori and the others seemed quite pleased at the idea.

"If you don't mind, instead of a story, would you mind telling me something, Master Li?" Balin spoke up and Li blinked, tilting his head before turning to him.

"Sure, what's up?"

Though his brows furrowed at the phrase— though this was not the first time that they had heard him say it— Balin nodded. "The Eagles and Beorn had both called you something— The Eagles calling you the Dragon of Red, while Beorn would refer to you as Tiger."

Li nodded slowly. "And you're wondering why they call me either Tiger or Dragon?"

"Aye, lad," the aged Dwarf said. "Beorn, I understand, due to his habit of referring to others as animals. But what a tiger is, I do not."

Li chuckled a bit but nodded.

"Both titles come from an idiom from my homeland," he started. "It is a story that refers to a lesson associated it, and in my language it is comprised of a total of four characters." He summoned his spear before he took the tip and wrote them out in the dirt so they could see it.

"Wò hǔ cáng lóng, 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'," he told them as he finished writing it. He vanished his spear before he continued. "It means not to underestimate anyone based on appearances alone— for there are talented individuals always in hiding."

Seeing the nods from the Company made Li smile slightly. The group had learned by watching him that underestimating him simply because he looked like a normal man was his best weapon. The Orcs had done so, and Azog was dead.

"There is another take on the two animals, however," he said, making them look back over. "And it refers to the fact that there are times when two spirits meet and are so wildly different— yet the same. Mortal enemies intricately linked by destiny."

He leaned back, thinking a bit before he continued. "In my world, dragons are split into two groups— those of the West and those of the East. The dragons of the West are more akin to the ones you know— greedy, and many breathing flames and bringing nothing but destruction. In the East, they are more patient, and many are revered as gods. Had it been a Dragon from the East from my home that arrived at the Lonely Mountain, it wouldn't have been to bring ruin and for your riches— if it had brought ruin, it was because you had angered it, for they are beings of peace and prosperity. And to answer you, Balin, I do not believe Tigers are beings that exist here, or at least on this side of Arda."

At the confused looks from the Company, he continued. "Tigers are cats, but much much larger, with fur an orange color and stripes a deep black— though some are white and black and the shade of orange can vary," he explained. "And by much larger, I mean to say that there are some that are larger than Wargs."

He brought his spear out again, drawing in the dirt but this time it was the rough shape of a tiger.

"The Tiger," he explained as he tapped the drawing lightly with the speartip, "n the idiom, symbolizes someone who lunges straight ahead to bulldoze through opponents." he paused before he drew the Eastern-styled dragon that he had known from home with its long serpentine body.

"While the Dragon represents patience and wisdom from which he then derives fighting power. Neither will be able to conquer the other and so these two beasts represent a balance of power— the "hard" and "soft" styles coming together to form a harmony. In some cases, the Dragon represents the Heavens, soaring above and watching the world while the Tiger becomes the Earth, four feet planted firmly on the ground and prowling to hunt."

He then pointed towards himself.

"This form of mine is the Tiger, and that is how Beorn knows me as," he told them all. "He knows me as the hot-blooded, battle ready Lancer from the Throne. He quite dislikes it when I become an old man and lecture him. The Elder form of mine, the one that you saw when I killed Azog, that is the Dragon. Calmer, and though just as likely to leap into battle, he has more patience and a bit more sense. Had I not been summoned as I am now, a Servant with both Origins shoved into one body, with a Berserker rearing under both, you would certainly not see a mix of both in my actions."

"Meaning you wouldn't have called us Xiǎozi?" Kíli asked and his brother snickered.

"Probably not, because my first response to being annoyed would to flip you both over my shoulder with broken wrists!" he said back with a grin and a chuckle. He gazed up at the trees above them, eyes squinting before he sighed heavily and stood.

"The sun is still moving," he said, "Let us keep going now."

There were groans from the Company, but they stood, and Li noticed Thorin's expression— deep in thought as he considered his words.

Li had been giving the Dwarf a great many things to think about as of late, and he hoped that by doing so, he would be less stubborn and more willing to either be amicable or at least silent in the presence of Thranduil.

(x)

He wasn't sure how they had gotten onto the topic, but Bilbo and Bofur were suddenly talking about the fatal flaws of each race on Arda. Well, the Dwarves, Elves, and Hobbits, at least.

Bilbo had pointed out that the Dwarves' fatal flaw was their love for precious things— Bofur had rebuked that, but Bilbo simply had to say 'Smaug?' and the miner shut up. According to Bilbo, the Hobbits' flaws were that they were a bit too finicky and Dwalin and Glóin snorted at that.

Too finicky indeed.

Li had only been half-listening to the conversation behind him as they walked. Thorin uttered about how Elves were self-entitled and selfish.

Li had smacked him over the head lightly before Bilbo quizzically inquired to Li about humanity's flaws.

"Humanity's flaws, huh…?" He repeated and he saw Bilbo nod out of the corner of his eye.

He thought for a moment before he shrugged. "I mean, in Middle-Earth, probably our mortality and weaker bodies. Humans aren't as long-lived as Elves, they aren't as sturdy as Dwarves. They don't have powers like the Wizards or Beorn and they're not born able to walk quietly like Hobbits," he decided, lifting a branch out of the way of his face.

"In my world though, it was everything. Humans made up a majority of the population— depending on the world, the only population. We forged our way through our own wills and strength. But humans are greedy, finicky, self-entitled, and arrogant. Some days, it seems as if the evil outweighs the good."

The Company fell silent and Li gazed up at the trees. "Personally, though, I think my flaw was arrogance and being too strong."

"Why is being too strong bad?" Ori called and Li hummed.

"It was what killed me in the end," he said simply and he heard Balin's sharp intake of breath.

They had forgotten he had been dead.

"You guys want to know?" Li asked, glancing back at the Company. Bilbo looked conflicted.

"You don't mind? I'd hate for us to be insensitive!" he exclaimed but he shook his head.

"I've been dead for a while, friend. So I don't really mind," he told him. "Besides, it's time for a break, I think. It's almost nightfall."

It didn't take long for the Company to gather together and set up camp on the Road, a small fire crackling as Li found another rock to sit on. Li let them all get something to eat before he started.

"I'm sure you all remember how I was called 'No Second Strike' in my past, correct?" he asked and at the nods, he continued. "Well, I died undefeated in combat. I left a trail of bodies behind me as well. You see, I took challenges my entire life. Challenges were often to the death, or to first blood, but I never took first blood challenges." He leaned back, crossing his arms as he chuckled.

"I was known for killing and crippling people just because I didn't know anything else," he said, "I was never one to pull my punches when I was alive."

"You still can't," Dori huffed and Óin nodded in agreement.

"How many times have you asked me for bandages, lad?"

"Hey, this is my story," Li said with a huff, though he chuckled. "Let me have some dignity."

The Company laughed and Li shook his head before clearing his throat.

"Anyways," he said, "Just like I'm sure you did, Thorin, the relatives of those I killed didn't exactly take it lying down. So of course, there were more than a number of attempts on my life."

"Did you die young, Master Li?" Kíli asked and he shot him a flat look.

"Boy, I have a younger form and an Elder form."

His brother snickered as Thorin rolled his eyes slightly. Li rolled his eyes as well but continued.

"Paranoia, to a point, can keep you alive," he told the Company. "I'm sure you know that. Knowing my age and the bodies I left behind me, I really should've expected and been less paranoid about being killed through underhanded ways. I never told anyone where I was going, and I hardly used doors to enter a building. The window was always a safer bet to me then."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I had been visiting someone, a friend. But he had been bribed into the schemes of another."

He held his hand up, stopping the angry grumbling that had erupted. "I do not blame him, the families who wanted me dead were… formidable," He told the Company, who still looked disgruntled. To them, and to many Dwarves, loyalty was above all else.

Bifur grunted something, moving his hands and Bofur took a sharp intake.

"He poisoned you, didn't he?" the Miner translated and Li nodded.

"Indeed. Poisoned my tea. I'm surprised that anyone guessed," he said, blinking before he nodded again at Bifur. "How did you know, my friend?"

Bifur made another set of hand gestures and Bofur frowned. "'ya always sniff whatever's handed to ya before ya eat it or drink it' is what he says," he told them and Bombur nodded.

"Aye, I always noticed that," he agreed.

"But you didn't do that in Rivendell," Thorin grunted, "Why?"

Li leaned back again, humming. "Elrond," he said simply, as if that explained everything. At the blank looks, he sighed but elaborated. "He would have the power to heal me if any of his court decided to poison me."

"You trust that Elf so much?" the King-in-Exile asked and he snorted.

"Thorin, if I had to choose someone to entrust my entire life to at this exact moment, I would be him," he told him with a hum. "So, yes, I do trust Elrond with my life. I have told you that I don't have a Master, correct? If I had to choose one from Middle-Earth my loyalty would lie with him. There are very few in Middle-Earth who would even have the power to hold Contract with me, save the Elves and Wizards. That said, I would join your Company again in a heartbeat, but I do not trust anyone more than I trust Lord Elrond aside from Beorn and my own self."

(x)

For two more days, the Company traveled through Mirkwood, keeping a close watch on their surroundings and always making sure to keep Li in their line of sight. In all fairness, he wasn't hard to see, with his bright red attire and hair, but sometimes it was hard to know if the man walking at the front was real or an illusion created by the forest.

Sometimes, Li did not feel real to himself and he would glance at his hand or summon his spear to remind himself that he simply was.

He hated the forest and hated going along the path so slowly. Had he been alone, he would have weaved through the trees and fought through spiders— arriving at Thranduil's stronghold doors within a day or two. But he could not do that here, not with the Company.

He could feel the smaller spiders watching them all from the shadows, but he couldn't pinpoint them— and even if he could, there were too many to even hope to destroy them all. If the Elves were watching them, he didn't know, but Thranduil often did not send Elves to monitor his movements when he entered the forest, so he doubted it. Thranduil was as much as a part of the forest as it was of him, he could sense and monitor his movements without sending a patrol of Elves after him.

Still, the Company stuck firmly to the path.

As they walked, Balin and Thorin had talked to him about what they were to do if (when, Li had thought but held his tongue) they ran into Elves. Thorin was adamant on the idea that Thranduil would rather have them rot than to continue. Balin looked exasperated and Li simply sighed.

"I will handle everything, Thorin," He told him simply. "Thranduil and I, while not close friends, as the Woodland King keeps everyone at an arm's length, are friendly to one another. He, Elrond, and Myself have shared a table on more than one occasion, and I certainly know how to handle a stubborn child or thirteen, it seems."

Balin chuckled at that while Thorin let out a defeated sigh.

"It would do you some good to lighten your attitude and look past your own grievances," the Lancer added, "The grudge between Elves and your kin is not unfounded, but look at the other side of the coin as well. Would you have risked your people to save the Elves had Smaug decided to burn the forest of Greenwood down when your forces were already being hunted and run ragged by Spiders and other dark creatures that festered in your mountain Halls?"

With that, Li had given Thorin yet another thing to think about as they continued to walk.

And it was in three more days did the Company end up encountering the Elves. In the most disastrous way as possible, as well.

They had just crossed over a river, one that Li had wrinkled his nose up at and warned them that the water was saturated with dark magic and not to fall into it. They heeded his advice, though Bombur almost fell into the river— thank the gods he had caught him on time.

It was then that Thorin suggested that they rest again.

Li was about to respond before he sensed them. His spear was in his hand in a flash, startling the rest of the Company, but then the Spiders were upon them.

Li knew the dangers of the Spiders, instantly surging forwards to attack the one before him with quick thrusts of his spear before he turned onto the next. The rest of the Company leaped into action as well, though it was soon apparent that they were fighting more than just the normal handful of Spiders who had wanted to hunt.

This was more of a horde.

Quickly, the Company grouped up as they were surrounded, fighting back to back simply to keep their heads above the preverbal water. Kíli had swapped his bow for his sword, as the quarters were too close to avoid hurting someone if he did draw his bow. He and his brother were next to Li, slashing at the spiders who were attempting to catch the company in webs.

Li took on four of the spiders at once, thrusting his spear into one before his kick sunk into the abdomen of another, sending it high before it crashed back down onto the ground with a thud. It scrabbled for purchase on the forest floor, but another Spider rose overtop of it in order to get to him. Li only leaped up, bringing his spear down and impaling them both before he leaped away to deal with others.

"Watch for the poison!" he heard Nori shout as he dealt with another along aside of Dwalin and his brother. "They're trying to knock us unconscious!"

"If they're feeling particularly hungry, their venom'll do more than that!" Li shouted back, "If you get bit, I can't do shit for you when your organs liquidize!"

"Aye!" came shouts from the company.

His spear shot out as Bifur and Bofur ducked past him and Dwalin, finding its mark in between the eyes of the spider following them.

He spun before his eyes flashed and he seemed to vanish before the Spiders' and the Company's eyes. "Keep attacking!" He ordered as he activated his Sphere Boundary.

He had already been a hard target and moved fast, but now he was out of sight and the Spiders had become confused as he stabbed and slashed at them. The tide of the battle slowly began to turn as he continued to attack in his invisible state, and then he heard it.

The telltale sign of movement through the trees.

Had he been anyone else, he would not have been able to hear it— after all, the Elves of the Woodland Realm moved much quieter and faster than their kin in the Valley or in Lórien out of necessity. But Li was not a normal Human, so he heard the sound of movement before the first arrow hit its mark.

Li instantly became visible as a group of Elves that Li recognized burst into the clearing— but following them came a second set of spiders.

He wasted no time, leaping up and grounding two of them who were soon to descend on the Company. The Company, to their credit, didn't falter as they continued to attack the Spiders while the Elves poured into the clearing— hacking, slashing, and firing arrows at any and all of the eight-legged creatures around them.

He found himself swapping his spear for one of the Elves' swords— Eryneth, one of Thranduil's lieutenants— as they fought back to back, both dispatching the Spiders closest to them before they swapped weapons back. And then she vanished from his sight as he saw the flash of Legolas' hair as he spun his spear to kill another spider. He was joined by Tauriel, who fired arrows without missing her mark before Li left her not soon after, leaping up into the trees and sending a number to the ground with stabs through their heads.

The battle was close to finished almost as soon as it started. The number of spiders was cut down steadily and before long, the Elves seemed ready to turn their attention to the Dwarves that they had "come across". Then, without warning, a spider larger than the others dropped from the cover of the trees above, heading straight for Legolas. Li saw, of course, turning from his own spot in the trees as several of the Elves cried out and moved to attack. Kíli's arrow was knocked and ready to fly, but it hardly mattered.

Li kicked off from the trunk of the tree and impaled the spider from the side with so much force, the attack carried them across the clearing. The spear lodged itself into a tree and the spider squirmed and writhed for a moment longer. Li let go and dropped down as it stopped and fell limp before he pulled the weapon from the wood— only to groan as he saw Legolas holding Thorin at arrow-point.

"What business do yo have in the Woodland Realm, Dwarf?" the Elvenprince demanded. "None are allowed here except with the King's permission."

"Lower your bow, Prince Legolas," Li said as he walked over, wiping blood from his spear. Several Elves who hadn't managed to catch sight of him in the fray startled before bowing to him and Legolas whirled around.

"Besides, if the King," he stressed the word, "Requires permission to see, then I have been breaking laws left and right the entire time I've been here."

A spark of amusement lit up in a few of the Elves' eyes, as they were used to him dropping in unexpectedly— as were many others he had visited throughout the years— but Legolas' brows furrowed

"You wish to see the King?" the blonde Elf asked, glancing to the Dwarves— and Bilbo. Li hummed in response.

"Well, yes and no. I would, as I have something to discuss with him, but no in that it was not our intention to at the beginning," he said simply. "Should it be that Elvenking Thranduil has no wish to speak to the Company, then I would ask that you escort them out of the forest and I will gladly speak to him alone."

The look in Legolas' eyes was easily read by him, though. The young Prince wanted nothing more than to drag the Company to his father in chains, but Li was a firm friend and a strong individual. And the Prince knew that. Should he attempt to do so, immobilizing him and the Elves in his party would be child's play for the Servant.

The Prince instead cleared his throat. "Search them," he ordered to his kin before he turned to Li. "I will take you to see the King, but not armed. Such is—"

"Such is the law, yes, yes, I know," he said dryly before he made a show of vanishing his spear. The Company made noises of disagreement as they were being disarmed, Thorin looking almost enraged, but Li's sharp look cut them all off. He held gaze with the leader of the Company for a moment longer before the soon to be King Under The Mountain gave a begrudging nod.

If they wanted to get out of Mirkwood with their heads, then it would be best to listen and do as ordered. They were short on supplies as it was, if help from Thranduil could be given with negotiations, then it would be welcomed with as much tolerance as possible from each side.

So the Company bore the searching as patiently as they could have been expected to and Li saw Thorin allow himself a small smile when he caught sight of Fíli's daggers being discovered one by one, much to the growing disgruntlement of his assigned guard. When finally all of their weapons had been taken, Thorin found himself confronted by an angry Legolas, holding Orcrist in hand.

"Where did you get this?" he snapped and Li placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Lord Elrond gave it to him," he said, stressing the name again, giving Legolas a sharp look. The boy inherited his father's temper, though he made attempts to restrain it the best he could. "Gandalf has another sword we found, Glamdring. Please, do not make my task harder than it needs to be."

The tension between the two was palpable, but Legolas relented.

"Bring them," he called and the other Elves began to move the Dwarves along the road once more. Li walked next to Legolas, arms behind his back silently.

He sure as hell hoped that Thranduil had gotten his message that he had murmured to the forest when they first arrived.

I personally like the idea that Li and Li represent the Tiger and the Dragon. The Brash, Redheaded, Battle-hungry Tiger and the Patient, Silver-haired, Wisened Dragon. Really, Fate gave it to us on a silver platter.

Reviews:

Setsu: Beorn's been one of my favorites and he's really a lot like a more mild Beorn so I'm glad you loved that interaction between him and Li. Yeah, Li'd heal faster in Spirit form, but he likes to keep the Company in his sights and vice versa (aka: I forgot whoops)