At Helm's Deep, things were becoming… worse.

More and More Uruks were entering the once great fortress of Rohan all thanks to the breaches in the Walls and the Gates . What remained of the Defenders were retrenched in the Keep because they were outnumbered by the number of enemies flooding in the fortress.

Only two Defenders decided to stay behind and they were trying their best to prevent the waves of Saruman's lackeys to reach their comrades and brothers in arms but sadly some Uruks managed to pass them and were now standing before the doors of the Keep, battling it with a massive ram. The two in question were none other that Kopa and his mate Vitani.

They refused to retreat like the rest of the Defenders and instead chose to fight to the end. In the air, all we could hear where the angry roars of the Lions along with the screeches of the Uruks and the sound of pierced metal. The flags of Isengard were waving in the air thanks to the Uruks standing on the walls as all members of Saruman's army raised their weapons , roaring out in victory. Before the doors of the Keep, some Uruks were still using the ram in an attempt to break in and finish what they started.

At the same time in the Keep, the remaining Rohirrim Soldiers along with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli were barricading the doors as best as possible with whatever they have in the room they were in. In the back, Theoden had his wound tended by Gamling but then the King looked back at the doors " The fortress is taken... It is over..." Theoden said softy in defeat.

Aragorn, who had heard this, turned around to face the King while Legolas ran away to pick up a bench for the barricade " You said this fortress would never fall while your men defend it…. They still defend it... They have died defending it !" Isildur's heir stated as the King of Rohan stared at him with absolutely no hope present in his eyes.

Then a loud 'BAM' was heard as the ram battled against the doors and inside the caves, the women and children were whimpering in pure fear as some cried in terror "They're breaking in !" A woman hugged Eowyn who looked distraught. At her side was Ioreth who looked at the sky before saying silently "Great Kings of the Past please… make sure we win...". Then she stopped when she heard a loud roar echoing from the outside " and please… protect Auntie Tani and Uncle Kopa..."

Back in the Keep, Aragorn stopped looking at the doors to glanced at the King hurriedly "Is there no other way for the women and children to get out of the caves ?" he asked Theoden who didn't respond. Around them, the Rohirrim Soldiers also staid silent. "Is there no other way ?" Strider asked again still in the same tone than before. After a moment, Gamling raised his head to answer " There is one passage... It leads into the mountains... But they will not get far… The Uruk-hai are too many !"

Then another loud 'BAM' was heard when the ram battled again against the doors. The Rohirrim Soldiers who were standing against the doors, backed away because of the impact but then they braced themselves back against the doors. Aragorn putted a hand on Gamling's shoulder before saying "Send word for the women and children to make for the mountain pass... And barricade the entrance !"

Gamling nodded and was about to leave to do what he was told to when Theoden's voice caught his attention along with Strider's " So much death... What can Men do against such reckless hate ?"

"What about Kopa and Vitani ?! Are we going to let them fight alone ? They are outside, fighting while we are standing here , doing nothing !" Gimli remarked from his place as he and Legolas approached the King and their friend.

Aragorn glanced at the Dwarf then at the doors when a loud roar echoed before looking back at Theoden (whose back was turned) with determination in his eyes " Ride out with me..." The King turned around to face him and he repeated "Ride out and meet them..." "For death and glory ?" Theoden asked him as he realized what the Ranger was implying. "For Rohan... For your people !" Was Strider's answer.

"The sun is rising..." Gimli remarked as he glanced at the window where we could indeed see the light of the sun coming from it. Aragorn, seeing this, remembered what Gandalf told him the moment he left to look for Eomer and his men "Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the East !"

Then Isildur's heir looked back at Theoden who now harbored a look of fierce determination in his eyes as he said those words "Yes.. Yes ! The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the Deep... One last time !" Those words seemed to galvanized his men because they all lost the defeated looks they had to change into one of determination. "Yes !" Gimli shouted in excitement as he turned around to run up a spiral staircase.

Theoden putted a hand on Aragorn's shoulder just at the doors was hit again by the ram "Let this be the hour when we draw swords together !" Strider nodded back at the King respectfully. At the same time, Gimli arrived at the top of the stairs where a big horn was standing , atop of a stone. Back below, Aragorn, Theoden , Legolas and some Rohirrim Soldiers were now riding their horses , looking at the doors while they all stood at the back of the room.

"Fell deeds awake..." The King of Rohan began to say when the doors was hit again, knocking out some supports in the process " Now for wrath..." Aragorn drew his sword "… Now for ruin… And the red dawn !" Theoden said as he putted his helmet. Then Gimli blew into the horn just as the Uruks broke the doors before charging forward. "Forð Eorlingas !" Theoden shouted loudly and around him, his men and allies drew their weapons before charging forward with a battle-cry.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

(Earlier)

An Uruk crashed against a wall with a large gash on its chest but it didn't have time to get back up when a clawed paw slashed its neck. The paw belonged to Vitani who growled at the upcoming enemies. The Beige Lioness was beginning to feel tired and was wondering how long she would be able to keep up at this rate.

She finished off another one before glancing at her mate who was covered in Uruks. Thankfully, the Brown Maned Lion took a swipe with his right front-paw and pushed off some of his attackers. However, Vitani noticed that his blows were becoming less and less faster and she understood that Kopa was growing tired as well.

She didn't know how long it had been since Aragorn called out for them to come but it seemed like an eternity. Of course, she didn't regretted her decision to stay behind but she never thought their enemies would be THAT determined to kill their comrades. But then her thought were quickly interrupted by a loud roar from her mate who was glaring at a group of Uruks who seemed hesitant to attack him.

Vitani was about to go and help but something pulled on her tail. She flinched before slowly turned her head to see an Uruk with her tail between its digusting hands. The Beast in question blinked at her when a furious growl came out of the Lioness's throat, her eyes glaring at him. It was at this moment that the Uruk knew… it made a BIG mistake.

It didn't had time to react as the Lioness swiftly took a swipe and the blow coming from it sent the Beast flying the air before crashing against a wall. Huffing in satisfaction, she turned her attention toward another Uruk who was charging him from behind. Quickly, she pounced on it before pinning the disgusting creature on the ground. Then she raised a clawed paw before slashing the Beast's neck.

Then a screech echoed from her right side and she turned her head to see an Uruk charging, she growled at it but before she could pounced, Kopa appeared and sent the Beast crashing hard against the ground with his paw. The Brown Maned Lion looked at his mate with a supportive smile but then it quickly disappeared when he looked at something "Oh no..." he whispered in horror as his eyes widened in shock.

Vitani frowned at her mate's behavior and turned her head toward where he was looking… before gasping in shock when she saw some Uruks battling the doors of the Keep with a ram ! "But how did they get pass us ?!" she questioned loudly in disbelief and Kopa responded by saying "I don't know ! Maybe there is another passage ?" "Maybe but we can stay there and watch ! We have to go !" The Beige Lioness inquired loudly as she ran toward the doors as fst as she could.

Kopa quickly followed her but then they were stopped by a massive group of Uruks who blocked their paths, pointing their pikes at them, roaring defiantly. The Two Lions growled back at them threateningly as they glared at their opponents with hatred. No ones moved and instead glared at each other. Kopa's head turned slightly to look behind when he heard some footsteps. To his annoyance, it was another large group of Uruk-hai and he understood that now, he and his mate were surrounded by enemies . Unable to escape…

Despise this, none of two showed fear in their eyes and stood their grounds much to their opponents' annoyance. But then something caught their attention and the two turned their heads to see the doors broken by the ram as some Uruks rushed in. They were horrified by this but then a loud horn-like sound echoed in the air.

To their absolute relief, from the doors, appeared some Riders and among them were their friends and King Theoden at the lead.

The Uruks were taken aback by the sudden appearance and made the mistake to look away from the Lions who didn't wasted more time as they charged forward , killing all enemies in their path as they made their way toward their friends and allies who were riding down the causeway toward the open area where a large part of what remained of Saruman's army still stand.

Kopa and Vitani soon appeared on the causeway and spotted their comrades fighting the waves of Uruks while still riding their horses. The two looked at each other before rushing down the causeway to help their friends , gathering what remained of strength to kill as much Uruks as they could.

Aragorn saw the two Lions and was glad they were still alive but then he turned around to cut down some Uruks before his attention was suddenly drawn to a nearby hillside. Why ? Because he saw a familiar figure covered in white riding a white horse as the majestic animal reared back. Behind the figure, the sun was rising.

"Gandalf..." Aragorn whispered quietly and he seemed relieved to see him again.

Vitani and Kopa, who were fighting side by side again, stopped dead in their tracks to look up at the hill with wide eyes as did Theoden and pretty much everyone present, Rohirrim and Uruks alike. Meanwhile, the White Wizard stared down at the remaining Defenders of Helm's Deep and Saruman's army. He seemed relieved to see his friends still alive as he spotted them in the middle of the Uruks army.

"Théoden king stands alone..." Gandalf remarked softy when Eomer appeared at his side , looking down the hill. "Not alone..." The King's nephew said back before drawing his sword and yelling loudly "Rohirrim !". Just then, many Rohirrim Riders appeared from behind the two with their weapons in hands , ready for battle. The Defenders , seeing this, felt a pang of hope appearing in their hearts at this sight and Theoden himself smiled at he looked up at his nephew with joy "Eomer..."

"To the King !" Eomer shouted loudly as he raised his men let out a battle cry as all of them along with Gandalf charged down the massive hillside . The Lions' eyes widened as the sight of so many Riders but they were happy regardless : here come reinforcement !

The Uruks , the ones who weren't engaging Theoden and the rest of the remaining Defenders, began to move towards the hill before stopping at its foot and lowering their pikes forward. However, the Rohirrim Riders just kept on coming, not looking afraid on the pikes. As they got closer, the sun rose up over the hill and the bright light blinding the Uruks and caused a bit of 'disorganization' among their ranks as the Beasts tried to protect their eyes.

Gandalf let out a battle cry as he and the army of Rohirrim Riders clashed into the Uruks, the horses jumping past the pikes while knocking and trampling over many enemies in the process. The newcomers began to swing their weapons away and what remained of Saruman's army was now in total chaos. The Uruks were trying to fight back against those new opponents as best as they could but they were quickly outmatched. Eomer swung his sword and stabbed two Uruks while Gandalf was swinging his staff ,hitting many of them in the face.

The Defenders gathered all their strength and courage to fight the remaining Uruks and , thank to their new allies , they were sure victory was possible. Kopa then looked at his mate before inquiring hurriedly "Vitani ! Go to the Glittering Caves now !" "Why should I ?" she asked him defiantly " I don't know if you have noticed but not all Uruks are here ! I saw some staying behind !" Vitani , at those words, had her eyes wide in horror and she didn't have to think twice as she ran away as fast as she could.

Kopa watched her go with a sight before pouncing on an Uruk who was charging him from his left.

The battle was raging on and not only in the outside but also in the inside. Indeed, like Kopa remarked , even if many Uruks chose to go after the Riders there were some who decided to stay behind and were now fighting against Gimli, a few Rohirrim Soldiers and some Elves.

As fight went on , a lone Rohirrim Soldier unfortunately found himself cut down by an Uruk as the Beast swung its arm forward. The gesture was a signal for some of its comrades to follow it and the small group of Ugly Beasts made their way toward the Glittering Caves ! One of the Rohirrim , thankfully noticed this , and yelled loudly in alarm "Stop those Uruk-hai ! They're going after the women and children !"

At those words, some Rohirrims and Elves rushed forward to give pursuit but couldn't go far because they were blocked by more Uruks. They had no choice but to engage them. However the moment they were about to charge, a loud roar echoed behind them and a large beige form jumped above their heads to crash against the Uruks. It was Vitani…. And she wasn't happy… not at.. all.

In fact she seemed FURIOUS ! Zira's daughter killed her opponents mercilessly before looking back at the stunned soldiers with a cold expression on her face which made them shudder in fright " Stay behind and fight ! I will take care of them… Go !" she ordered them sternly and they retreated without being told twice. The Beige Lioness watched them go for a second before racing inside toward the cave as fast as she could.

In the Glittering Caves, things were becoming out of control. The moment, the Uruks appeared from the entrance with a frightening roar, the women and children screamed out in pure terror. One of the Uruks walked toward the civilians unaware that behind a one of the stalagmites before him, was Eowyn holding a sword in her hands as she waited for the perfect moment to strike.

It came when the Beast walked past her hiding place and with a battle cry and a swing of her sword, she be-headed the Uruk whose head fell on the ground. Eowyn then turned around to look at the other women before yelling out "Run !" They obeyed and the mass of people began to ran away from the Uruks who charged the King's niece in an attempt to kill her.

However, Eowyn was ready to defend herself as she raised her sword. The first Uruk swung his sword but the Blond Woman ducked before cutting the Beast's leg which caused it to fall on its back. Then she swung her sword again to strike another Uruk, cutting its body and face.

Another Uruk brought its sword down at Eowyn who swiftly ducked to her left before driving her sword through the Creature. Then she quickly pulled it out before twisting her weapon around to cut down another Uruk. Eowyn raised her sword , breathing calmly as some Uruk-hai were standing before her.

What she didn't know, was that Ioreth was hiding behind one of the stalagmites, watching the scene fearfully. The Uruks were too focused on Eowyn to notice her… or was It ? One of them smelled the air and turned its head toward the stalagmite where we could a head peeking out of it. The Beast screeched loudly when it saw the girl who screamed in fear when the creature charged her.

Sadly, Ioreth tripped on a rock and fell on the ground. She quickly turned around to look at her pursuer who looked down at her with an evil sneer as it raised its sword. Eowyn, who had heard the scream, was looking at this with horror and wanted to rush there and help but was interrupted by the other Uruks who blocked her path.

Ioreth's eyes were starting to water as she saw the Beast raising its sword and started to cry. The Uruk was about to strike , still harboring this disgusting sneer behind its mask when.

'ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR'

A furious roar echoed in the caves and the Uruk found itself pinned down on the ground. It tried to get up but was firmly maintained down by a clawed paw. It looked up to see a furious Beige Lioness whose blue eyes was glaring down at it. Then the say Lioness raised her paws before slashing the Beast's neck , killing it instantly.

Ioreth ,who was still laying on her back, was looking up at the Lioness with joy and relief "Auntie Tani !" she cried out as she rushed toward her. Zira's daughter quickly left behind the dead body of her enemy to pull the little girl into a hug "Shhhhh shhhh its okay little one I'm here~" she purred softy to the crying child before glaring at the rest of the Uruks who backed away slightly in fear.

"Ioreth go back with the other children ! Its not a place for you !" The Beige Lioness inquired hurriedly to the human girl who looked up at her pleadingly "You will come back right ?" Vitani smiled warmly at her before whispering "Yes I will… I promise now go !" she pushed the child gently with her nose. Ioreth smiled at her before dashing away as fast as she could.

Vitani watched her go with a smile before turning back to the Uruks with a death glare. Eowyn watched her with a mixture of awe and fear and flinched when the Lioness's gaze fell on her "Are you ready to fight Eowyn ?" The King's niece nodded at her with determination before the two turned back to their enemies who roared out challengingly.

Vitani and Ewoyn glanced at one another before nodding. The Beige Lioness then pounced forward , taking down two Uruks in the process and Eowyn soon followed her as the Blond Woman charged her opponents with a battle-cry. All around Helm's Deep, everyone was fighting from all fronts against the remaining Uruks of the previous colossal army of Saruman

However they were unaware of what was happening far away from Helm's Deep at the same time… What was happening… at Isengard…

(To be continued…)